FTPS vs. SFTP: Is FTPS Still Relevant in 2026?

FTPS may seem a little old-school, but it's still relevant in 2026, and this post will explain why.

In practice, teams often need both SFTP and FTPS because ecosystems are messy and “one protocol to rule them all” is marketing talk, not engineering. We're here to show you how the FTPS and SFTP protocols should and do work together as parts of a flexible workflow.

So, let's go. But first, for a quick look at the differences between FTPS and SFTP, watch the FreeITCerts video below.

Let's start with the basics.

What is FTPS?

FTPS evolved from the widely used File Transfer Protocol (FTP). It adds support for Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) while preserving all FTP functionality.

When using the FTPS protocol, the client and server can be authenticated through FTPS-supported methods such as client and server certificates. With FTPS, both commands and transferred data can be encrypted over the wire.

Furthermore, there are two separate security methods that may be used to set up FTPS connections: “implicit” and “explicit”.

Implicit FTPS vs. Explicit FTPS: what's the difference?

With the Implicit Method, the entire session is encrypted using TLS encryption. If the client doesn’t make the security request instantly, the server is expected to drop the connection. With this limitation, the implicit method is widely considered deprecated.

 In modern environments, “implicit FTPS” mostly survives as a legacy compatibility choice, not as a first-choice design.

With the Explicit Method, a traditional FTP connection is established and immediately after the connection is made, a secure TLS connection is established. Unlike the implicit method, if the client doesn’t instantly make the security request, it’s the server’s job to either decline the connection or continue with basic FTP processes.

That’s why “secure-by-default” explicit FTPS configurations typically enforce “TLS required”, so the server refuses plaintext commands and plaintext data transfers.

Finally, the client may choose whether or not to encrypt the data channel, and the server can yet again choose either to allow or prohibit insecure requests. In real deployments, you usually want the server to prohibit insecure requests, because “optional security” has a habit of turning into “accidentally insecure.”

FTPS pros

• If compliance is imperative for your organization, FTPS supports various compliance requirements, including PCI DSS, HIPAA, HITECH, SOX, GDPR, and more.
• More precisely: FTPS can support compliance programs by providing encrypted transmission and certificate-based authentication, but compliance depends on the full system (access controls, logging, retention, policies, and operations), not the protocol name alone. We recommend using a comprehensive MFT solution to support compliance, as it streamlines all of the above.
• FTPS adds a critical security layer to the legacy FTP.
• All modern clients support FTPS.
• You can relatively easily set up an FTPS server as part of IIS on Windows servers or by installing 3rd party servers, but a hosted solution that supports other protocols as well is probably a better bet.
• FTPS can align well with environments that already standardize on TLS certificates. Organizations that operate an internal CA and manage certificate lifecycles centrally may prefer FTPS because it fits existing authentication, rotation, and security monitoring practices.

FTPS cons

• FTPS makes use of multiple ports, which makes the management of networking and security problematic when it comes to configuring firewalls and NATs. This is the classic FTPS “why is nothing connecting” moment: control channel on one port, data channel on another port range, then passive mode, then NAT, then a ticket gets filed and nobody is happy.
• Linux and MacOS don't come bundled with FTP or FTPS clients or servers. You can absolutely install good clients, but it’s not as “already there” as SSH-based tools tend to be.
• Certificate management is a common source of FTPS operational issues in self-hosted deployments. In managed FTPS services, certificate provisioning and renewal are handled for you, so it needn't be a con.

Now that you know a little bit more about FTPS and how it works, it’s time to answer the question at hand—Is FTPS still relevant?

Yes, FTPS is still relevant

In 2026, most organizations have abandoned old data transfer methods (like FTP) in favor of better ways to securely transfer their sensitive files and comply with rigorous data security and privacy standards and regulations.

For many FTP users, moving up to FTPS was a natural step. We know it's a popular choice, but is it the best choice?

FTPS secures the data transfer channels with robust encryption, a shield against many types of cyber-attacks that prey on data in transit. It also has a sense of familiarity for longstanding FTP users, offering an upgraded experience without a steep learning curve.

Yet, while FTPS is a more secure alternative to FTP, it's not the pinnacle of secure file transfer technology available today—at least, not on its own. Indeed, most workflows need the flexibility to switch between secure methods like HTTPS, SFTP and FTPS at different points, which is best done using an MFT with multi-protocol support.

The real reason FTPS remains relevant is boring, but in the best way: it’s widely supported, it works across a lot of enterprise stacks (especially Windows-heavy estates), and it can be locked down into a predictable, auditable workflow when it’s configured properly.

How to configure FTPS securely

FTPS is secure but not inherently compliant in a workflow, because there are more pieces to the puzzle. If you want FTPS to behave like a serious security control, “configured properly” usually means:

• Enforcing TLS.
• Disabling legacy SSL and weak cipher suites, and using modern TLS configurations. 
• Using certificate validation you actually trust.
• Restricting passive port ranges to the minimum you need.
• Logging successful and failed auth, transfers, and authorization failures.
• Using least-privilege accounts and folder boundaries.

All of which is easily achievable with a fully managed MFT solution like SFTP To Go, which supports FTPS and HTTPS as well.

How does FTPS compare to SFTP?

SFTP is an entirely different secure file transfer protocol that was built from the ground up—and it's an even more popular option than FTPS. If you want the full rundown, read SFTP Security.

To understand how SFTP and FTPS compare in terms of performance, and how to choose the right option for a given workflow, read about our FTPS vs. SFTP Benchmarks. Otherwise, explore FTP vs. FTPS vs. SFTP to understand behavioral and design differences.

FTPS and SFTP in one solution

What if you could harness the integrated strengths of both SFTP and FTPS protocols in one solution? You can. SFTP To Go is a fully managed cloud transfer service offering dedicated endpoints for SFTP and FTPS, with HTTPS via the web portal, and Amazon S3 for storage.

One practical advantage of “more protocols, same platform” is that it stops protocol decisions from becoming architecture decisions. You can support FTPS where it’s needed, SFTP where it’s preferred, and keep storage, access control, auditing, and lifecycle management consistent behind the scenes.

Choose SFTP To Go for a straightforward approach to secure and efficient file management.

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