What TrustRadius Research Says
ShareFile Pricing 2021
Security and communication are integral for businesses with sensitive information. Any company that takes privacy seriously should consider if their files, email, and data are safe. Depending on the field, like banks and retail, loss of private customer information could result in legal action. The law shouldn’t be the only reason for secure data sharing; it’s simply good practice in the long run.
ShareFile, or Citrix ShareFile, is a great option for secure communication between employees of small businesses. They are a cloud based service that saves files to storage rather than having to download them to your personal or work device. Below we go over what ShareFile is in more detail, and the benefits to using them. If you just want to see the pricing details feel free to skip over.
What is ShareFile?
Citrix ShareFile is a file storage service for your company to share files with other employees, and your clients. Their cloud system functions as an FTP server for you to connect with your FTP client, so you can transfer files (hence why FTP means File Transfer Protocol).
An FTP client is the software, or operating system running on your computer or mobile device. Two of the most common FTP clients ShareFile connects with are Windows and Mac software.
You can use the ShareFile mobile app on your Android, iOS, or other devices. Their interface is meant to be modern and intuitive. The landing page is their dashboard where users have customized options for security i.e. clients have less permissions than employees, the admin has all the main controls.
ShareFile’s goal is to create a safe connection between users and clients. In the next section, we talk about those security features and how they work.
How ShareFile’s Security Works
ShareFile’s main features are security, and communication. ShareFile uses 256-bit encryption to protect your files and requires users to sign in with two-step verification. They secure your data in transit or storage with encryption and multi-factor authentication.
ShareFile allows your company a limited number of employee users but an unlimited number of client or external users. You and your team can share files by logging into their encrypted cloud, and you don’t need to worry about unsafe downloads because those files will be saved in storage.
Admin accounts can also manage users from their dashboard, and use dynamic watermarking to copyright their files before sharing them. This way your delivery of content, and the content itself, can be protected.
One big point to make about ShareFile’s security is they are HIPAA. This means small clinics or private medical institutions can share private information with patients virtually. Hybrid medical institutions will be able to access their files from other locations. Of course, any enterprise could use their secure communications for other reasons.
ShareFile can even secure your personal email. Private data sent via email has the potential to be mishandled. ShareFile encrypts your email channels like Gmail and Microsoft Outlook. It encrypts the actual message of the email and any files attached. If you want to conduct correspondence without making a client create a login, this would be a more convenient alternative as well.
Another important security feature is file retention. Clients may not want you to store their files indefinitely, and depending on the industry, you should only store them as long as necessary. With ShareFile anyone with an admin account can set a specific time to delete for a folder.
For example, if you have information that shouldn’t be held for longer than a year or less than 2 weeks, you can designate your folders to automatically delete at the end of that timeframe. No one will need to worry about going back to delete files they upload. You can perform this function by going to the Advanced Preferences menu. For more information on their File Retention Policy see their FAQs page.
This kind of secure communication can be very niche for certain industries. ShareFile’s secure line between clients and employees could be helpful to any industry that needs to deliver sensitive information. This can be medical records, social security numbers, private intellectual data, creative services that need to be watermarked, financial information, and more. If you want to protect it, ShareFile is a good option.
We’ve covered how ShareFile works, and looked at their security. Next comes the question of whether their prices are in your budget, and worth it.
How Much Does ShareFile Cost?
The price range for ShareFile costs between $50-$135 for their Standard, Advanced, and Premium plans. They have both monthly and annual options, with annual plans being 10% less. You can also consider their Virtual Data Room for high security information.
The plans have unlimited external users/client users, but only build 5 employee users into the cost for all plans. Each plan has a different price for adding additional users.
If you are unsure about purchasing right away, they do have free trials for all available subscriptions. Below we discuss what comes with each service.
ShareFile Standard Plan
ShareFile’s Standard plan costs $55/mo monthly and $50/mo annually. With it you get access to their mobile app, store, sync, and share features as well as Two-Step verification and unlimited storage. For additional users it costs $11, or $9.90 for annual subscriptions.
This plan is good if you only need the bare minimum for daily functions of your business. You still get protection for both you and clients, and plenty of storage. This plan unfortunately doesn’t come with the email plugins and encryption that more advanced plans do.
That makes Standard secure but not the best level of protection if your company or client data is especially important. If you take social security numbers, payment information, medical records, or business secrets, you should have the best security.
ShareFile Advanced Plan
ShareFile’s Advanced plan is $85/mo monthly and $77/mo annually. This subscription comes with more security, advanced collaboration, and plugins for Outlook and Gmail. This plan gives encrypted email so you can communicate safely with your preferred email. The plan also allows additional users for $17/monthly, $15.30/annually.
The Advanced plan is better for security with correspondence. If your company wants both the ability to connect with clients that make accounts, as well as through regular email without compromising security.
ShareFile Premium Plan
ShareFile’s Premium plan is $135/mo monthly, and $122/mo annually. The cost for additional employees in the cost, and will be $27/monthly and $24.30/annually for new users. This plan has all the security of the other plans with the bonus of an e-signature function, and custom workflows to streamline your daily needs.
This is worth it for companies that want special features to make their job easier while their communication is secured. This may not be worth it if you don’t need those extra features.
ShareFile Virtual Data Room
ShareFile’s Virtual Data Room is $375/monthly and $338/annually. The plan also only has 5 employee users but the cost of additional users requires a call to sales. The Virtual Room plan is the highest security they have. It’s ideal for anyone with confidential consulting, agreements, or private deals. The plan also includes more document security like dynamic watermarking. For more information about the VDR see their info page.
ShareFile vs DropBox vs SmartVault
ShareFile is not the only secure file sharing solution around. There is DropBox Business, and SmartVault.
DropBox Business costs $15/month and $25/month for their Standard and Advanced plans. They only have 3 users built into the cost, but overall they are less expensive than ShareFile. They have file sharing, collaboration tools, and security similar to ShareFile. They do not have the same structure as ShareFile, with internal and external users sharing information. It’s more for internal or employee users.
One caveat, DropBox Business is less detailed about their security, but that doesn't mean they’re less secure.
They have a guide here to show you how to be HIPAA compliant with DropBox but they don't take the responsibility of branding themselves as HIPAA compliant. That falls more on you and your use of their software.
See the comparison of reviews between Dropbox and ShareFile below.
SmartVault has a more comparable business setup to ShareFile. They have separate accounts for users and “guest’s,” HIPAA compliance, and other security features. Their costs range between $20 annually/$26 monthly to $40 annually/$56 monthly for their Standard, Business, and Accounting plans, depending on monthly and annual billing. The plans have 2-5 users built into the costs. The cost for additional users requires a request.
If your company is fairly small they are a great alternative to ShareFile. Aside from small businesses, they could be a good option for midsize companies as well. Below is a visual comparison with reviews between them and ShareFile.
ShareFile has positive feedback, especially for their customer support. See their reviews page for more information.
More Resources
If you want a better glance into what using ShareFile is like, here we have an in depth tutorial of how to share files in ShareFile. You may not be sure yet about which secure storage platform you need. Worry not, we have more great alternatives with reviews available.
Last but not least, consider helping other buyers by leaving a review.
