Alternatives to Cyberduck
Friendly client for FTP through S3
Cyberduck ranks #1 of 11 in FTP clients, with an Alt Score of 95. It is licensed under GPL-3.0, donationware from Free and available on Windows and macOS. 9 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Anyone who needs to move files between their computer and remote servers or cloud storage — developers, sysadmins, and everyday users managing website files, backups, or synced storage.
A graphical file browser for macOS and Windows that connects to FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, and SMB servers as well as cloud providers like Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure, Backblaze B2, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and others. It supports drag-and-drop transfers with resume, direct server-to-server copying, folder synchronization, and bookmarked connections. Cryptomator integration adds client-side encryption of filenames and contents, and credentials are stored in the system Keychain. It is free, open-source (GPL), and a command-line variant (Cyberduck CLI) is also available for Linux, macOS, and Windows.
You add a bookmark for a server or cloud account (with credentials stored securely), then browse, upload, download, edit, or sync files through a two-pane or outline-style file browser, much like a native Finder/Explorer window pointed at a remote location.
Where Cyberduck stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Cyberduck
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
AeroFTP is a modern open-source desktop file transfer client for Windows, macOS, and Linux, built on Rust/Tauri, supporting FTP, FTPS, SFTP, WebDAV, S3-compatible storage, Azure Blob, and other cloud.
CrossFTP is a Java-based FTP/SFTP/FTPS and Amazon S3 client that runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, aimed at developers and webmasters who need to manage both traditional FTP servers and S3-compatible.
lftp is a free, open-source command-line file transfer program for Unix/Linux (and via ports, macOS/Windows) supporting FTP, FTPS, HTTP, HTTPS, SFTP, and FXP server-to-server transfers.
SmartFTP is a longstanding Windows file transfer client supporting FTP, FTPS, SFTP, and WebDAV alongside cloud services like Amazon S3, Google Drive, and OneDrive.
Xftp is a Windows SFTP and FTP client from NetSarang (maker of Xshell), built for IT teams managing transfers to Unix/Linux hosts.
Core FTP is a Windows file transfer client offered in a free edition and a one-time-purchase Pro edition, supporting FTP, FTPS, SFTP/SSH, and HTTP/HTTPS.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the FTP clients checklist (13 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| FTP clients checklist | Cyberduck | AeroFTP | CrossFTP | lftp | SmartFTP | WinSCP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Protocols (FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, S3) | ||||||
| Sync / mirror mode | ||||||
| Editing remote files | ||||||
| Key-based auth | ||||||
| Speed limits & scheduling | ||||||
| Open source | ||||||
| One-time purchase option | ||||||
| Directory comparison | ||||||
| CLI |
Every fact and feature listed for Cyberduck is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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License GPL-3.0 verified 2026-07-08
license: GPL-3.0
https://api.github.com/repos/iterate-ch/cyberduck -
Pricing model Donationware verified 2026-07-08
As a contributor (minimum amount 10 USD) you receive a registration key that registers the installed application to your name and disables the donation prompt.
https://cyberduck.io/download/ -
Starts at Free verified 2026-07-08
Cyberduck is free software, but it still costs money to write, support, and distribute it.
https://cyberduck.io/download/ -
Platforms Windows, macOS verified 2026-07-08
Cyberduck is a libre FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Microsoft Azure & OneDrive and OpenStack Swift file transfer client for Mac and Windows.
https://api.github.com/repos/iterate-ch/cyberduck -
Status active verified 2026-07-08
pushed_at: 2026-07-08T16:23:07Z
https://api.github.com/repos/iterate-ch/cyberduck -
Protocols (FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, S3) Yes verified 2026-07-08
FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, OpenStack Swift, Google Storage, Amazon S3, and many more protocols
https://docs.cyberduck.io/cyberduck/ -
Sync / mirror mode Yes verified 2026-07-08
Files are transferred in both directions and created if missing or replaced with the newer file on either system depending on the timestamp.
https://docs.cyberduck.io/cyberduck/sync/ -
Editing remote files Yes verified 2026-07-08
You can edit a file just as a local file in an external editor by clicking the Edit toolbar button or by choosing File → Edit With.
https://docs.cyberduck.io/cyberduck/edit/ -
Key-based auth Yes verified 2026-07-08
OpenSSH private keys of type `rsa`, `dsa`, `ecdsa` and `ed25519` (in OpenSSL `PEM` format) are supported.
https://docs.cyberduck.io/protocols/sftp/ -
Speed limits & scheduling Partial verified 2026-07-08
Bandwidth limiting supported; no scheduling documented.
Limit the maximum bandwidth that is allowed for transfers.
https://docs.cyberduck.io/cyberduck/transfer/ -
Open source Yes verified 2026-07-08
license: GPL-3.0
https://api.github.com/repos/iterate-ch/cyberduck -
One-time purchase option Yes verified 2026-07-08
One-time donation key; also one-time purchase on Mac/Windows app stores.
As a contributor (minimum amount 10 USD) you receive a registration key
https://cyberduck.io/download/ -
Directory comparison Yes verified 2026-07-08
The process relies on modification date and checksum of the files when available.
https://docs.cyberduck.io/cyberduck/sync/ -
CLI Yes verified 2026-07-08
Companion 'duck' CLI from the Cyberduck project.
Cyberduck with a command-line interface (CLI) is available for Mac, Windows & Linux. It is installed as duck.
https://docs.cyberduck.io/cli/
FAQ
Yes. AeroFTP, CrossFTP and lftp have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
AeroFTP, lftp and WinSCP — every license claim links its source.