Are you looking for the best FTP client for Mac?
There are so many FTP Client in the market, all of them claiming they are the best.
In this article, I am writing about the best FTP client that you can install on macOS.
Best FTP Client for Mac
The best FTP client for Mac are:
Our result:
Best Free FTP Client for Mac: Cyberduck
Best Paid FTP Client for Mac: ForkLift
What is FTP Client?
File Transfer Protocol is a standard network protocol used to transfer computer files from one host to another over a TCP-based network, such as the internet.
For example, FTP allows you to upload files from your computer and transfer them to your WordPress site.
The FTP clients make it easier to share the data and files between the computer and the site.
However, you can do this directly from the admin dashboard too, but when it comes to uploading large files or a large number of files, FTP clients turn out to be useful software.
FTP client provides a clean interface to cut, move, delete, add, or paste files on the website without any hassle. They are not a necessary tool, but the usefulness of them makes them worthy of installing.
If you lose the access to the admin dashboard, you can get the access back via FTP.
Feature of best FTP Client for Mac:
Though the basic functions of all the FTP clients are similar, there are few features that one must look for.
Operating System:
Some FTP Clients work on all the Operating systems while many of them are specifically designed for one OS. It is essential to know if the FTP Client is available for the macOS or not.
Sleek Interface:
One of the reasons for using the FTP client is to make the file transfer easy. So having a clean interface is indeed crucial while choosing the tool.
File Organization:
Best FTP Clients offer the search function to find the file among thousands, and they also have a bookmarking tool.
Server Connection:
Not all the FTP Clients connect with all the servers.
The majority of the clients only connect the local computer to an online server. Few of the best FTP CLients do allow the third-party apps (google drive, Dropbox, etc.) connection.
Transfer Speed:
This is another primary reason to use FTP clients. FTP clients for Mac do the fast speed transfer of the files than the usual way of doing it on the site.
Large Files:
The best FTP Clients for Mac must allow the transferring of the large size file. The downloading and uploading limit must be high.
Now without further ado, let’s discover the best FTP Clients for the Mac:
FileZilla
FileZilla is undoubtedly one of the most popular and best FTP Clients for Mac. It is an open-sourceand free program.
FileZilla is one of the oldest FTP clients in the market, with an outdated interface. However, the working mechanism is easy to understand for anyone. It is quite simple to connect the site and the local space with Filezilla.
FZ is available for all the platforms. However, Windows user prefers the Filezilla more because the tools support various versions of Windows.
Features of Filezilla:
- Easy drag and drop interface
- Supports FTP, FTP over SSL/TLS (FTPS) and SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)
- Compatible with IPv4 and IPv6
- Multiple languages
- Filters by Filename
- Compare box for directories
- Logging records
- Remote file editing
- Active Filezilla community
- Bookmarks function
- Large files transfer
- Transfer files quickly
- Regular Updates
Filezilla is among the top FTP clients in the market, not only for the mac, but for every operating system.
The learning curve is tacky, but the client has an active and supportive community to help you in the learning.
There is Filezilla Pro with more features.
Cyberduck
Cyberduck is a powerful FTP client for Mac. It is open-source and free tool. Though it will ask for the donation consistently, you can turn it off by donating.
The developers also provide support if you donate more than $10. They will give you a registration key.
The interface of the Cyberduck integrates with the Mac environment. The function makes it the favorite FTP client of the mac users as it becomes part of the machine.
Many Mac features like keychain and finder work with the Cyberduck.
Cyberduck has a modern FTP look. It offers a third-party app connection and compatible with many cloud services (Azure, S3, Google, Blacbazke 2, etc.).
Features of CyberDuck:
- Opensource and free
- Fast transfer speed
- Drag and drop download and upload
- Allow multiple protocols, FTP, FTPS, SFTP…
- Multiple bookmarking
- File search function
- Pause and resume the file transfer
- Complete logging
- Modification of the files in the client
- Developer support
Cyberduck allows you to share the files by creating a web URL for the files. Also, it adds a secure layer – Cryptomator – to encrypt the data while transferring.
If you are looking for an easy to use FTP client for Mac, Cyberduck is the one you need. The quick reference guide will help you a lot in learning.
You can download it from the Apple store or directly from their site.
Transmit
Transmit is a fantastic FTP client for Mac that connects the files to the multiple servers at one time. The software allows you to upload, manage, and download, all from one place, while also connecting to various third-party apps like Box, Google Drive, Amazon drive, etc.…
Transmit is the popular FTP client for Mac, particularly among web developers. It is not free, but there is a free trial.
The tool is packed with compelling features that other FTP clients are missing. Few of them are folder syncing, disk features, and higher speeds.
Similarly to Cyberduck, the Transmit also dissolves into the Mac environment and improves overall productivity.
Features of Transmit:
- Incredible interface
- Faster speed
- 2-factor login
- Remote-remote sync
- Open in Terminal
- Improved File Rule options
- Improved remote URL copy
- New Places bar
- Sort in Column View
- More text size options
- Selectable file sync
- Improved file sync progress bar
- NFC filename support
- English, Chinese, French & German
- Amazon S3 API V4 support
Transmit is premium FTP with faster speed and much more function than any free FTP client can provide.
ForkLift
The ForkLift is a dedicated FTP client for Mac. It does not cater to any another operating system.
With dual panes, you can compare the files while transferring them. It allows the remote connections, and you can connect to multiple servers at the same time.
You can enable more than one transfer at a time, and it will still give optimum performance. The best feature is a quick view where you can look at the content of the file without even opening it.
If you do lots of data transfer between cloud and remote location, ForkLift is a worthy investment.
Features of ForkLift:
- File management with Dual Pane
- Create favorite sync
- Support for Dropbox
- Disklet feature
- Multiple tabs for multiple folders
- Remote editing
- Support English, Chinese (Simplified), Czech, French, German, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and Ukrainian.
- Git synchronization
- Create or display hidden files
- Compare two files
- Fast speed transfer
- Dark mode
It is expensive, but it is the best premium FTP client for Mac. Regular updates keep the program up to date with the latest tech.
Forklift does not have a free version, though it offers you a free trial. The payment starts from $29 for a single user and goes up to $99.75 for small businesses. Custom plans are also available.
However, you can get a discounted price if you are a teacher or a student.
Commander One Pro
Commander One Pro has both a free and premium version. Although the tool truly shines when you buy the premium, the free version is more than able to do the job.
Commander One Pro is developed by Eltima group, famous for their wide range of Mac and Android products. This software provides you with a fast and secure way to transfer and share your files via FTP, SFTP, and FTPS.
You can open up several tabs for separate folders, and it also allows establishing the connection with the various server at the same time.
Features of Commander One Pro:
- Free file manager
- Colour and font customization
- Compact mode to see many files in small space
- Access to history
- Complete Logging
- Assign hotkeys for action
- Unlimited tabs
- Create a queue for file transfer
- Zip support
- Inbuilt file viewer
- Offer root access
- Terminal emulator
- Display all the process
- Many languages
The developer has also created Commander One Pro 2 that extends the capabilities of third-party storage apps integration. The connection manager displays all the connections in one place so you can monitor them.
Commander One Pro is a great FTP client for the Mac, and if you have the budget, go with it.
The purpose of the program is to streamline the transfer process and to improve the overall efficiency.
Rclone
If you don’t mind the setup, Rclone is the fastest.
Rclone is a command-line program used to manage files on cloud storage. Unlike proprietary interfaces, Rclone can be configured directly using common HTTP user agents. Rclone implements all the remote server commands for Amazon S3 — namely, the GetObject data transfer methods (GET and HEAD), PutObject data transfer method (PUT), metadata operations (LIST, COPY, and so on), and completely replaces the older Amazon Software Development Kit (SDK) command line tools.
Rclone supports over 40 cloud transports including S3 Batch operations: Put, Copy/Append/Move, Upload ID copy, Multi-file uploads. Rclone mounts any local, cloud or virtual filesystem as a disk on Windows, macOS, linux and FreeBSD, and also serves these over SFTP, HTTP, WebDAV, FTP and DLNA.
Features of Rclone:
- Backup (and encrypt) files to cloud storage
- Restore (and decrypt) files from cloud storage
- Mirror cloud data to other cloud services or locally
- Migrate data to the cloud, or between cloud storage vendors
- Mount multiple, encrypted, cached or diverse cloud storage as a disk
- Analyse and account for data held on cloud storage using lsf, ljson, size, ncdu
- Union file systems together to present multiple local and/or cloud file systems as one
Rclone is widely used by third-party developers to create innovative backup, restore, GUI and business process solutions using the command line or API.
Rclone is free and open source software.
Quick Questions
What is an FTP client for Mac?
FTP client for Mac is the program that lets you transfer the remotely located files to the server. There are many FTP client that works for macOS.
Which is the best FTP software?
FileZilla is the best free FTP software for Mac. ForkLift is the best-paid FTP for the Mac.
Does FileZilla work on Mac?
FileZilla is an open-source and cross-platform FTP client. It works on Mac.
Is Cyberduck better than FileZilla?
Cyberduck and FileZilla are opensource and free FTP client. FileZilla has an outdated interface, but it is very popular. Cyberduck is modern FTP and has a smooth learning curve.
Wrapping Up
In this article, I mentioned the five best FTP client for Mac. All of them offer a free trial, so take the trial and choose the one that fits best for you.
Still any question around the subject!!!
Or do you have any more suggestions to add to the list?
Leave them in the comments section.
