When it comes to FTP clients, there’s a minimum an app can do, and then there’s the additional features that really make a difference. A basic FTP client should support FTP, SFTP, WebDAV (optimised for iDisk connectivity), Amazon S3, and should have managerial features like FTP bookmarks, and be able to easily edit permissions on a remote server.

When it comes to extras, especially with Mac clients, I like to see more integration with the OS. It should support Quick Look within the UI, should be able to tap into the systemwide Keychain, should be able to open a file in something like TextMate and be able to save the copy without any complication. All this of course is according to what you need, and that’s why I’m not here to preach, but to share. Here’s a round up of not 1, not 3, but 11 ways to use FTP on your Mac.

Now just so I don’t go around repeating the same thing over and over again, I’m going to use a legend to denote features present in the app.

• A - Basic FTP, including SFTP and SSH and also includes things like bookmarks and drag-and-drop support
• A+ - Basic FTP as well as Amazon S3 and iDisk support
• E - Edit remote files using local clients such as BBEdit and TextMate
• S - AppleScript support

Transmit

(Supports A+, E, S)
The old bus chugs along, but it chugs along just fine. Nearing the end of its life cycle, Transmit from Panic is still a favourite among many. Why? Because it’s got everything! Amazon S3, iDisk, Syncing favourites across Macs, live edit, and a whole lot more. The user interface is fluid and fast, so your Mac isn’t bogged down by animations.

The only thing that looks dated is the user interface, which has carried over its look from Panther (Transmit 3 was released in ‘05). Transmit 4 is just round the corner, so watch out for this one taking off in a few. If you want a full featured FTP client, Transmit is as good as it gets.

Flow

(Supports A+, E)
Without a doubt, the best looking FTP client I’ve seen on the Mac (which effectively means on any platform). ExtendMac has definitely paid a lot of attention while designing Flow. As an FTP manager it’s got all the features required, while leaving you with a fluid interface. You can store bookmarks of your favourite locations in the sidebar, get a good view of your transfers in the downloads window, and zip through folders with some stunning core animation effects. It’s even got Quick Look support and a neat feature called ‘droplets’ which allows you to quickly upload files to specific locations without opening the Flow interface. For instance, I could easily drop in podcast episodes to our FTP server without bothering about connecting, navigating, etc.

Flow also has a built in editor that will allow you to edit any file within the application, including code syntax colouring, tabs, and previews. You can also open the file in an external editor and have it synced over to the server if you want.

The only thing that’s stopping me from giving this the No. 1 award, is the crashes. Flow has been unstable right from the time it was launched as a beta, and the developers have still not managed to get it on its feet. Costs $29 for a license, and is well worth it if it stays stable during your trial run.

Filezilla

(Supports A)
The Open Source contribution from the Mozilla Corp., FileZilla is your average ‘do it all’ ugly FTP client. It’s got support for all the FTP protocols (not Amazon or iDisk though). It’s also got bookmarks and a few other features that make it possible to use this as your FTP client. But why would you!

It’s a cross platform ultra ugly FTP client. Look at the toolbar buttons for instance. Tiny as they are, they’ve got black borders around them! Throughout the UI you can feel the Linux-ness, complete with altered folder icons, bad spacing and typography. If it’s free you’re looking for, there’s a far better client out there, and it’s called Cyberduck.

Fetch

(Supports A, E, S)
If minimalism is  your kind of thing, Fetch will appeal to you. The window can be as large as you want it, but it’s built to be small and manageable. It does this partly by using smaller fonts, and ridding itself of the second pane (requiring you to use a Finder window to transfer to and fro). It doesn’t weigh in a lot on the features side of things, omitting any support for Amazon S3, iDisk, nor does it have any of the ‘cool’ features we used to with other FTP software. I do like the cute running-dog animation that pops up whenever it’s ‘fetching’ something (get it?!).

As for recommending it, I’d say there’s far better FTP clients on the Mac market, that you should settle for something that’s stripped of most features. At $25 a piece, Fetch isn’t attractive on the price front either.

CyberDuck

(Supports A+, E, S)
Everyone’s favourite free FTP client, Cyberduck is also one of the most powerful clients on the Mac. It supports almost all of the features requred without compromising on quality. The user interface is decent (not bad, but not wow), and using it couldn’t be easier. You can do quick one-time connections or save FTP locations as bookmarks. Cyberduck also has History and integrates well with the system with Quick look, Keychain, Growl, and support for external editors. It’s also the only client to support Mosso Cloud Files (which is we host our podcast episodes and other large files).

From a user point of view, I don’t know why you wouldn’t use Cyberduck as your preferred client. Oh, and it’s free and open source.

Interarchy

(Supports A+, E, S)
Designed to be used by network and server admins, Interarchy is an interesting twist to the FTP game. The user interface is pleasant, featuring tabs at the top so you can switch between connections. You can also drag and drop between tabs. In addition to FTP, Amazon S3, WebDAV and such, Interarchy can also connect to an HTTP location. I entered our web url in the field, and it listed out the entire directory structure of our site (PHP rendered) so I could effectively browse through different ‘posts’ and download images if I chose to. I didn’t try these, but Interarchy is said to have some good site mirroring support, transferring files across servers, and even mounting an FTP location on your desktop.

Interarchy is also very well settled into the Mac OS environment, with support for AppleScript, Growl, Bonjour, Spotlight (no support for Quick Look though). However, at $60 for a single license, it kind of goes way past the standard.

Yummy

(Supports A, E, S)
Another favourite among Mac users, Yummy features a very simple and clean approach to FTP. Once you’re connected, all you get is two panes, and a status bar at the bottom. In addition to the standard list view, you can also view either pane in Column view, which is great for navigating around different folders.

That is however the extent to which Yummy goes, as it does not feature iDisk or Amazon S3, neither does it have any features like Quick Look (it does have quick look support though). The user interface is also bland (and for some reason the fonts look non-standard). At $25, it’s a good client, but not good enough I’m afraid.

Hybrid FTP clients

In this age of convergence, doing one thing is not enough. To have one application do more than one thing is definitely more appealing than littering your Dock with one for each. Of course, as it goes, the hybrid clients usually don’t feature every feature you would expect in a dedicated client, but they get the job done.

Espresso

(Supports A+)
I’ve only used Espresso for a while now, but it’s got one of the better FTP managers while working with your web documents. It won’t replace a dedicated FTP client in terms of functionality, but its merge/update/replace features are very powerful especially if you’re working with lots of files in different places. Espresso is also a very good HTML editor, loved by many.

Costs $80 for a license, it’s for serious use only. You can check out our video review of Espresso to know how it all works out.

Coda

(Supports A, E)
My personal favourite Mac app, Coda from Panic includes everything you would require in a web development tool, in one single window. With a simple workflow to organise your ‘sites’, to accessing local and remote files while working with your documents, Coda does it all. If you look at its FTP tool itself, I would say it’s way underpowered. You can’t get a good idea of your transfers, drag and drop support is limited, and it doesn’t give you a lot of file info.

When it comes to the web workflow however, Coda’s manager is just perfect. Double click a file to open it up in a tabbed window. You can also easily tell between local and remote files, which is really handy. At $100 for a license, it’s not a cheap client, but it’s got everything you need.

Forklift

(Supports A+, E)
This finder replacement includes a powerful FTP manager right within the main interface. You can connect to FTP, SFTP, Amazon S3, iDisk, Bluetooth, you name it! The fact that the servers mount right in your sidebar means you can easily transfer local files to remote servers as if they were part of the system.

Forklift is also a very nifty Finder replacement featuring an uninstaller, tabbed browsing, and some other features. Check out our review of Forklift, or download a trial. It costs $45 for a license, and it’s got a lot more than FTP under the hood.

Speed Download

(Supports A+)
The download manager of choice, Speed download now includes an FTP manager for connecting to remote servers. It’s a fairly capable FTP client, adding iDisk support to the boot (no Amazon S3 though). Servers are listed out in your sidebar from there you can download or upload files with ease. The FTP mode splits into two panes, with remote and local files showing at the same time. Navigation is easy with the list view coupled with the path bar.

Don’t forget that Speed Download is also a fully featured download manager for all your web files. It integrates with Safari and Firefox allowing you seamless 100% resumable downloads. At $25, there’s a lot of value for money especially if you have good use for both the main features.

Personally Speaking

When it comes to FTP, I mainly use it for editing websites, for which Coda has been more than accomodating. If I need to upload something heavy, I just fall back to Cyberduck which has all the features I need, plus support for Mosso Cloud Files. That said, I’m excited about Transmit 4, as Panic is obviously working hard on the release. Perhaps that will be a stable “Flow” we’re all waiting for.

What say?

Tagged as: coda, cyberduck, flow, ftp, mac, panic, Reviews, transmit