Protocol behaviour
In RIPTON CLOUD's published test on a path with 150 ms latency and 3% loss, a 1 GB file finished in 4 minutes against 30 minutes for the TCP baseline, and 100,000 small files in under a second against nearly three minutes.
RIPTON CLOUD vs FTP, SFTP and rsync
An FTP and SFTP alternative for large files over long, lossy links.
FTP, SFTP, SCP and rsync are free, everywhere and well understood, and for short, clean links they are fine. Their limits show on distance and packet loss, on directories with many files, and when the other side is a person rather than a server.
Competitor facts are taken from Standard tools's public pages, retrieved 2026-09-13, and linked below. No speed multiple against FTP, SFTP and rsync is claimed; RIPTON CLOUD's figures are against a TCP baseline in a published test.
About FTP, SFTP and rsync
FTP and SFTP are single-stream TCP protocols served by a server you run. SCP and rsync are command-line tools over SSH. None of them is a product; all of them are what teams use until the transfer window stops fitting.
Side by side
Published facts only. Where a vendor does not publish something, the table says so.
| Criterion | FTP, SFTP and rsync | RIPTON CLOUD |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free software; your servers, your time. | Published: Free $0; Starter $99/mo; Professional $499/mo; Business $1,499/mo; Enterprise from $2,500/mo. Annual plans include two months free. |
| Throughput over distance | TCP congestion control falls with round-trip time and loss; a single stream rarely fills a long, lossy link. Parallel streams and tuning help but need expertise per route. | RIPT: UDP-based, rate-controlled, block-level retransmission; TCP is used only for control traffic. |
| Encryption | FTP is plaintext unless FTPS is configured; SFTP, SCP and rsync over SSH are encrypted. | Mandatory AES-256-GCM or ChaCha20-Poly1305 with a forward-secret key per session; replay protection per subflow; there is no plaintext mode. |
| Many small files | Each file is negotiated and created separately; directory trees with hundreds of thousands of files are slow over distance. | Directories are packaged as one bundle, so file count does not add per-file round trips; published test: 100,000 x 512 B files in 0.98 s vs 2 min 52 s over TCP at 150 ms and 3% loss. |
| Recipients | The other side needs credentials on a server and a client. | External recipients and guest uploaders never use a seat and are never charged. |
| Delivery record | Server logs, if you keep them. | Per-package transfer records with recipient download events, expiry and audit trail. |
| Resume | rsync resumes; FTP and SFTP depend on client support. | Block-level retransmission and resume; verified completion. |
| Automation | Cron, scripts and your own monitoring. | REST API, CLI, scheduler, watch folders and webhooks from Professional; SAML SSO, roles and full audit from Professional; SCIM on Business. |
When FTP, SFTP and rsync is the better choice
- The link is short and clean and the files are modest.
- Both ends are servers you administer and nobody needs a delivery record.
- A partner requires an SFTP endpoint and nothing else.
When RIPTON CLOUD is the better choice
- Distance or loss makes the link deliver far less than you pay for.
- Directories with tens or hundreds of thousands of files take hours.
- Recipients are people who need a link, not an account on your server.
- You need delivery records, expiry and audit without writing them yourself.
The differences that decide it
People, not servers
FTP-style tools assume an administrator on each end. RIPTON CLOUD assumes a sender and recipients, with guests who need nothing installed.
Operations
The records, expiry, roles and audit that a script-based setup accumulates by hand are part of the product.
FAQ
Questions about switching from FTP, SFTP and rsync.
Can RIPTON CLOUD talk to my SFTP server?
No. It is a different protocol with its own nodes and clients. Keep SFTP for partners who require it; use RIPTON CLOUD for the routes and people where it matters.
Why is my SFTP transfer slow on a fast link?
Because TCP throughput is bounded by round-trip time and packet loss, not by the link's capacity, and every small file adds round trips. The file transfer calculator shows the effect for your numbers.
Sources
- RIPTON CLOUD benchmark conditions and results
- File transfer calculator
- RIPTON CLOUD pricing
- RIPTON CLOUD security design
Vendor names and marks belong to their owners. If a fact here is out of date, tell us at hello@riptoncloud.com and we will correct it.
Decide with numbers
Run both on your route.
Bring the files and the path that hurt today. We will help you time RIPTON CLOUD against what you use now, with the conditions written down, so the decision is yours and the evidence is reusable.