Couchdrop and Files.com detailed comparison

There are many SFTP and Managed File Transfer platforms available to choose from. One popular choice is Files.com, a SaaS file transfer platform designed to help you send files between your storage platforms like SharePoint and AWS S3.

What is Files.com?

Files.com is a modern cloud SFTP and file sharing and collaboration platform built for the enterprise customer. Emphasizing data privacy and security, Files.com helps large organizations ensure that their information is protected and shared securely. With thousands of customers across key industries like healthcare, finance, and tech, Files.com helps organizations around the world exchange files securely. 

What is Couchdrop?

Couchdrop is a platform for secure b2b file exchange, aiming to be the simplest and most straightforward for cloud SFTP and secure file transfers. Serving organizations from sole proprietors to major corporate entities, the goal of Couchrop is to be simple enough for anyone to use, including setup, configuration, and management, while still having the security and features that Enterprises depend on. 

Files.com vs Couchdrop

Couchdrop is a Files.com Alternative with a similar suite of features at an affordable price point, suitable for small businesses to enterprises. 

While Files.com and Couchdrop have a lot of similarities, the two platforms have a different focus. Files.com was built for file sharing and collaboration. User data is hosted inside the Files.com cloud, where it is then shared with other users and parties. 

Couchdrop shines as a platform for backend and automated file transfers between organizations as opposed to collaboration and file sharing. Couchdrop has been developed to allow non-techie (and techie) users to transfer files with SFTP, FTP, and AS2, and automate transfers from any source to cloud storage like SharePoint. You can think of Couchdrop as a connector or pipe as opposed to a place where your files live permanently.

Depending on the size of your business, budget, and features you need, one platform might be better suited for your organization. We’ll break down the two offerings by platform support, features offered, and pricing to help you decide which option is best for you. 

Couchdrop and Files.com Platform Support

Both Couchdrop and Files.com support dozens of platform integrations. The most popular cloud storage platforms for businesses are integrations with both, which Files.com or Couchdrop connects to in order to send files between your connected storage. 

When connecting your existing cloud storage with Couchdrop, Couchdrop doesn’t store the data at any point. With this method, Couchdrop uses mainstream and public APIs of the storage providers to upload, download, and list information and does not store or retain data on any of its servers. Data is only stored when choosing Couchdrop-hosted storage, which is optional and included in all plans. 

Features Comparison

When it comes to features, both Couchdrop and Files.com are primarily cloud sftp servers and MFT platforms. On top of basic functionality, both platforms have additional features that can help facilitate and simplify file transfers. 

Couchdrop offers AS2 support, Static IPs, and whitelabelling in the Business Plan and above. Besides direct SFTP transfers, there are multiple ways for external users to upload files, including by email attachment, via web portal, or automation that can move files immediately when they are uploaded to a specific directory. While Couchdrop can transfer files directly between storage without storing them, hosted storage is included in all plans, and there are no transfer limits on Business plans. Features like HIPAA infrastructure, Premium Support, and VPC peering are available as add-ons or on the Enterprise plan. 

Files.com has support for SFTP and FTP as well as AS2 and WebDAV. There are several ways for users to share files, including email attachment, online form, and automation. For sensitive documents, Files.com has virtual data rooms that only authorized users can access, and Clickwrap agreements allow policies and disclaimers to be presented and accepted. Most transfers (all SFTP, FTP, and WebDAV transfers) between user storage use the Files.com network, which temporarily stores files before sending them to their destination. Features like HIPAA infrastructure and SIEM integration are available as add-ons or the Premier Plan, as well as fully separate environments for staging, testing, and/or development.

Automations

Automations are one of the most important features for file sharing, as the right automation setup can be completely set-and-forget in many cases. This means that having additional automations for file transfers can make a significant difference in what MFT platform works best for your organization. 

Both Files.com and Couchdrop offer no-code automations, with support for scheduling and action-based triggering. However, there are some differences when it comes to what specific functions are supported. See the table below for a full breakdown of automation functionality. 

Automation Function

Files.com

Couchdrop

Create Folders

Run Sync

– 

Zapier Support

– 

Copy Files

Move Files

Delete Files

Send Webhook

Automation Type Only

Multi-Step Automations

Via Zapier Only

Send Email

– 

Rename File

– 

Compress File

– 

Decompress File

– 

Unarchive File

– 

PGP Encrypt File

– 

PGP Decrypt File

– 

AES Encrypt File

– 

AES Decrypt File

– 

Create Empty File

– 

Upload Links, Mailboxes, and Shared Links

Files.com and Couchdrop both support Upload Links, which are simple ways to share files with people or organizations without a user account. Each Inbox created generates a unique URL that can include a description, help text, and custom form. Inboxes can also be password-protected or require a user login. Email Inboxes are supported by Couchdrop and Files.com, where attachments sent to a specific email are automatically uploaded to a specified folder. 

Couchdrop also adds customization to the web portal so organizations can add their own branding. 

For Shared Links, Files.Com has an option for a Live Share Link, which is the live version of the file, and Snapshot Links, which makes a copy of a file at that moment and links to the copy. When using Live links, users have the option to preview, download, upload, or have full access to the file or folder. 

Couchdrop only allows live links and only downloads from the link, but passwords and expiration can be set on the link. There is also the option to make the Shared Link one-time use, so the link can only be used to download a file a single time. 

Pricing

Depending on your use case, pricing can differ significantly between Files.com and Couchdrop. Files.com has a Starter plan starting at $199/month but doesn't display pricing for their Power or Premier plans. 

The Power plan includes core file transfer features, basic support, and includes a GDPR Data Processing Addendum for organizations subject to GDPR. Premier Plan increases Support capabilities, gives access to priority beta features and archive-only mode, and the option to include a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement. Several features are add-ons that will increase the total subscription cost. 

Couchdrop takes a simple approach to pricing with transparent monthly pricing. Couchdrop Link is for single users who need a single, secure transfer connection to cloud storage. The Business Plan offers up to 100 users or endpoints, unlimited transfer per month, AS2 Support, and support for Inbound S3 and Webhooks at $450/month. Enterprises that need dedicated infrastructure, premium support, custom SLAs, or that have hundreds or thousands of users can benefit from the Enterprise Plan starting at $750/month.

Included Storage

Both Couchdrop and Files.com offer a hosted storage option, where data can be stored directly in the platform. However, they take a different approach to how this works. 

With Files.com, data storage is based on a per GB rate. On standard plans without an annual commitment, Files.com charges $0.10 per GB. Users are charged both for files directly stored by Files.com, as well as transfer usage, which applies to the bytes transferred from the Files.com network. This can drop to as low as $0.03/GB depending on plans, usage, and commitment.

Couchdrop includes 1TB of hosted storage on the Essentials plan and 5TB on the Business plan. There are no additional charges for storing or transferring data. 

Sign up and Free Trials

You can get a free trial of Files.com by signing up on the website. You’ll need to fill out a quick form with your contact information and then you can try Files.com free for 7 days. Some functionality is limited during the trial, but most features of either tier work. To sign up after the free trial ends, you’ll need to set up an appointment to get your pricing, choose your features, and subscribe. 

For Couchdrop, new registrations include a 14-day free trial automatically, with no credit card required. This is a fully functional trial except for Shared Links, which can be enabled in the trial period by contacting Support. You can subscribe directly in the platform at any point during the trial or once the trial is complete. 

Try Couchdrop free for 14 days

Sign up and try Couchdrop for yourself without having to go through a Sales call or request a demo first. Simply sign up and get full access to Business Plan features for 14 days. To sign up for your account and try Couchdrop free for 14 days, register for your account now.