Tarkle vs CentreStack: hosted sharing or MSP file server

CentreStack is better when you are an MSP who needs to give clients remote access to the file servers they already run. Tarkle is the CentreStack alternative for sending files to clients, collecting files back and putting your own name and domain on all of it, with published prices and no server to install. We make Tarkle, so read this as one vendor's view and check the sources.

Last checked: 2026. CentreStack's pages show no publication month, only a footer copyright year, so every CentreStack fact below links to the page it came from.

What CentreStack is

CentreStack is made by Gladinet, Inc. of Boca Raton, Florida. Its home page describes it as a way to "plug into your clients' file servers or cloud storage, add your branding, and solve their remote access and file sharing woes, VPN-free" (centrestack.com). It is aimed mainly at managed service providers (MSPs) who resell file access under their own brand, and the service provider page calls it multi-tenant by design, so one deployment serves many clients.

It can be installed on-premises, hosted by the MSP on its own hardware, or hosted by CentreStack in the cloud (service provider page). The job it was built for is file server access from anywhere, not sending a finished file to a client.

What CentreStack offers

Plans are quote-based. The pricing page says CentreStack is a channel-friendly solution with channel pricing and volume discounts and offers a "Request a Quote" button. It shows no prices, plan tiers, storage caps or file size limits, and the service provider FAQ says pricing varies with the hosting option and user count.

What the home page lists as headline features:

• File server access: mapped drives without a VPN, file locking, and mounted volumes in Mac Finder.

• Permissions: NTFS permissions and Active Directory identities are kept when a file server is connected to the cloud.

• Mobile and Office: iOS and Android apps, and editing Office documents from the browser or Office mobile apps.

• Sign-in: single sign-on through Azure AD, Okta, Duo or another SAML 2.0 provider, plus two-factor sign-in.

• Branding: the web portal, client application and mobile apps can be branded.

• Storage back ends: file servers, AWS S3, Azure, Google Cloud, Wasabi and OpenStack.

For outsiders, it offers web links to share files and folders, links where others can upload, guest accounts and view-only data rooms that disable downloads. The service provider FAQ describes read-only external sharing and a ratio of three free external users per internal user for read-write access. The public pages we read do not state password protection, link expiry or a custom sending domain, so ask the vendor before you assume them.

What Tarkle does

Tarkle is a hosted service for freelancers, agencies and small teams to store and share files. There is no on-premises or self-hosted version. The details below come from Tarkle's pricing page and feature pages.

• Share files by link. File sharing sends files and folders with one branded link, and recipients need no account. Transfers can carry a password, an expiry date and an email check before download.

• Know what happened. Transfer status shows whether a transfer was delivered, viewed or downloaded.

• Collect files. A file request gives a client one upload link into the folder you choose, with no account needed.

• Client portal. On Pro and Agency, the client portal gives each client a branded sign-in with a 6-digit emailed code, where they see only what you shared and send files back.

• Your domain and brand. A custom domain and branding are on every plan, including Free.

• Large files. Free allows 1 GB per file. Pro and Agency allow 200 GB.

• Import. Import from Google Drive and Dropbox copies files in without downloading them first.

Prices as published on the pricing page: Free is $0 with 1 workspace and 5 GB. Pro is $29 a month, or $19 a month billed yearly ($228 a year), with 2 workspaces, 3 TB of storage, unlimited team members and the client portal. Agency is $59 a month, or $49 a month billed yearly ($588 a year), with everything in Pro, 20 workspaces for clients, 6 TB of storage and a 100% white-label platform on your own domain, where "Powered by Tarkle" becomes your agency name. Read more in white label for agencies and a workspace for every client.

MSPs who sell file sharing as their own product can look at Reseller and Reseller Pro, which add customer workspaces and your own customer plans and prices. See resell Tarkle as your own platform.

CentreStack vs Tarkle

Who should choose CentreStack

Stay with CentreStack if your clients run Windows file servers and need them reachable from home without a VPN. Tarkle has no mapped drive, no desktop sync and no desktop or mobile app, and its pages do not describe Active Directory sync or single sign-on, while CentreStack lists all of these. It is also the better fit if a client insists on an on-premises or partner-hosted deployment, or wants to keep NTFS permissions.

Self-hosting also means you apply the patches. Gladinet has fixed several CentreStack vulnerabilities that CISA lists as exploited, for example CVE-2025-30406 and CVE-2025-11371, so budget time for updates if you host it yourself.

Who should choose Tarkle

Choose Tarkle when the job is business sharing. You send a finished file to a client, collect a signed document back, and want the link on your own domain with your logo, not a file server in the cloud. Each point below ties to a task you already do:

• Delivering work: one link, a password if the file is sensitive, an expiry date, and a status that tells you when the client viewed or downloaded it.

• Getting files back: a file request link replaces the email thread with attachment number nine.

• Giving each client a home: the client portal on Pro and Agency, with a branded sign-in and a folder for their uploads.

• Looking like your agency: Agency replaces the Tarkle name with yours, so clients log in on a domain such as cloud.acme.com.

• Knowing the cost: the price is on the page, with no sales call and no setup project.

A Free account is enough to send one real transfer. Start for free and send a file to yourself before you move a client.

Switching from CentreStack to Tarkle

1. Decide what you are moving. Tarkle holds files you send and share; it does not mirror a live file server.

2. Create a Free account at sign-up and add your logo, accent colour and custom domain.

3. Upload the files clients actually use. If they sit in Google Drive or Dropbox, use import from Google Drive and Dropbox.

4. Create a transfer or file request, open it as a recipient and check the page.

5. Move to Pro or Agency when you need the client portal, 200 GB files or a white-label platform, and tell clients the new address.

CentreStack and Tarkle FAQ

Is CentreStack free? Its pricing page offers a quote, not a price. The home page has "Try CentreStack Free" buttons, but the pages we read do not state the terms.

Can I self-host Tarkle? No. Tarkle is a hosted service only, with data residency in Europe, the United States, Asia-Pacific and Oceania.

Does Tarkle have a mapped drive or desktop app? No. Tarkle works in the browser, with import from Google Drive and Dropbox, and you cannot sync a folder on your computer to it today.

Can I white label Tarkle? Yes, on Agency, with your name, logo and domain. On Pro, the client portal uses your logo, accent colour and custom domain.

Do clients need an account to download from Tarkle? No. Recipients open or download shared files without creating a Tarkle account.

Which one suits an MSP? CentreStack suits an MSP that sells file server access. Tarkle suits an MSP or agency that sells branded file sending, and Reseller plans let you sell Tarkle under your own name.