5 Great and Free FTP Clients

Posted on 22. Sep, 2009 by JP.Thompson in Software, Windows

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800px-Cray_2_Arts_et_Metiers_dsc03940Sometimes you need to get a bunch of files from here to there, and the only thing the server supports is FTP (file transfer protocol.) Don’t despair, because here is a post that will introduce you to 5 free and highly capable FTP clients.

The FTP programs I picked are varied in specific capabilities, but most support secure connections and multi-threaded file transfers.  Cyberduck is Mac specific, FileZilla and FireFTP are cross-platform (Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X), and GoFTP and CoreFTP are for Windows only.

GoFTP

GoFTP claims to be the fastest FTP client and my initial tests prove that out. From the moment you open the program until the time you start transferring files, GoFTP’s snappy feel helps you get the job done quickly.  When you start it up, the program runs a data transfer test against your last saved connection.  GoFTP also multi-threads file transfers in order to get the most out of your bandwidth.   Other features of GoFTP are secure connections to remote servers (FTPS, SFTP) and the remote editing of files.  GoFTP is currently my favorite client due to its snappy feeling and fast file transfers.

FileZilla

FileZilla is an open source graphical FTP client that runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. The best part of the program is the built-in auto update functionality that the developers use to keep FileZilla up-to-date. FileZilla supports transfers with FTP, SSH, FTPS, and FTPES servers. There is also a server version for FileZilla, if you need to host files on a PC.

FireFTP

FireFTP is a cross-platform add-on for Firefox that seamlessly integrates to provide FTP functionality in your browser. It has a clean user interface, and can multi-thread connections when conducting multiple file transfers. FireFTP has a built-in file integrity check and supports secure connections through its SSL/TLS/SFTP support. The FireFTP add-on is free, but the author recommends donating money to him through PayPal in order to give the money to orphanages in the former Yugoslavia area

CoreFTP

CoreFTP is a nice client that provides nice prompting to just startup and use, and allows you to easily setup a transfer to a new server. CoreFTP has a small footprint and can be run off of a Flash drive. One unique functionality of the program is its ability to encrypt files files on the fly (above and beyond secure FTP.) CoreFTP supports connections to secure FTP servers and also has file queuing for transfer of a large amount of files.

Cyberduck

Cyberduck is a FTP client strictly for Mac OS X. It supports FTP, SFTP, FTPS, and WebDav, in addition to being able upload and distribute files via Amazon’s and Rackspace’s cloud storage offerings. As Cyberduck was created with OS X in mind, it integrates into key technologies inherent in that platform; such as Spotlight (desktop search), Bonjour (network management), and Keychain (password management.) Cyberduck can even be automated by AppleScript for programmatic script-based file transfers.

(By) JP Thompson sometimes blogs at his own blog disRupTions, and you can also find him on LinkedIn.

First picture of Cray Computers: David Monniaux

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5 Responses to “5 Great and Free FTP Clients”

  1. Mike.Panic

    23. Sep, 2009

    FireFTP is still my go-to app – mostly because I don’t need to “launch” anything and it works on Windows and Mac – and partly because Filezilla was good until they kept trying to “improve” the user interface, making it far less intuitive then it should / could be.

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  2. Evan Kline

    23. Sep, 2009

    Thanks for this post. I’ve used Filezilla almost exclusively for a long time now, but I’m interested to see what else is out there. I’d like to find something that will mirror a server’s directory structure on my local drive, and I haven’t noticed this feature in Filezilla.

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  3. JP.Thompson

    23. Sep, 2009

    I believe that Core FTP Pro allows you to schedule FTP transfers: http://www.coreftp.com/docs/web1/Schedule_FTP_transfers.htm .

    Core FTP Pro costs a little (over the free LE): http://www.coreftp.com/order/purchase_client.html

    If you are willing to do a little scripting, you may be able to do this with the built-in Windows FTP: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/96269

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  4. Chris

    02. Oct, 2009

    I use FileZilla. I almost never need anything else other than accessing files on my server, downloading and uploading. I really can’t think of any other reason to switch to anything else. I am just so used to it.

    I suppose I will look into these other ones though. There is one thing about FileZilla that bugs me; sometime it just stops working completely. This happens with the latest updates on Mac and PC. Sort of annoying but nothing a quit end and restart of the software won’t fix.

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