Files.com vs Kiteworks (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Files.com and Kiteworks share a 2.0 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about the free plan, where Files.com grades higher, or value for money, where Kiteworks does.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Files.com
Cloud SFTP, managed file transfer and automation platform
Kiteworks
Compliance-focused secure file sharing, email and file transfer
Which one is for you
Pick Files.com if
- Fits if your job is moving files between partners over SFTP
- Works for an IT team that needs automations and an audit trail
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you just want storage: $199 a month is the starting point
- Tight if you need SSO or a custom domain, as those start on Power at $499
- Watch out: extra users cost $12 each and storage $100 per TB a month
- Watch out: usage is metered, with 1 or 2 TB of monthly storage and transfer included before overage
Pick Kiteworks if
- Fits if you must show auditors how sensitive files leave your company
- Works for teams that need data kept on-premises or in a private cloud
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to see a price before talking to anyone, as none is published
- Too light for large files on Business, which stops at 2 GB a file against 16 TB on Enterprise
- Skip it if you are a DoD supplier chasing CMMC 2.0 Level 2, where the vendor itself does not recommend Business
- Watch out: bring-your-own-keys, forms and the enterprise integrations are Enterprise only, and Business is 5 to 500 users
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAFiles.comFair | 2.0GPAKiteworksFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$199 a month is well above the category's $16.50 dearest-tenth line, though this is a managed file transfer platform, not personal storage. | CNo prices are published: Enterprise is call-for-pricing and Business shows only a Buy Now button. Nothing on record to set against the category's $7 middle. |
| Free plan and trial | C7 days free with no credit card, and no free plan after it. | DThe site offers a free trial, but its terms are not stated, so we cannot say it is card-free or longer than a week. There is no free plan. |
| Features | CSFTP, FTP, automation and a web interface, but SSO, a custom domain and the on-premise agent need Power, and the SLA and HIPAA BAA need Enterprise. | CIt covers sharing, secure email, SFTP transfer, policy engine and audit log. The listing shows gaps: Business caps files at 2 GB, and bring-your-own-keys and forms are Enterprise only. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, with connections, users and automations to configure. | CA compliance platform that takes setting up, with policies and integrations to configure. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with an API and 2 integrations listed. | BWeb, with integrations for Outlook, Office, Google Workspace, Salesforce, iManage and Splunk. No desktop or phone apps are listed. |
| Best for | IT teams moving files over SFTP with automation | regulated companies sharing sensitive files with outsiders |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Files.com and Kiteworks. How we grade
Where they differ
- Files.com also covers workflow automation.
- Kiteworks also covers reports.
At a glance
| Files.com | Kiteworks | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $199 per month, or $2,099 per year | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial, no credit card required | Free trial offered on the vendor's site; terms not stated |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Files.com | Kiteworks |
| Price read from | files.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Files.com
- Entry pricing starts at $199 a month, which is above typical consumer cloud storage plans.
- Extra users, connections and storage cost extra, such as $12 per full user and $100 per TB a month.
- SSO, a custom domain and the on-premise agent need Power; the SLA and HIPAA BAA need Enterprise.
- Usage is metered: 1 TB or 2 TB of monthly storage plus transfer is included before overage.
Kiteworks
- No prices are published: the Enterprise edition is call-for-pricing and the Business edition shows only a Buy Now button.
- Business covers 5 to 500 users with a 2 GB file limit; Enterprise is unlimited with 16 TB files.
- Bring-your-own-keys, forms and the enterprise integrations are Enterprise only.
- Business is not recommended by the vendor for DoD suppliers seeking CMMC 2.0 Level 2.
Key features
Files.com
- SFTP, FTP and WebDAV
- Hosted inbound and outbound endpoints for SFTP, FTP and WebDAV, with an API, CLI and SDKs for scripting.
- Automations and sync flows
- No-code flows move files on a schedule or on a trigger such as an inbound file, email or webhook.
- Share links and inboxes
- Share files with access-controlled links, or collect files from others through inboxes by email or web.
- Web, mobile and desktop apps
- Includes collaborative document editing and preview, plus a desktop drive for file-server replacement.
- Access and security controls
- Role-based access, 2FA, IP allowlisting and password policies on every plan; SSO from Power and SIEM integration at Enterprise.
- Regions and compliance
- Starter stores in one region and Power in one or two. Enterprise uses up to eight, with a HIPAA BAA, DORA addendum and SLA.
Kiteworks
- Secure file sharing
- Folders, version control, desktop sync and external collaboration with retention and expiration policies.
- Secure email and forms
- Email protection with DLP scanning, encryption enforcement, link expiration and content withdrawal, plus secure web forms.
- Managed file transfer and SFTP
- Scheduled workflows, an SFTP server for outside parties and air-gapped configurations are described on the site.
- Policy engine and audit log
- One attribute-based policy engine covers every channel, with a single audit log that can feed a SIEM.
- Encryption and compliance claims
- The vendor says it uses TLS 1.3 and AES-256 with FIPS 140-3 validated modules, and states FedRAMP certification.
- MCP server for AI agents
- A Model Context Protocol server lets AI agents reach governed data under the same access rules as employees.
Plans
Files.com
Starter$199
per month, or $2,099 per year
10 full users, 50 system users, 2 outbound connections and 1 TB of monthly storage plus transfer.
Power$499
per month, or $5,269 per year
20 full users, 100 system users, 5 outbound connections, 2 TB, SSO, on-premise agent, AS2 and GPG.
EnterpriseCustom
Quoted from $10k a year: SLA, HIPAA BAA, multi-region storage and full onboarding.
Kiteworks
Pricing could not be confirmed. See kiteworks.com.
Ways to pay less
Files.com
- Annual discount
12% off with annual billing
The pricing page says annual billing saves 12%, and two- and three-year terms carry volume pricing.
Kiteworks
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Files.com or Kiteworks?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Files.com starts at $199 per month, or $2,099 per year, and Kiteworks has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Files.com or Kiteworks?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Files.com nor Kiteworks has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.