ShareFile review: Secure cloud collaboration and file sharing tailored for small business compliance

In today’s digital landscape, secure file sharing and collaboration have become critical for individuals and businesses alike. 

With 20 years of experience, ShareFile is a secure sharing and collaboration service with a strong focus on business and enterprises. Acquired by Citrix Systems in 2011 and renamed to Citrix ShareFile during that period, ShareFile’s ownership changed twice more in recent times. 

Cloud Software Group acquired the cloud-based platform from Citrix in 2023 and handed it over to Progress Software Corporation, the current owner, one year later. 

How is ShareFile stacking up against its main competitors now that things appear to have settled down? Our ShareFile review has the answer.

ShareFile Features

ShareFile, at its core, is a file hosting, collaboration, and synchronization service for professionals and businesses of any size. Much like alternatives like Google Drive, this software allows organizations and employees to upload files securely to their service.

Afterwards, data can be easily accessed from any device (such as computers, smartphones, or tablets) and shared with third-party clients.

ShareFile users may do so using the provided clients, the web interface, or integrations in third-party apps or services.

All plans include a base set of features:

• Desktop and mobile apps
• Search function
• File encryption, sync, versioning, and link expiration
• Secure file share
• Unlimited clients
• Manage users
• Device security
• Multi-factor authentication, Active Directory, and SSO support
• Custom branding
• Dedicated support

ShareFile Plans and Differences

ShareFile has three different main plans, Advanced, Premium, and Industry Standard, that include the service's base features and build on each other. Premium, for example, includes all features of the Advanced plan.

Some noteworthy features are not available for Advanced users. This includes automated workflows, support for templates and data tables, bulk send, and e-signature support.

Even the clients lack some features, such as support for projects, task management, or the new information request feature.

Finally, some compliance and security features are also not available. This includes HIPAA and SEC+FINRA eligibility, or the new AI-driven share recommender.

Premium and Industry Advantage are very similar in functionality. The core difference is what ShareFile calls “industry solutions”, which are included only for the latter. These include features aimed at office work, such as accounting workflows, tax integrations, and support for a wide range of accounting programs.

The Virtual Data Room plan is ShareFile’s most expensive plan, apart from custom Enterprise plans. While it lacks some of the features of the three other plans, it does support unique features that only it supports.

ShareFile VDR is designed for the “most complex, confidential deals,” according to the company.

Noteworthy features are:

• Click Trails: Administrators may view a timeline of a user’s session and activity.
• Folder Q&A: Create a secure trail for communication.
• Visibility analytics and reporting: Track usage and activity throughout the entire account.

Integrations

ShareFile boasts a large number of third-party tools that can integrate with its service. ShareFile for Windows and Mac are desktop apps that blend seamlessly with the service. Users may also use mobile clients for Apple and Android devices or access the web-based version in any modern web browser.

File transfer clients are supported by ShareFile, but only the FTPS protocol is supported. ShareFile does not support SFTP or FTP.  WebDAV was previously supported, but ShareFile has announced that support for the protocol will end in August 2025. 

Cloud-based services and tools can also be used alongside this software. ShareFile for Outlook is part of the wider Microsoft 365 one, but users may integrate it with Gmail and Google Workspace, Zapier, Scrypt Sfax, RedTail, or Orion, among many more. 

Third-party apps, including Salesforce, Gmail, or QuickBooks, are also supported. Some of these are only available for certain plans, though. 

All customers gain access to the developer API. Businesses may use the API to integrate custom tools or services into ShareFile.

ShareFile Pricing: How Much Does ShareFile Cost?

ShareFile lists four different plans on its website. These differ significantly in price, features, and requirements. 

Here is an overview of each ShareFile plan and the ideal target audience:

• Advanced: ideal for small businesses and individuals such as freelancers.
• Premium: best for small and medium businesses (SMBs).
• Industry Advantage: best for medium businesses and small Enterprises.
• Virtual Data Room: designed for special use cases.

The following table highlights the price of each plan:

Enterprise customers get additional options. They may, for example, sign up for on-premises or hybrid storage solutions. ShareFile does not reveal the on-premises pricing or specifics on its site.

Large Enterprises need to contact the sales department for information on advanced sets of features that are only available in custom plans.

Verdict: Pricing is a bit on the higher side, especially when compared to direct competitors such as Dropbox for Business or Box. To put this in perspective: Dropbox Business starts at $15 per month per user, while Box charges $20 for its cheapest business plan and $50 for the Enterprise Plus plan. Features are not fully comparable, though.

Security and Compliance: How Safe is ShareFile?

ShareFile uses state-of-the-art encryption to protect documents and other files. The service uses 256-bit AES encryption for data at rest and uses 256-bit SSL encryption while in transit.

Data is stored in SSAE 16 audited data centers on privately managed server farms that use “the latest firewalls and Internet security updates,” according to ShareFile.

Advanced security features, including remote file wiping, granular permissions, and password policies, are supported.

The service supports several authentication features for secure user access, including multi-factor authentication, SSO, and Active Directory.

Certification is another strong focus of ShareFile. The service supports the following industry standards and certifications:

• GDPR
• SOC2
• ISO 27001
• ISO 27701
• HIPAA
• PCI DSSv3.2.1

ShareFile Pros & Cons

If you're looking for secure content collaboration, file sharing, and sync software, you might be thinking of subscribing to ShareFile. To help you make this choice, we've gathered the main pros, cons, likes, and dislikes that we experienced after reviewing this software.

Pros

• Documents and files are stored securely and can be easily retrieved.
• Excellent integrations with third-party services, such as Google Workspace or Salesforce.
• Allows real-time collaboration with platforms such as Microsoft 365.
• Desktop (Windows and Mac), mobile (Android and iOS), and web-based clients are supported.
• Workflow automation.
• Passwordless authentication using OAuth tokens.
• E-signature support is included.
• Cloud, hybrid storage, and on-premises options for Enterprises
• Some AI features are available.
• Specialized plan for accounting and the highest confidentiality. 

Cons

• No Linux client.
• Large files may take a long time to upload.
• Advanced plan without a free trial option.
• Some plans are relatively pricey in comparison with the competition.
• Desktop apps are clunky.
• Mobile apps have reliability issues. 
• Some users mentioned issues when syncing large numbers of files.

Customer Support and Help

ShareFile offers customer support to all plans via an online form for email support and a live chat for general help. Reports suggest that the response time can be slow at times, especially during peak business hours, and some users complain that their support tickets are often ignored.

Online help and training resources are provided via the integrated Help Center. It includes an extensive library of videos, user guides, product documentation, and a community section. These are excellent to help new users, clients, and admins get used to ShareFile's interface and features.

What We Like About ShareFile

ShareFile’s strongest feature is security and compliance. It supports all the expected features, such as support for multi-factor authentication or SSO, but also advanced features, such as remote deletion support.

Integration is another area in which ShareFile excels. It can blend its features with many different services, including Outlook, Gmail, or Salesforce. Businesses with a development team may furthermore utilize the provided API access to create custom integrations.

Lastly, ShareFile offers two plans, Industry Advantage and Virtual Data Room, designed for specific use cases that give the company an advantage over its competitors.

What Could Be Better

We found ShareFile’s client application to be somewhat lacking during our tests. Customer reports on the Internet confirm this assessment for the most part. 

ShareFile app reviews, for example, paint a dire picture regarding support. The apps have a mediocre rating of 3.3 on Android and 3.4 on iOS at the time of writing. Users complain about bugs and issues. The last update dates back to September 2024, at the time of writing, which is concerning.

ShareFile Alternatives

Dropbox

File hosting and collaboration service Dropbox lists three business plans on its website. The service has a stronger focus on productivity. 

Advanced plans include features such as team management, HIPAA compliance, device approvals, or API access. Some features, such as SSO support, tiered admin roles, or audit logs with file event tracking, are only available in the Business Plus plan, though. Enterprises may contact Dropbox for custom plans.

Compliance is one of Dropbox’s strongest features. The service supports additional ISO certifications, e.g., ISO 27017 Cloud Security, and SOC 3, which ShareFile does not seem to support.

Box

Box offers five different plans to businesses. Business and Business Plus are intended for SMBs, Enterprise, Enterprise Plus, and Enterprise Advanced for enterprises.

Unlike Dropbox, Box is offering unlimited storage for all its business and enterprise plans. All plans include native unlimited signatures support, access to the API, strong security features, mobile and desktop access, support for SSO, and more.

Not all plans gain access to all supported certifications or compliance. HIPAA, for instance, is reserved for Enterprise plans. Box is also offering extra features at a cost. There is Box Shield, which introduces classification-based access controls and malware detection, or Box KeySafe, secure storage for encryption keys. These are available for all plans, except for the Business plan.

Final Thoughts

ShareFile is a file storage and collaboration service that is best suited for security-focused businesses and compliance-heavy industries. There is also a case to be made for use by accounting teams, as the Industry Standard plan is designed with those in mind.

Client support, both desktop and mobile, is not ShareFile’s strong suit. Competitors, including Dropbox or Google Drive, offer better mobile support. While feature sets are somewhat different, it may be a good idea to compare ShareFile’s offering to that of its main competitors to find the best-suited secure file sharing and collaboration service.

Verdict: ShareFile is a safe and reliable content collaboration platform that makes sharing files very easy. It is ideal for businesses that require Enterprise-grade security features and compliance support. Good service integration, automation features, and the inclusion of AI make it a well-rounded option for enterprises and SMBs.

However, neglect of client apps and vendor support, which is somewhat lacking in comparison, is something that needs to be considered.