What’s the best FTP client for MacOS developers?

Mac
1

I’m switching my development workflow to MacOS and need a reliable FTP client for regular code deployments and server maintenance. I’ve tried a couple of free tools, but they feel slow, clunky, or unstable with large file transfers. I’d really appreciate recommendations for fast, secure, actively maintained FTP/SFTP clients that work well with modern development stacks and daily use.

2

If you spend a lot of time poking around in macOS file managers, you eventually realize Finder is fine until it really isn’t. That is usually when people start hunting for dual‑pane tools, proper FTP/SFTP support, and something that can talk to cloud storage without choking.

Here is how that rabbit hole went for me.

Commander One: The one I keep coming back to

For actual day‑to‑day work, I ended up sticking with Commander One. I originally grabbed it because I missed the style of old‑school 2‑pane file managers from the Windows side. Commander One basically scratches that itch on macOS:

  • Classic dual‑pane layout that feels like it was built for people who move files all day, not just “occasionally drag a photo.”
  • Keyboard navigation that actually respects power users. Tab, F-keys, quick search, that whole vibe.
  • Connects to a bunch of stuff:
    • FTP / SFTP
    • Amazon S3 and other cloud storage
    • Network shares

What sold me long‑term was less the feature list and more that it stays fast when you throw big directories at it or jump between local and remote stuff. It is not perfect, but it feels like it is built around performance first, eye candy second.

If you ever used Total Commander on Windows, the mental transition is almost instant. Same basic philosophy: two panes, tons of shortcuts, not trying to be “cute,” just functional.

Cyberduck: Good if you mostly live in the cloud

If what you really care about is remote connections, Cyberduck is hard to ignore, especially since it is free.

Strengths from my use:

  • Makes it very easy to hook into:
    • FTP / SFTP
    • WebDAV
    • S3 and variants
    • Various cloud providers
  • Handles bookmarks, credentials, and multiple servers without being annoying
  • Does one main job: talk to remote storage like it belongs on your machine

The catch is that it is not a full‑on “Finder replacement” style file manager. It is more like “remote storage control center.” If you mostly need to upload, download, and manage stuff on servers or buckets, it does that cleanly and without too much drama.

ForkLift: Feels like “Finder, but competent”

ForkLift is another one I bounced between for a while. The pitch is basically: imagine Finder, but with dual panes and less friction.

It feels very “mac‑native” in the sense that:

  • The UI looks like it belongs on macOS instead of a weird port.
  • You get a dual‑pane layout that keeps local and remote stuff organized.
  • Integrates with various remote services (SFTP, etc.), but keeps the interface fairly clean.

If you like Apple’s general design language but feel Finder is missing “professional mode,” ForkLift sits in that sweet spot.

FileZilla: Works, but you are back in 2009

FileZilla is like that old tool everyone secretly keeps installed because it never totally fails you, even if it looks like it just stepped out of an older OS X era.

  • It is free.
  • It connects to FTP/SFTP without complaining too much.
  • It is reliable.

But, honestly, the interface looks and feels dated compared to everything else above. If you are used to polished macOS apps, FileZilla feels more like a cross‑platform utility you grudgingly tolerate when you just need to get something uploaded and you do not care what it looks like.

How I’d pick between them

If I had to simplify it:

  • Want a serious dual‑pane file manager with good local + cloud + server handling, and you like the “Total Commander” style?
    Go with Commander One:

  • Mostly care about cloud and remote connections, not replacing Finder?
    Use Cyberduck.

  • Want something that feels like a “pro version” of Finder with dual panes?
    Try ForkLift.

  • Need something free and do not mind an older interface?
    FileZilla still gets the job done.

23 Likes
3

If the free stuff is choking on large transfers, you’re already past the “toy client” phase.

I mostly agree with @mikeappsreviewer’s breakdown, but I’d prioritize things a bit differently specifically for dev workflows and code deploys:

1. When you only care about the remote side: Cyberduck or Transmit

Cyberduck is fine and free, and yeah, pretty cloud centric. For simple “push this build to this server” use cases it’s more than enough, but on huge trees it can feel a bit sluggish, at least in my experience.

If you’re ok paying, Transmit is another one you should look at that didn’t get mentioned:

  • Very polished SFTP support
  • Solid sync features (mirror local → remote, etc.)
  • Good for repeatable deployments where you don’t need full CI/CD yet

For scripted or semi‑automated deployments, Transmit’s sync tasks can be nicer than Commander One’s more manual approach.

2. Stuff I’d only use as backup

  • FileZilla: Reliable, yes, but on macOS it feels like a punishment. OK as a fallback when everything else is broken.
  • Pure Finder + “Connect to Server”: workable for the occasional SFTP mount, annoying for regular deploys.

3. If you’re coming from a “real” deploy system

If you’re used to CI/CD or rsync‑based deploys, no GUI FTP client will feel perfect. In that case, I’d use rsync / git / CI for real repeatable deployments.

Minor caveat: first hour with it can feel a bit “old school” if you’re not used to dual‑pane managers, but once muscle memory kicks in, going back to single‑pane FTP clients feels painfully slow.

4

If the free stuff is already choking on big trees, you’re in “stop experimenting” territory and need something you can live in all day.

I’m mostly on board with @mikeappsreviewer and @sonhadordobosque, but I’d shuffle the priorities a bit for a dev workflow.

1. Skip pure FTP if you can

First, if your servers still expect plain FTP for code deploys, try to move to SFTP. Every client behaves better over SFTP, especially with lots of small files and permission tweaks.

2. Commander One as your main cockpit

For what you described, Commander One is the one I’d actually work from:

  • Dual pane: left = local repo, right = server path. No tab juggling.
  • SFTP performance is solid on big directories, and it doesn’t freeze when you drill into tons of nested folders.
  • Keyboard workflow: quick copy/move, rename, search, etc. feels like a proper tool, not a “pretty” uploader.

Where I disagree slightly with the others: I do use it almost as a Finder replacement when I’m in “dev mode” for the day. Not for everything, but if I’m touching servers, logs, or deployment folders, Finder stays closed and Commander One is the main window.

If you care about search visibility later, “Commander One macOS SFTP dual pane client” is basically the combo that describes what you’re after.

3. Transmit vs Cyberduck for repeatable deploys

  • Transmit is worth paying for if you want:
    • Folder sync (mirror local to remote) for quick “deploy this build” workflows.
    • Saved connections and sync tasks that you can re-run without thinking.
  • Cyberduck is fine and free, but I’ve seen it feel sluggish on huge trees and it is not great as a “workstation” you live in. I treat it more like a utility than a daily driver.

If your deploys are basically “push dist/ to server” a few times a day, Transmit has nicer guardrails than Commander One. If you’re constantly poking around the server, tweaking configs, moving random stuff, Commander One wins.

4. FileZilla and Finder as backup tools

I kind of agree with both of them here:

  • FileZilla: works, but on macOS it feels like you time traveled. I keep it around only as a last‑chance option.
  • Finder + “Connect to Server”: barely tolerable for regular deployments. Fine for quick one‑off SFTP mounts, not for real work.

5. Consider a hybrid workflow

Since you’re coming from “manual FTP deploy” land:

  • Use Commander One for:
    • Interactive server work
    • One‑off hotfix uploads
    • Permissions and log digging
  • Start moving real deployments to:
    • git pull on the server
    • or rsync from local
    • or a minimal CI script

FTP clients are great for control, terrible for repeatability. If you must stay GUI-based for a while, I’d still standardize around a single client, and for macOS devs that is very often Commander One because it behaves like a power file manager first and an FTP client second.

So, short version:
For Mac dev work with big directories and frequent deploys, make Commander One your primary tool, Transmit if you want nicer sync automation, Cyberduck only if you’re tight on budget and mostly cloud-focused. Everything else is just “in case the main one breaks.”