Serv-U FTP Server
solarwinds.com
What it is
Serv-U FTP Server provides FTP and FTPS file transfers for organizations, with web and mobile interfaces for viewing, uploading, and downloading files. The FTP Server edition supports IPv4 and IPv6; an edition comparison also lists HTTP. SSL/TLS encrypts transfers. Users can pause or resume multiple and large exchanges, including files larger than 3 GB. Administrators can create users and groups, manage permissions and bandwidth, and review transfer details in a management console. They can set transfer ratios and quotas, limit concurrent sessions, and use IP blocking, reverse DNS options, and anti-hammering controls. Automation can move or delete files after transfer, or disable or reset credentials after a specified number of days. The optional Serv-U Gateway is described as keeping data out of the DMZ and helping meet listed compliance requirements. SolarWinds positions this edition for small businesses and project teams with fewer users and domains on one server. It has no free plan; the listed price is $55 a month, billed annually, and a 14-day trial is available.
Spec sheet
- What it does
- Serv-U is a self-hosted, multiprotocol file server for sending and receiving files through FTP, HTTP, FTPS, HTTPS and SFTP.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.solarwinds.com
- Purpose
- Serv-U FTP Server provides FTP and FTPS file transfers for organizations.Read 30 Sep 2026 · solarwinds.com
- Intended users
- SolarWinds describes the FTP Server edition as designed for small businesses and project teams needing FTPS, scripted transfers, and a smaller number of users and domains on one server.Read 30 Sep 2026 · documentation.solarwinds.com
- Free plan
- NoRead 21 Sep 2026 · solarwinds.com
- Integrations
- Serv-U can use ODBC-compliant databases such as Microsoft SQL Server and MySQL and can integrate with Active Directory or LDAP servers.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.solarwinds.com
- Support
- The comparison lists email support for both editions and phone support for MFT.Read 30 Sep 2026 · solarwinds.com
- License
- Serv-U is proprietary software; SolarWinds' EULA prohibits reverse engineering, redistribution, sublicensing and removal of proprietary notices.Read 15 Oct 2026 · solarwinds.com
- Founded
- 1999Read 28 Sep 2026 · solarwinds.com
- 2026.3 security changes
- The July 2026 release hardened content-security policies, made Permissions-Policy configurable for system administrators and updated OpenSSL to 3.0.21.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.solarwinds.com
- Administration
- Administrators can create users and groups, manage permissions and bandwidth, and view file transfer details in the management console.Read 30 Sep 2026 · solarwinds.com
- Authentication
- The MFT edition adds Active Directory, LDAP and database authentication, while FTP Server is aimed at smaller deployments.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.solarwinds.com
- Automation
- MFT adds event-driven automation, including actions triggered by server, domain, group and user events.Read 15 Oct 2026 · solarwinds.com
- Company facts
- LinkedIn lists SolarWinds as a public software-development company founded in 1999, headquartered in Austin, Texas, with 1,001–5,000 employees.Read 15 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
- Company legal name
- SolarWinds documentation identifies the maker as SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.solarwinds.com
- Company ownership news
- SolarWinds announced in February 2025 that it would be acquired by Turn/River Capital for approximately 4.4 billion USD.Read 15 Oct 2026 · solarwinds.com
- Critical vulnerabilities
- Serv-U 2026.3 release notes list multiple CVEs rated 9.1 critical, including remote-code-execution, privilege-escalation and insecure-direct-object-reference issues.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.solarwinds.com
- Documentation
- SolarWinds publishes administrator help, installation material, system requirements, edition comparisons and versioned release notes in its Success Center.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.solarwinds.com
- Encryption
- The product uses SSL/TLS to encrypt file transfers and help prevent tampering or exposure during transfer.Read 30 Sep 2026 · solarwinds.com
- Extensibility
- Integration libraries can be written as Windows DLLs or shared libraries, with the sample library serving as the API documentation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.solarwinds.com
- File sharing
- MFT provides ad hoc file sharing with password protection, expiration and configurable automatic deletion.Read 15 Oct 2026 · solarwinds.com
- FTP and FTPS
- The FTP edition provides FTP and FTPS transfers over IPv4 and IPv6 networks.Read 15 Oct 2026 · solarwinds.com
- Gateway
- Serv-U Gateway is an optional reverse-proxy component intended to keep data at rest out of a DMZ.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.solarwinds.com
- Gateway and compliance
- The optional Serv-U Gateway helps ensure no data is stored in the DMZ and is described as helping meet PCI DSS, HIPAA, FISMA, and GDPR requirements.Read 30 Sep 2026 · solarwinds.com
- Integration API
- The documentation describes an Integration API exposed through a sample Integration DLL or shared library rather than a separately documented public REST API for Serv-U.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.solarwinds.com
- Large files
- SolarWinds states that Serv-U supports multiple simultaneous transfers and large files above 3 GB without a stated file-size limit.Read 15 Oct 2026 · solarwinds.com
- Large transfers
- The product supports multiple and large file exchanges, including files larger than 3 GB, and lets users pause or resume transfers.Read 30 Sep 2026 · solarwinds.com
- Limit: G2 interface and cost
- G2 reviewers mention an outdated or non-responsive interface, Java dependence and licensing cost concerns.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
- Limit: GetApp support
- A GetApp review reports that support tickets went unanswered for six months and required escalation through product management.Read 15 Oct 2026 · getapp.co.uk
- Limit: Software Advice tooling
- A Software Advice reviewer says database-backed user creation and searching full session logs required custom solutions and that the support community was difficult to navigate.Read 15 Oct 2026 · softwareadvice.com
- Limit: Trustpilot service complaints
- Trustpilot complaints repeatedly cite difficult cancellation, unexpected subscription changes, slow or unresolved support and billing problems.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
- Limit: TrustRadius integration and support
- TrustRadius reviewers report that Active Directory or LDAP setup can be difficult, the large-screen interface can be tiny, licensing can be expensive and support can be a hassle.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
- Management console
- The product includes a centralized administration console for user administration, permissions, bandwidth, storage and access settings.Read 15 Oct 2026 · solarwinds.com
- Praise: G2 ease of use
- G2 reviewers repeatedly describe setup and file transfers as quick, easy and user-friendly, including web and mobile use.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
- Praise: GetApp functionality
- GetApp reviewers rate access controls, real-time synchronization and encryption highly and describe secure sharing and event automation as useful.Read 15 Oct 2026 · getapp.com
- Praise: Software Advice deployment
- Software Advice reviewers praise robust features, easy setup, DMZ or proxy options, intuitive administration and event-driven automation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · softwareadvice.com
- Praise: TrustRadius administration
- TrustRadius reviewers praise the account-creation wizard, simple web client, low resource use and secure protocol support.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
- Protocols
- The FTP Server edition supports FTP and FTPS over IPv4 and IPv6; the comparison page lists HTTP as included as well.Read 30 Sep 2026 · solarwinds.com
- Quotas
- Administrators can set transfer ratios and quotas to manage bandwidth and storage use.Read 30 Sep 2026 · solarwinds.com
- Rating on G2
- 4.3 out of 5 from 6 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
- Rating on GetApp
- 4.5 out of 5 from 17 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · getapp.com
- Rating on GetApp pricing
- GetApp lists a starting price of 576 USD per user as a one-time payment.Read 15 Oct 2026 · getapp.com
- Rating on Software Advice
- 4.5 out of 5 from 17 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · softwareadvice.com
- Rating on Trustpilot
- 1.9 out of 5 from 15 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
- Rating on TrustRadius
- 9 out of 10 from 13 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
- Scalability
- The requirements page gives configurations for 10 to 500 simultaneous transfers and recommends multiple Serv-U instances for 1,000-transfer workloads.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.solarwinds.com
- Security controls
- Serv-U includes anti-hammering connection blocking, configurable passive-port ranges and an option to require matching peer IP addresses to reduce FTP-bounce risk.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.solarwinds.com
- Security guidance
- SolarWinds recommends installing Serv-U on a server protected from unauthorized public access and preferably not internet-facing when public exposure is unnecessary.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.solarwinds.com
- System requirements
- Minimum requirements listed for Serv-U 15.5.4 are a 1 GHz CPU, 256 MB memory, 30 MB disk space, 10/100 Mbps networking and 128 MB video RAM.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.solarwinds.com
- Transfer controls
- Serv-U supports session limits, transfer queues, quotas and transfer-ratio controls to manage bandwidth and storage consumption.Read 15 Oct 2026 · getapp.com
- User controls
- Administrators can create accounts and restrict access to particular files, folders and other network resources with permissions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.solarwinds.com
- Web and mobile access
- Users can view, upload and download files through a browser-based client optimized for mobile devices, including iOS and Android access over HTTP.Read 15 Oct 2026 · solarwinds.com
Plans and prices
Serv-U FTP Server $55 a month Billed annually; per server 3 domains · 250 user accounts · 100 concurrent sessions Read 15 Oct 2026 · solarwinds.com
Serv-U File Transfer Protocol Server $55 a year Per server, per month. Billed annually. 3 domains · 250 user accounts · 100 concurrent sessions Read 30 Sep 2026 · solarwinds.com
Serv-U Gateway $111 a month Billed annually; per server Reverse-proxy add-on for Serv-U FTP or MFT Server Read 15 Oct 2026 · solarwinds.com
Serv-U Managed File Transfer Server $335 a month Billed annually; per server; volume discounts available Unlimited domains · unlimited users · unlimited concurrent sessions Read 15 Oct 2026 · solarwinds.com
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Supports FTP and FTPS over IPv4 and IPv6.
- Transfers can be paused or resumed, including files over 3 GB.
- Administrators can set permissions, bandwidth, and quotas.
- Automation can move or delete files after transfer.
Limits
- No free plan is available.
- The listed plan allows 250 user accounts.
- The listed plan allows 100 concurrent sessions.
- The listed price is $55 a month, billed annually.
Who it suits
It suits small businesses and project teams needing FTPS, scripted transfers, and a smaller number of users and domains on one server. It also offers web and mobile access for file exchanges.
Verdict
Serv-U FTP Server combines file-transfer access with administration, automation, and transfer controls. Its listed plan has fixed account, session, and domain limits, and there is no free plan.
Where Specifiction places it
- FTP Server Software#4 of 338.8
- Managed File Transfer Software#4 of 278.7
- SFTP Server Software#5 of 328.8
- Secure File Transfer Software#5 of 288.7
- FTP and SFTP clients#8 of 368.5
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