Dropwarden vs AWS Transfer Family
AWS Transfer Family is a managed SFTP, FTPS, FTP and AS2 service on AWS. It charges per hour for each protocol enabled on an endpoint and per gigabyte uploaded or downloaded. Dropwarden charges a flat monthly price per plan. Here is how the published list prices compare.
| What you pay for | AWS Transfer Family | Dropwarden |
|---|---|---|
| Server endpoint | $0.30 per hour for each enabled protocol, billed from creation until the endpoint is deleted, including while it is stopped | No endpoint or per-hour charge |
| SFTP for one month | $216 ($0.30 × 720 hours), before data transfer | Plans from $9 a month, data allowance included |
| SFTP and FTPS for one month | $432 (two protocols × 720 hours), before data transfer | Both included in every plan |
| Data uploaded and downloaded | $0.04 per GB uploaded or downloaded | Uploads are not metered. Downloads are included up to the plan allowance, then $0.03 per GB |
| Browser access for people without SFTP | Transfer Family web apps: $0.50 per hour per web app unit ($360 per unit for 720 hours) | Web file browser included in every plan |
| File storage | Billed separately by Amazon S3 or Amazon EFS | Included up to the plan limit, then $0.04 per GB-month |
| Upload and download notifications | Built by you, for example with Amazon EventBridge and Amazon SNS | Included: folder rules, digests, email and webhooks on every plan |
Example: one SFTP endpoint with light use
AWS's own pricing example: an SFTP endpoint with 20 users downloading about one GB a day costs $217.20 a month in US East (N. Virginia), before S3 storage and requests. The same workload fits within our Business plan at $99 a month.
When AWS Transfer Family is the better fit
Choose AWS Transfer Family if you need AS2, FTP without TLS, deep AWS integration such as IAM roles, Lambda-based workflows or S3 event pipelines, or a server spread across several AWS Availability Zones. Dropwarden has a 99.5% uptime target (no high availability) and focuses on partner file drops with notifications built in.
Sources
AWS prices are list prices for US East (N. Virginia) from the AWS Transfer Family pricing page and FAQ, checked on October 9, 2026. Monthly figures use AWS's own 720-hour month (24 hours × 30 days). Taxes, Amazon S3 storage and request charges are not included. Prices change, so check the source before deciding.