File Transfer Protocol (FTP) allows users to transfer files from one hosting provider to another over a TCP-based network, such as the internet. FTP hosting refers to a hosting service that allows users to store and manage their website files on a server using FTP. It is typically used by website developers and designers who need to transfer large files or manage multiple websites.
To use FTP hosting, users will need an FTP client, such as FileZilla or Cyberduck, to connect to the FTP server, browse and manage their files, and transfer files between their local computers and the server. FTP hosting is a simple and effective way to manage and maintain a website, and it is often used in combination with other hosting services, such as web hosting or cloud hosting.
At HostAdvice, we researched hosting providers that offer FTP hosting as part of their web hosting services. Our in-house hosting experts left no stone unturned and considered the most important details, from disk space to uptime and pricing. The top 10 FTP hosting providers were bought, tested and ranked using our rating methodologies and factors.
Here Are the Top 10 FTP Hosting Providers
- Kamatera: Overall Best FTP Hosting Provider
- Cloudways: Best for Managed Cloud Hosting
- A2 Hosting: Best for fast page loads
- Ultahost: Best for encrypted data transfer
- InterServer: Best for affordable Cloud VPS
- ScalaHosting: Best for Flexible resources
- Hostinger: Best for total security
- TMDHosting: Best for total reliability
- GoDaddy: Best for support
- Bluehost: Best for WordPress hosting
The Top 10 FTP Hosting Providers (Bought and Tested)







Kamatera’s FTP hosting service includes a web-based FTP client that you can use to access and manage your files, as well as support for secure FTP (SFTP) for encrypted file transfers. With Kamatera, you can host your websites, applications, and data on the cloud using a variety of resources, including virtual servers, storage, networking, and other infrastructure components. Kamatera allows you to customize your cloud environment to meet your specific needs. You can choose the type and amount of resources you need and scale up or down as needed.
- Overall Score: 4.8
- Features: 4.8
- Reliability: 5.0
- User Friendly: 4.9
- Support: 4.9
- Pricing: 4.7
Features (4.8): Kamatera provides tools for managing and organizing your files, such as the ability to create and delete directories, move files between directories, and rename files. You will get features like FTP accounts, Solid State Drives, Daily backups, Public IPs, Unlimited scale-up and scale-out, Simple Management console and API, Designated account manager, Root and Administrator access, Instant Server configuration and more.
Reliability (5.0): To ensure reliability, Kamatera claims to use state-of-the-art data centers with multiple layers of redundancy and security measures, as well as advanced monitoring and automation tools. Kamatera’s cloud servers come with a 99.9% uptime SLA, which means that the service is expected to be available at least 99.9% of the time.
User-Friendly (4.9): Overall, it seems that Kamatera is focused on providing a user-friendly experience for its customers, with a range of tools and resources to help users get started with cloud hosting and manage their hosting accounts. They also offer a range of tools and resources to help users get started with cloud hosting, including documentation, tutorials, and video guides.
Support (4.9): Kamatera has a support team that is available 24/7 to help you with any questions or issues. It’s also worth noting that Kamatera provides a number of resources on its website to help you troubleshoot and resolve issues on your own, including a knowledge base and a series of video tutorials.
Pricing (4.7): Kamatera allows you to select a configuration to deploy an FTP server with a 30-day free trial with no commitment or setup fee. You can choose a small server to start with or create your own server with your own specification. Kindly see the screenshots below for more information.
PROS
- Wide range of services with customizable plans
- High-performance cloud hosting solutions
- 30-day free trial
- 99.95% uptime guaranteed
- Low-cost services
- No hardware worries
CONS
- Limited control and resource allocation








Cloudways is a cloud hosting provider that offers a variety of hosting services, including FTP hosting. With Cloudways, you can easily deploy and manage your applications on cloud servers, without the need for in-depth technical knowledge or infrastructure management. To use SFTP with Cloudways, you will need to create an SFTP account and set a password for it. You can then use the SFTP account credentials to connect to your Cloudways account using an SFTP client like FileZilla. Once you have entered all of the information, click the “Connect” button. Your SFTP client should now be connected to your server on Cloudways.
- Overall Score: 4.7
- Features: 4.7
- Reliability: 4.7
- User Friendly: 4.6
- Support: 4.7
- Pricing: 4.6
Features (4.7): Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform that allows you to host your websites, e-commerce stores, and web applications on various cloud infrastructure providers such as AWS, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, Linode and Vultr. Some key features of Cloudways include Free Object Cache Pro & SSL Certificate, Unlimited websites, Free migration, Dedicated Firewalls, SFTP access, Cloudflare Add-on, Unlimited application installation, Auto healing servers, Regular security patching and more.
Reliability (4.7): This host provides managed security to protect your applications and data from threats and vulnerabilities. They also guarantee a 99.9% uptime.
User-Friendly (4.6): Cloudways allows you to choose from multiple cloud infrastructure providers, giving you the flexibility to choose the one that best meets your needs. They also offer a user-friendly control panel that allows you to easily manage your cloud servers, applications, and other resources.
Support (4.7): As a Cloudways customer, you can choose from 3 levels of support which allows you to solve problems on the spot and stay focused on other aspects of your business.
Pricing (4.6): With Cloudways, you have a variety of hosting plans to choose from with varying prices depending on the cloud hosting provider and the specific plan you choose. Kindly check the screenshot below to see a breakdown of some of their hosting plans:
PROS
- 3-day free trial without credit card
- SFTP access
- 24/7 expert support add-on
- 5 Cloud providers
- CloudwaysBot smart assistant
- 60+ Global Data Centers
- Flexible pay-as-you-go pricing model
CONS
- Limited customization options and control








A2 Hosting offers FTP hosting as part of its VPS hosting plans, which allow you to store and manage your website files on a server. You can access your website files using an FTP client, such as FileZilla, to upload, download, and manage your website files. A2 Hosting also offers additional features, such as FTP accounts, to help you manage your website files more efficiently. With A2 Hosting’s FTP hosting, you can enjoy a fast and reliable FTP service to easily transfer large files, such as images and videos, to and from your website.
- Overall Score: 4.7
- Features: 4.7
- Reliability: 4.7
- User Friendly: 4.7
- Support: 4.7
- Pricing: 4.6
Features (4.7): A2 Hosting’s FTP hosting service offers a range of features to help you manage your website files more efficiently. Some of the features you will get with A2 Hosting’s FTP hosting service include FTP accounts, File manager, SFTP, Secure Shell (SSH) access, Unlimited storage, Root access, 20x faster Turbo, FTP software options, and more.
Reliability (4.7): With A2hosting, your account will be topped off with ultra-reliable service backed by a 99.9% Uptime Commitment.
User-Friendly (4.7): A2 Hosting’s FTP hosting service includes SSH access, which allows you to securely connect to your website’s server and manage your website files from the command line.
Support (4.7): A2 Hosting’s FTP hosting service includes a 24/7/365 Guru crew support team, so you can get help whenever you need it.
Pricing (4.6): This provider offers several hosting plans that include FTP access. Prices for these plans vary depending on the specific features and resources included. You can get started with any of their customized plans optimized with state-of-the-art VPS servers and dedicated resources. Here is a breakdown of their hosting plans for FTP hosting and their renewal costs:
- Runway 1: $4.99/month – 1 GB RAM, 150 GB SSD, 2 TB transfer, and 1 core. Renews at $8.99/month.
- Runway 2: $7.99/month – 2 GB RAM, 250 GB SSD, 3 TB transfer, and 2 cores. Renews at $14.99/month.
- Runway 4: $9.99/month – 4 GB RAM, 450 GB SSD, 4 TB transfer, and 4 cores. Renews at $19.99/month.
- Supersonic 8: $34.99/month – 8 GB RAM, 150 GB NVMe, 2 TB transfer, and 2 cores. Renews at $59.99/month.
PROS
- Up to 20x faster turbo to boost SEO rankings
- Anytime money-back guarantee
- Good and reliable customer support by the Guru Crew
- Strong track record of uptime and fast page load times
CONS
- A2 Hosting may try to upsell you on additional products and services during the sign-up process, which can be annoying for some users.








With Ultahost’s FTP hosting service, you can store files on a remote server and access them from anywhere with an internet connection. You can also use SSH or SFTP to transfer files between computers and servers, making it a useful tool for sharing large files or backing up important data. If you care about the safety of your files, Ultahost guarantees you encrypted data transfer, dedicated firewalls, login security and SSL certificates. Ultahost offers a range of hosting plans to meet the needs of different types of websites, from small personal blogs to large e-commerce sites.
- Overall Score: 4.9
- Features: 4.8
- Reliability: 4.9
- User Friendly: 4.9
- Support: 4.9
- Pricing: 4.8
Features (4.8): Ultahost claims to offer fast and reliable hosting solutions covered with both managed and self-managed hosting options. You can access features like Unlimited bandwidth, CDN Add-on, Root access, NVMe SSD drives, Free website migration, Anti-DDoS protection, Dedicated Firewalls, Advanced security, Free Domain Transfer, Daily backups, BitNinja Security, Free SSL certificates and more.
Reliability (4.9): This host dynamically moves, balances and guarantees an extraordinary 99.9% uptime with no single point of failure.
User-Friendly (4.9): Ultahost has technicians that carry out complete server management to check for any server issues.
Support (4.9): At Ultahost, each customer service agent has the sole goal of providing assistance to make you successful. You can contact them 24/7/365 via live chat, phone, email and ticket system whenever you have a question beyond your technical knowledge.
Pricing (4.8): Ultahost offers an unbeatable, fast, and reliable hosting solution with unlimited bandwidth and a free cPanel license. Here is a breakdown of their VPS hosting plans to store, transfer and download your files on your websites:
- VPS Basic: $5.50/month – 1 CPU core, 1 GB RAM, and 30 GB NVMe SSD. Renews at $7.60/month.
- VPS Business: $9.50/month – 2 CPU cores, 2 GB RAM, and 50 GB NVMe SSD. Renews at $7.60/month.
- VPS Professional: $16.50/month – 3 CPU cores, 4 GB RAM, and 75 GB NVMe SSD. Renews at $7.60/month.
- VPS Enterprise: $21.50/month – 4 CPU cores, 6 GB RAM, and 100 GB NVMe SSD. Renews at $7.60/month.
PROS
- SSH and SFTP Access
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- Unlimited Application Installation
- Free 30-Days Money-Back
- Free Daily Backups
- Full root & shell access (SSH) for maximum control
CONS
- There is no specific network uptime commitment (99%, 99.9%, and 100% were advertised on their hosting pages)








If you want unlimited FTP accounts on standard web hosting or VPS hosting, Interserver is your go-to. You can create and remove FTP accounts via your cPanel dashboard and set up your preferred FTP client software to connect to the server. Your FTP client software will allow you to transfer files to and from the server using FTP commands. With its easy-to-use control panel, you can eliminate the confusion you may have while trying to navigate your command line. Interserver uses only 50% of its server capacity to support the growth of your website without experiencing any issues. You will get instant provisioning whenever you buy any hosting solution to manage and store your website files.
- Overall Score: 4.4
- Features: 4.4
- Reliability: 4.4
- User Friendly: 4.4
- Support: 4.3
- Pricing: 4.5
Features (4.4): Interserver offers several hosting plans with different features and pricing. Some of the features that may be included with any hosting plan you choose are unlimited FTP accounts, DDOS protection (against Denial-of-service attacks), SSH (Secure Shell Protocol) access, unlimited storage space, unlimited data transfer, free SSL, hack and malware protection, plus automatic backups available as an add-on.
Reliability (4.4): This hosting company’s infrastructure is empowered with high-performance SSD storage, which guarantees a 99.9% uptime for their hosting services, meaning that your website should be available to visitors almost all the time.
User-Friendly (4.4): Interserver offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for their hosting services, allowing you to try their service with no risk.
Support (4.3): The company also offers 24/7 technical support to help you with any issues you may have while using their FTP hosting service.
Pricing (4.5): Interserver allows you to select and customize your server resources as you want. You can get unlimited storage space and data transfer to store and transfer as many files as you need without worrying about reaching a limit. Kindly check the screenshot below to see how to select your server resources.
PROS
- Unlimited FTP Accounts
- Ultra-Fast Web Server
- Unlimited Data Transfer and storage
- Easy to use DirectAdmin control panel
- Free Intershield security to block web attacks
- Transparent and customizable hosting solution
CONS
- No free domain name registration








ScalaHosting is a web hosting provider that offers FTP hosting services, which allow you to upload and download files to and from your web hosting account using FTP client software. ScalaHosting may offer SFTP as an alternative to FTP, which uses an encrypted connection to secure data transfer. It is always a good idea to consult with Scalahosting’s technical expert to determine the best solution for your needs. This host offers managed hosting solutions with flexible resources and allows you to build custom hosting resources. They also allow you to manage your website files like a pro with their in-house Spanel control panel, which offers more features and access than cPanel.
- Overall Score: 4.8
- Features: 4.8
- Reliability: 4.8
- User Friendly: 4.8
- Support: 4.8
- Pricing: 4.8
Features (4.8): Scalahosting allow you to manage your web hosting with flexible resources, Free and guaranteed migration, Fully managed support, 24/7 real-time cyber security with SShield, remote daily backups, Anti-Spam protection, Blacklists monitoring, Spanel, Unmetered bandwidth, Turbo fast NVMe SSD, Free SSL certificates, and SFTP access.
Reliability (4.8): This host guarantees that your website will be live at least 99.9% of the time.
User-Friendly (4.8): ScalaHosting provides a user-friendly control panel that allows you to manage your hosting account and perform tasks such as setting up email accounts, creating databases, and installing applications. You can also access your website files via a secure and encrypted connection.
Support (4.8): With ScalaHosting, you can get instant support via live chat, email/tickets on their website 24/7/365.
Pricing (4.8): ScalaHosting’s web hosting plans come with an Anytime unconditional money-back guarantee, which means you can try out their service risk-free. You can access FTP hosting using any of their web hosting plans, as shown in the screenshot below:
PROS
- Anytime unconditional Money back guarantee
- Unlimited websites and unmetered bandwidth
- Daily offsite backups
- FTP with SSL
- 24/7 live chat and email support
- Free domain & SSL certificates
CONS
- Spanel is only available on the highest plans








Hostinger is worth the price if you are looking for cheap FTP hosting with awesome discounts for first-time users. Hostinger provides an easy-to-use control panel that allows you to manage all aspects of your hosting account, including creating and managing websites, setting up email accounts, and accessing your FTP account. To use Hostinger’s FTP hosting, you need to have an FTP client installed on your computer and know your FTP login credentials, which can be found in your Hostinger account control panel.
- Overall Score: 4.6
- Features: 4.6
- Reliability: 4.6
- User Friendly: 4.7
- Support: 4.7
- Pricing: 4.6
Features (4.6): Hostinger provides a range of tools and resources to help you build and customize your website, including a website builder, templates, and a drag-and-drop editor. You will also get other features like SSL certificates, FTP over SSL, Weekly backups, DDoS protection, Free domain on selected plans, in-house developed WAF and many more.
Reliability (4.6): This host keeps their uptime rates at 99.90% to ensure the accessibility of your website content at all times.
User-Friendly (4.7): Hostinger uses high-quality servers and technologies to ensure fast and reliable performance for your website.
Support (4.7): Hostinger provides customer support around the clock through multiple channels, including live chat, email, and a knowledge base.
Pricing (4.6): if you need more power, flexibility and speed, choose their VPS hosting, which offers more dedicated resources and control for uninterrupted file upload, download and transfer. Here is a breakdown of Hostinger’s VPS hosting plans to access FTP hosting:
- VPS 1: $3.49/month – 1 TB bandwidth, 1 GB RAM, 20 GB SSD disk space, and 1 vCPU core. Renews at $8.99/month.
- VPS 2: $4.99/month – 2 TB bandwidth, 2 GB RAM, 40 GB SSD disk space, and 2 vCPU cores. Renews at $8.99/month.
- VPS 3: $7.99/month – 3 TB bandwidth, 3 GB RAM, 60 GB SSD disk space, and 3 vCPU cores. Renews at $8.99/month.
- VPS 4: $9.99/month – 4 TB bandwidth, 4 GB RAM, 80 GB SSD disk space, and 4 vCPU cores. Renews at $8.99/month.
PROS
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Full root access
- Dedicated IP
- Secured File transfer protocol (SFTP)
- Full control and flexibility
- Cheap starting prices
CONS
- Live chat is only available to existing clients.
- No Free domain on VPS 1.






TMDHosting is a reliable FTP host with hosting plans that allow you to create unlimited FTP accounts with SFTP access to secure and manage your website files. This host allows you to upload files such as media and images to your server. Also, when you choose any modern FTP client, you can change the permission of your files to access your hosting account through FTP.
- Overall Score: 4.4
- Features: 4.4
- Reliability: 4.4
- User Friendly: 4.4
- Support: 4.5
- Pricing: 4.5
Features (4.4): TMDHosting is a web hosting company that offers a variety of hosting options and services for websites. Some of the features you will get include Unlimited bandwidth, Unlimited SSD space, Free domain, Free cPanel, Let’s Encrypt SSL, Free daily backups, SpamExperts, Weebly Sitebuilder, Unlimited email accounts, FTP access and more.
Reliability (4.4): This host also offers unlimited disk space and bandwidth, plus a 99.9% network availability and a 60-day money-back guarantee.
User-Friendly (4.4): TMDHosting offers various hosting options to suit different needs, including shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated server hosting to start your next successful website. TMDHosting also offers additional web services, such as domain registration, SSL certificates, and website design and development.
Support (4.5): TMDhosting offers 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone, ticket, and knowledgebase to help you resolve any hosting questions or issues.
Pricing (4.5): With TMDhosting, you can get started with their blazing-fast shared hosting plans. However, you can upgrade to a cloud or VPS hosting if you need more power and resources. Here is a breakdown of TMDhosting’s VPS hosting plans with FTP access to deploy your website files:
- Starter: $19.97/month – 2 CPU Cores, 2GB DDR4 RAM, 40 GB SSD Space, and 3 TB Bandwidth. Renews at $39.95/month.
- The Original: $29.97/month – 2 CPU Cores, 4 GB DDR4 RAM, 65 GB SSD Space, and 4 TB Bandwidth. Renews at $59.95/month.
- Smart: $39.97/month – 4 CPU Cores, 6 GB DDR4 RAM, 100 GB SSD Space, and 5 TB Bandwidth. Renews at $79.95/month.
- E-commerce: $54.97/month – 4 CPU Cores, 8 GB DDR4 RAM, 150 GB SSD Space, and 8 TB Bandwidth. Renews at $109.95/month.
PROS
- Free setup
- Premium security
- 100% cloud-based network
- Global data centers
- Powered by Openstack
- Fully managed support
CONS
- More expensive plans than some competitors





GoDaddy offers FTP hosting as part of its web hosting packages. To use GoDaddy’s FTP hosting, you’ll need to sign up for a web hosting plan that includes FTP access. Once you have a hosting plan, you can access your FTP account using your GoDaddy login credentials. From there, you can use FTP software or a web browser to transfer files to and from your website. GoDaddy’s FTP hosting also includes features like secure FTP connections, unlimited FTP users, and the ability to set up custom FTP accounts for your team members. This can be a convenient and secure way to manage and share files for your website.
- Overall Score: 1.5
- Features: 1.5
- Reliability: 1.5
- User Friendly: 1.5
- Support: 1.4
- Pricing: 1.6
Features (1.5): GoDaddy hosting plans typically offer unlimited storage and bandwidth, which means you can store as much data as you need and have as much traffic as your website can handle. You will also get features like
Reliability (1.5): At Godaddy, you can enjoy 99.9% network uptime which guarantees faster page load times and upload.
User-Friendly (1.5): Many GoDaddy hosting plans include a free domain name for the first year, which can save you money on your initial setup costs.
Support (1.4): With GoDaddy, you will get 24/7 customer support via phone, chat, and email, so you can get help whenever you need it.
Pricing (1.6): GoDaddy hosting plans are scalable, which means you can upgrade to a more powerful plan as your website grows and your needs change. Here is a breakdown of Godaddy’s web hosting plans with a free domain:
- Economy: £3.99/month – 1 website, 5 FTP users, 10 databases, 512 MB memory, and 25 GB NVMe storage. Renews at £7.99/month.
- Deluxe: £5.99/month – 10 websites, 25 FTP users, 25 databases, 1 GB memory, and 50 GB NVMe storage. Renews at £9.99/month.
- Ultimate: £7.99/month -25 websites, 50 FTP users, 50 databases, 1.5 GB memory, and 75 GB NVMe storage. Renews at £13.99/month.
- Maximum: £14.99/month – 50 websites, 75 FTP users, 100 databases, 2 GB memory, and 100 GB NVMe storage. Renews at £21.99/month.
PROS
- Easy-to-use control panel
- 24/7 network security
- Free domain and SSL certificates
- FTP over SSL (FTPS)
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
- 30 day money back guarantee
CONS
- Discounted prices require you to commit to a 3-year billing cycle





Bluehost is a web hosting company that provides a variety of hosting services, including WordPress hosting, virtual private server (VPS) hosting, and dedicated server hosting. One of the features that Bluehost offers with its hosting plans is FTP (File Transfer Protocol) access, which allows you to transfer files between your computer and your website’s server. Bluehost also offers secure FTP (SFTP) access, which uses a secure connection to transfer files over an encrypted channel. This can be useful if you are concerned about the security of your data while transferring files.
- Overall Score: 2.8
- Features: 2.9
- Reliability: 2.8
- User Friendly: 2.9
- Support: 2.7
- Pricing: 3.0
Features (2.9): Bluehost offers a range of features that can make it easier to set up, manage, and maintain FTP hosting. Some of the key features of Bluehost’s web hosting plans include Firewall, daily malware scans, Free domain, Free CDN, Free SSL, and automated backups.
Reliability (2.8): With Bluehost, you will get 99.9% uptime and 75% faster seeds for your website.
User-Friendly (2.9): As a Bluehost customer, you can take your website online in minutes with the amazing tools in the Bluehost marketplace.
Support (2.7): Bluehost provides 24/7 support for WordPress users via live chat and phone, so you can get help to resolve any issue. This includes access to a team of WordPress experts who can answer any questions you may have.
Pricing (3.0): Bluehost offers web hosting plans that fit your WordPress website ambition plus customizable themes and plugins to control your website’s appearance. The screenshot below shows Bluehost’s WordPress hosting plans and their renewal costs:
PROS
- Free domain & SSL for 1 year
- Recommended WordPress hosting provider
- Customizable themes and easy-to-install plugins
- Chat and Phone support
- Bluehost marketplace
CONS
- There is no monthly billing cycle.

Ranking comparison between the Top Providers
FTP Hosting Providers – Final Recommendation
When choosing an FTP hosting provider, it’s important to determine your budget and look for a provider that offers a plan that fits your needs and price range. The hosting provider you have chosen must offer secure FTP options, such as SFTP or FTP over SSL, to protect your data during transfer or upload.
It’s always a good idea to research and compare the features and pricing of several FTP hosting providers before making a final decision. You may also want to consider reading customer reviews and testimonials to get a sense of the level of service and support you can expect from each provider.
We recommend Kamatera as the best FTP hosting provider overall, however different providers may be more suitable for different users depending on their specific needs and requirements.
Our Ranking Methodology: How do we rank?
Each of our top 10 FTP hosting providers has been tested to analyze the features, hardware resources, and support offered to you. Hence, we have created an overview of each host based on their FTP service and considered important criteria such as features, reliability, user-friendly, customer support, and pricing. Hostadvice’s hosting experts continually update review methodologies to provide quality hosting reviews, making it easy for you to choose your next host.
Our Ranking Factors
- User reviews30%
- Performance and reliability10%
- Types of hosting offered5%
- Customer support10%
- Site speed8%
- Bandwidth and storage3%
- Traffic volume4%
- Scaling potential4%
- Features included10%
- Ease of use4%
- Starting price4%
- Money back guarantee3%
- Other factors5%
We give top marks to the FTP host that offers FTP access and allows you to select and customize your server resources to suit your needs. Each of our ranking factors above has been assigned a certain percentage due to their importance in our review.
What is FTP Hosting?
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) hosting is a service that allows users to upload and download files to and from a remote server over the internet. This can be useful for a variety of purposes, including sharing files with others, storing files in a centralized location, backing up important data and managing the files that make up a website.
FTP allows you to easily transfer files to and from your web hosting account without the need for special software or programming knowledge. You can use FTP to upload and download files, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files, images, and other media.
Some popular FTP (File Transfer Protocol) clients include FileZilla, Cyberduck, WinSCP, Transmit, and lftp.
What is the difference between FTP and SFTP?
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol or Secure File Transfer Protocol) are both network protocols that are used to transfer files between computers. However, there are a few differences between the two:
- Security: FTP is an unencrypted protocol, which means that the data being transferred is sent in plain text and can be intercepted by third parties. SFTP, on the other hand, uses encryption to secure the data being transferred, making it more secure than FTP.
- Authentication: FTP uses a separate set of credentials (username and password) for authentication, while SFTP uses the same credentials as the secure shell (SSH) protocol. This means that if you have access to the SSH login for a server, you also have access to the SFTP server.
- Port number: FTP uses port 21, while SFTP uses port 22.
- Compatibility: FTP is an older protocol supported by most operating systems and FTP clients. SFTP is a newer protocol and may not be supported by older systems or FTP clients.
In summary, SFTP is generally considered to be a more secure and modern alternative to FTP, but it may not be as widely supported.
What are the benefits of FTP Hosting?
FTP hosting refers to a service that allows users to store and access their files on a remote server using FTP. Some of the benefits of using FTP for web hosting include
- The ability to transfer large files quickly and easily, the ability to transfer multiple files at once, and the ability to transfer files between different operating systems.
- FTP hosting allows users to access their files from anywhere with an internet connection, making it a convenient option for users who need to access their files from different locations.
- It enables users to share files with others and collaborate on projects in real time.
- FTP hosting allows users to easily scale their file storage and transfer needs as their business grows.
- Many FTP hosting providers offer customizable options, such as the ability to set user permissions and customize file transfer settings.
- FTP hosting servers are typically well-secured, providing an additional layer of protection for users’ files.
How Should You Choose your FTP Hosting Provider?
Consider the following selected rating factors below to choose your next web host. By considering these factors, you should be able to find an FTP hosting provider that meets your needs and budget.
Performance and reliability:
- Does the FTP hosting provider offer up to a 99.9% uptime guarantee?
It’s important to note that uptime guarantees are not a guarantee that a website hosted by the hosting service will be available 100% of the time. Hosting companies that offer uptime guarantees typically have systems in place to monitor their servers and take steps to minimize downtime as much as possible.
Features included:
- Will the FTP host provide the FTP access and accounts?
- Does the FTP host offer robust security features?
When you sign up for an FTP hosting plan, you will typically receive a user account with a username and password that you can use to log in to the FTP server and access your files. The provider will also typically provide you with instructions on how to connect to the FTP server and transfer files using an FTP client. Some providers may also offer web-based interfaces or other tools for managing and transferring files on the FTP server.
Also, make sure the provider has robust security measures in place to protect your data and prevent unauthorized access. This includes encryption, secure login protocols, and regular security updates.
Money-back guarantee:
- Does the FTP host offer a hassle-free money-back to try out their services risk-free?
It is possible that an FTP host may offer a money-back guarantee or a trial period during which you can test their services. However, the specifics of these offers may vary from host to host. Some hosts may offer a money-back guarantee for a certain period of time after you sign up, while others may offer a trial period during which you can test their services for free before committing to a paid plan.
Server resources:
- Does the host offer scalable hosting plans?
- Will the FTP host allow you to select and customize your server to suit your needs?
If you expect your FTP needs to grow over time, look for a provider that can accommodate your future needs with options for more storage and bandwidth. Some FTP hosts may allow you to customize your server to a certain extent, such as by allowing you to choose the operating system or by providing options for the amount of storage or bandwidth that you need.
However, the specific options available to you will depend on the FTP host you are using and the hosting plan you have chosen. It is generally recommended to carefully review the hosting plans and options offered by the FTP host to ensure that you are getting the server configuration that meets your needs.
Customer support:
- Will the FTP host offer quality and reliable support?
Choosing a provider that offers reliable customer support is a good idea, so you can get help if you run into any issues with your FTP server.
User Reviews:
- Does the FTP host have a good track record?
Some factors that may be relevant to consider when evaluating an FTP host’s track record include the uptime and reliability of their servers, the quality of their customer support, and any issues or concerns that have been reported by previous users. It may be helpful to do some research and read reviews on Hostadvice or ask for recommendations from others who have used the FTP host in question to get a better understanding of their track record.
Key Takeaways
- Make sure the provider offers enough storage and bandwidth to meet your needs
- Look for a provider with reliable customer support in case you have any issues or questions.
- Consider whether the provider offers a user-friendly interface and documentation to help you get started.
- Choose a provider that offers secure FTP connections and takes other measures to protect your data.
- Some providers have limits on the size of files that can be uploaded or downloaded. If you need to transfer large files, make sure the provider you choose allows it.