Alternatives to lftp
Scriptable command-line file transfer client for FTP, SFTP, HTTP and more
lftp ranks #4 of 11 in FTP clients, with an Alt Score of 85. It is licensed under GPL-3.0, free from Free and available on Linux. 9 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
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. It is a staple for sysadmins and DevOps engineers scripting backups and deployments, prized for its `mirror` command that does true two-way directory synchronization, segmented/parallel transfers, and bandwidth throttling.
lftp is aimed at technical users and system administrators who manage file transfers from a Unix-style command line rather than a graphical interface, particularly for scripted, unattended, or unreliable-network transfer scenarios.
lftp is a free, open-source (GPL-3.0) command-line file transfer program supporting FTP, HTTP, FTPS/HTTPS, SFTP, FISH (over SSH), partial WebDAV, and BitTorrent. It includes a built-in mirror/reverse-mirror command for directory synchronization, job queueing and scheduling (the `at` command), per-connection and total transfer-rate limiting, parallel and segmented (pget) downloads, an `edit` command for round-tripping remote files through a local editor, and shell-like job control with backgrounding.
Users interact with lftp through an interactive shell (with readline-based input, bookmarks, and command history) or by passing commands via `-e`/scripts, connecting to remote hosts over any supported protocol via URLs. Every operation is designed to be reliable: non-fatal errors and dropped connections trigger automatic retry and resume, and if lftp is closed while jobs are still running it moves itself into background (nohup) mode to finish them.
Where lftp stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave lftp
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
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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.
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 | lftp | Cyberduck | AeroFTP | CrossFTP | 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 lftp is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Pricing model Free verified 2026-07-30
README's License section (re-sourced from bare homepage); no pricing/purchase page exists anywhere in official sources.
LFTP is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lavv17/lftp/master/README -
Starts at Free verified 2026-07-30
Same README License section; no paid tier exists anywhere in official sources, so starting price is Free.
LFTP is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lavv17/lftp/master/README -
Status active verified 2026-07-30
Re-sourced from bare homepage. Commit history on the master branch shows commits as recent as 2026-03-23, well after the last packaged release (lftp-4.9.3, 2024-11-08 per NEWS), so development continu
Mar 23, 2026 ... mirror: use xfer:destination-directory as default target directory
https://github.com/lavv17/lftp/commits/master -
Platforms Linux verified 2026-07-30
README also lists Solaris, FreeBSD, NetBSD, SCO, IRIX, and Tru64 as known-to-compile Unix targets, and lftp.yar.ru/get.html offers Fedora RPM binaries (Linux), but none of these fall outside Linux in
The package is known to compile on Solaris(gcc), Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, SCO v5.0(gcc), IRIX(gcc), Tru64(gcc) and other systems.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lavv17/lftp/master/README -
License GPL-3.0 verified 2026-07-30
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 3, 29 June 2007
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lavv17/lftp/master/COPYING -
Protocols (FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, S3) Partial verified 2026-07-30
FTP and SFTP are fully supported; WebDAV support is explicitly called 'Partial'; the features list has no mention of S3.
FTP and HTTP protocols support. ... SFTP protocol v3-v6 support. ... Partial WebDAV support.
https://lftp.yar.ru/features.html -
Sync / mirror mode Yes verified 2026-07-30
lftp has builtin mirror which can download or update a whole directory tree. There is also reverse mirror (mirror -R) which uploads or updates a directory tree on server.
https://lftp.yar.ru/desc.html -
Editing remote files Yes verified 2026-07-30
Retrieve remote file to a temporary location, run a local editor on it and upload the file back if changed.
https://lftp.yar.ru/lftp-man.html -
Key-based auth Yes verified 2026-07-30
you can use ssh-based protocols with authorized keys, so you don't have to enter a password.
https://lftp.yar.ru/lftp-man.html -
Speed limits & scheduling Yes verified 2026-07-30
Scheduling is provided by the built-in `at` command ('There is command `at' to launch a job at specified time in current context') documented on desc.html.
net:limit-rate (bytes per second) limit transfer rate on data connection.
https://lftp.yar.ru/lftp-man.html -
Open source Yes verified 2026-07-30
Re-sourced from bare homepage to the GitHub README license section.
LFTP is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lavv17/lftp/master/README -
One-time purchase option No verified 2026-07-30
Re-sourced from bare homepage. No purchase option exists anywhere in official sources (site or GitHub); the software is entirely free/open source under GPL with no paid tier or one-time purchase menti
LFTP is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lavv17/lftp/master/README -
Directory comparison Yes verified 2026-07-30
mirror compares timestamps of directories and enters a directory only if it is older or missing on the target side.
https://lftp.yar.ru/lftp-man.html -
CLI Yes verified 2026-07-30
LFTP is a sophisticated file transfer program with command line interface.
https://lftp.yar.ru/desc.html
FAQ
Yes. AeroFTP, CrossFTP and WinSCP have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Cyberduck, AeroFTP and WinSCP — every license claim links its source.