AbleFtp

Commercial; $69.95

Current Version: 8.40 (May 6, 2010)

Written in Java, AbleFtp is an unusual, cross-platform FTP client, providing a unique feature set that places an emphasis on automating common FTP tasks. Distinguishing features include:

• Helps create advanced FTP tasks that can be scheduled to automatically or to run manually.
• Automate FTP to/from an intranet or Internet server. Schedule FTP of files between your PC and the server; and automatically rename the files based on current month, day or time if needed. FTP supports wildcards (*). Transfer multiple files at once. Supports subdirectory transfers.
• Remote FTP directory monitor can detect directory change and trigger FTP, zip, copy, delete tasks. It can also detect file size, total files, file modification dates and then trigger other tasks, if required.
• FTP Command task can run RFC FTP commands in sequence.
• Scheduler software is very easy to use, yet has very powerful scheduling, tasking and automation capabilities.
• Email Notification of task failure, based on task exit code.
• Local directory monitor works similar to the Remote FTP directory monitor.
• Zip and copy files and directories using wildcards on a schedule.
• Delete files on schedule, based on wildcards.
• Multiple Connections: unlimited simultaneous threads and unlimited FTP browsers can be opened.

Version 8.40 adds/changes the following:

• FTP-J module - SSL tab - Keystore password field was not visible for many operating systems.

Captain FTP

Shareware; $25

Current Version: 6.2110-100104 (April 13, 2010)

Captain FTP is a new FTP client specifically designed for Mac OS X, designed to be similar in operation to the OS X Finder. Captain FTP includes segment downloading and a copy manager, among many other features.

While no information is available regarding what's new in version 6.2110 (presumably, it's a bugfix update), version 6.2021 added/changed the following:

• Virtual folder (bugs/new icon).
• Growl (new version).
• New version of xml parser library.
• SQLite library exchanged.
• SFTP connection problems fixed.
• Transfer Manager bug fixes.
• Tabs now saved correctly.
• Remote File Editing bug fixed.
• Many more reported issues resolved.

CrushSync

Shareware; $20

Current Version: 1.3 (May 27, 2009)

CrushSync (from the makers of CrushFTP) is a cross-platform, Java-based synchronization tool that enables you to backup files to a remote location, or to local network locations or hard drives. It can handle synchronizations to local files and folders, as well as items on FTP servers, WebDAV servers, and SFTP servers.

Version 1.3 adds/changes the following:

• Added pre/post script to execute before and after a sync runs. (mount a server)
• Added additional information when monitoring a syncs progress
• Improved handling of syncs with FTPS
• Can now rename an existing schedule
• Fixed snapshots for two way syncs
• Updated summary page
• Fixed bug when a network share is unavailable
• Fixed GUI glitches when monitoring a sync

Cyberduck

Open source; $0

Current Version: 3.5.1 (June 15, 2010)

Cyberduck is a free, open source SFTP (SSH Secure File Transfer) and FTP browser licensed under the GPL. It has been built from the ground up with usability in mind, having the same consistent graphical user interface for both SFTP and FTP browsing. Multiple connections are supported. Drag and drop is supported consequently for transferring files between server and client. A transfer queue keeps track of the pending file transfers. A simple bookmark manager ensures manageability. Core system technologies such as the Keychain and Rendezvous are supported. Cyberduck has been translated into numerous languages including Japanese, Chinese, Korean, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch.

Version 3.5.1 makes the following enhancements:

• [Bugfix] Crash opening Info window
• [Bugfix] Nested folder not visible (Google Docs)
• [Bugfix] Upload into folder not possible (Google Docs)
• [Bugfix] Downloading spreadsheets fails with permission error (Google Docs)
• [Bugfix] Replacing documents on upload adding new revision (Google Docs)

Envoy

Shareware; $18

Current Version: 1.0

Envoy is a download manager from Navdeep Bains, author of POPThing, ViaHTTP, and MacDICT. It features the following:

• Supports HTTP, FTP, and Gnutella.
• Automatically retries transfers on failure, and will reconnect to the Internet if necessary.
• Puts peer-to-peer where it belongs; in a full-featured download manager.
• Envoy can automatically disconnect from the Internet, put the computer to sleep, or shut down the computer after the queue is complete.
• The queue can be started/stopped at specified times.
• Multiple download folders for superior organization.
• Media files, such as songs or movies, can be played while downloading.
• Includes a Download Log, to keep track of partial transfers and completed downloads.
• Easy-to-use interface.

Envoy is shareware, and will expire after 30 trial uses.

ExpanDrive

Commercial; $39.95

Current Version: 2.1.1 (June 15, 2010)

ExpanDrive adds robust, two-way FTP and SFTP capabilities to your Mac. It's based upon the remarkable MacFUSE project from Google (which enables programmers to provide support for a variety of file systems within applications that run in what is known as "user space" - the part of your computer that you interact with on a regular basis).

In essence, ExpanDrive enables you to treat a remote FTP or SFTP server as a local hard drive, with all of the speed and flexibility that comes with accessing files as if they were local. Once you use ExpanDrive's menu bar menu to configure ExpanDrive, it performs its magic entirely in the background, and you use the Finder and your other favorite applications to access your remote files the way you would with any hard drive or removable drive. Since ExpanDrive provides access to remote files as if they were local drives, all of your applications can access these files with equal ease.

Version 2.1 introduced the following new features:

• NEW Strongspace drive type for easy connection to ExpanDrive's upcoming Strongspace online storage service.
• NEW All-new high-speed Amazon S3 connection engine that will drastically performance during transfers and while browsing.
• NEW Improvements to ACL handling with S3 - Access-control policies on existing files are now preserved through modifications, including renames.
• NEW Sequential polling in large directory structures to improve browsing performance in large trees
• NEW S3 Files now have an r/w extended attribute named "com.expandrive.s3fs.ContentType" allowing access to set MIME-Type.
• NEW Symbolic links are now emulated. When viewed in earlier versions of ExpanDrive, these will appear as empty directories; when viewed in other S3 browsers, they will appear as keys containing the link target.
• NEW [Experimental] If a file has not been assigned a MIME content type, then when it is written back to S3, a content-type is inferred from the file's contents and its filename. The result can be overridden using the extended attribute.
• NEW [Experimental] Experimental support for inheritable S3 ACLs on directory keys.
• CHANGED Improved stability against temporary network errors
• CHANGED Increased timeout for connection and slow operations
• CHANGED Updated logging interface
• CHANGED Updated to use Python 2.6.5 internally
• CHANGED Updates to German, Dutch and Lithuanian localizations
• CHANGED More robust handling of FTP servers with broken SSL implementations.
• FIXED Fixed issue where ExpanDrive would occasionally not notice unmounted drives.
• FIXED Fixed issue where ExpanDrive would not correctly clean-up its mount point.
• FIXED Fixed a rare issue which could cause a stall launching ExpanDrive on Snow Leopard
• FIXED Fixed a rare issue that could prevent a password from correctly being saved
• FIXED Fixed an issue that could prevent automatic updates from being noticed
• FIXED Several fixes to the FTP directory-listing parser.

Version 2.1.1 makes the following additional changes:

• FIXED Fixed issue that caused FTP drives to fail connecting in 2.1.0.

FileZilla

Open source; $0

Current Version: 3.3.3 (June 15, 2010)

FileZilla, a long-time favorite open source FTP client for Windows and Linux, is finally available for the Macintosh, making it the first true cross-platform (non-Java) FTP client that is available for Windows, Linux, and Macintosh.

Although FileZilla's user interface still has its roots in the Windows world, those who are fond of the software and who are seeking a consistent, familiar experience across platforms will certainly enjoy FileZilla for the Mac.

FileZilla's main features include:

• Ability to resume Uploads/Downloads (if the server supports it)
• Custom Commands
• Site Manager with folders
• Keep Alive system
• Timeout detection
• Firewall support
• SOCKS4/5 and HTTP1.1 Proxy support
• SSL secured connections
• SFTP support
• Upload/Download Queue
• Drag & Drop
• Multi-language support
• GSS authentication and encryption using Kerberos

Version 3.3.3 makes the following changes:

• Added "does not contain" filter condition to name and path filter types
• Pressing Alt+Left or Alt+Up (Cmd+Left, Cmd+Up on OS X) in file lists enters parent directory
• Pressing Alt+Down (Cmd+Down on OS X) in file lists transfers selected items
• Pressing Alt+Right (Cmd+Right on OS X) in file lists activates selected item(s)
• Add operating system information to about dialog
• MSW: Auto-update check now transmits whether the operating system is 32bit or 64bit
• Small performance improvements, mostly benefiting *nix users
• OS X: Remember hidden state of toolbar, make quickconnect bar look more Mac-ish
• Add option to display momentary transfer speed instead of average speed
• Fix problem with rekeying of SFTP connections if not permanently trusting the server's hostkey
• Certificate details dialog no longer changes size if selecting a different certificate in the chain
• Some dialogs did not display icons using the correct size
• Show "Not connected" instead of "Empty directory" in remote filelist statusbar if not connected
• MSW: Replace some additional characters not allowed in filenames on MSW
• MSW: Selecting files while holding Ctrl+Shift no longer shows incorrect values in the filelist status bars
• Fix transfer statusbar regression introduced in the release candidate
• Do not include IPv6 zone index in the argument to the EPRT command
• Correct tab order in filter edit and search dialogs
• *nix: Revert cursor changes

One thing I have noticed in my brief period of testing, however, is that FileZilla doesn't appear to use Mac OS X's built-in ssh configuration to manage SFTP connections. Let's hope that this is something that changes in the near future. Other than that, FileZilla is a well-built, if not awkward, FTP client that is more than worthy of consideration.

Flow

Shareware; $29

Current Version: 1.2.7 (March 22, 2010)

Flow is a new FTP client built exclusively for Mac OS X Leopard. Flow streamlines both transferring and editing files by leveraging your high-speed connection. Key features include:

• QuickLook - Just like the Finder, Flow can QuickLook pretty much any file - images, movies, music, PDFs, text documents and even web-pages.
• Dropmarks - Drag a bookmark to your desktop to create an Instant Droplet. Drop a file on its icon and watch as your file is quickly uploaded in Finder-like copy-window.
• Solid Connections - Support for FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, .Mac, and Local Connections, concurrently to allow multiple transfers and editing sessions to take place at the same time.
• Editing - Edit in the sleek internal editor (with tabs, syntax coloring, live previewing, and code sense), or with another editor of your choice.
• URL Copying - URLs to your remote files can be copied instantly, even automatically after uploading. We promise that once you use this, you'll never be able to live without it again.

Version 1.2.7 adds/changes the following:

• [Fixed] Most common crasher, relating to key-downs in the column view.
• Issue where progress bars might be blurry under Snow Leopard.

Flow is distributed as a 15-day fully featured trial, and is available for purchase for $29.

ForkLift

Shareware; $44.95

Current Version: 1.2 (October 23, 2007) / 1.7.8 (January 6, 2010)

ForkLift is an FTP and SFTP client for the Mac that features a tabbed dual-pane view that provides live previews, spring loaded folders and any-to-any workflows. Features include:

• Dual-pane view
• Any-to-any - Copying between local hard drives, iPod, FTP, archives even your mobile phone
• Tabs
• Live preview & thumbnails
• Edit - Edit your files with your favorite applications even on an FTP server
• Application Deleter - Completely remove applications with a mouse click
• Spring-loaded folders
• Filters
• Spotlight integration
• Favorites
• Smart folders
• FTP, SFTP, FTP/TLS
• Amazon S3 support
• Bluetooth
• Archives - Zip, GZip, Tar, Rar - as if they were folders
• Leopard ready
• Growl support

Version 1.2 - the latest version for Mac OS X 10.4 - adds/changes the following:

• WebDAV - ForkLift now connects to WebDAV servers and iDisk. Copy, move, rename, preview, remote view, remote edit. Connect to WebDAV servier or iDisk from the Go menu.
• Select Panel - Select items using a filter string or select files with matching/different filenames in the two panels. The select checks only the filename and extension, not the size nor the date of the file. Access the panel from the Edit/Select... menu.
• SFTP text encoding - setting different encoding now works
• Leopard fixes - ForkLift 1.2 is ready to run on Leopard
• A couple of small bug fixes

Version 1.7.8 - the latest version for Mac OS X 10.5 and later - adds/changes the following:

• Move to bug: we hope to catch this one in time. Several users reported this bug, that ForkLift (and the filesystem) fails to report it when an error occurs on the target volume during a Move operation on Snow Leopard. This could potentially cause loss of files, so this is the most important fix of this release.
• Invert selection: the keyboard shortcut assigned in the Commander set didn't work properly.
• Get info owner: the get info dialogue failed to correctly display file owners after the ownership was changed on a file.
• Move to menu item: the Move to menu stayed active for local-to-remote transfers, although the operation is supported. This is now fixed.
• Open enclosing folder: the operation was broken on Spotlight search results. Fixed.
• Typos: corrected some UI typos

Fugu

Open source; $0

Current Version: 1.2.0 (May 3, 2005) / 1.2.0 "Universal" (January 10, 2006)

Fugu is a graphical front end to the command line Secure File Transfer application (SFTP) built into Mac OS X. SFTP is similar to FTP, but unlike FTP, the entire session is encrypted, meaning no passwords are sent in cleartext form, and is thus much less vulnerable to third-party interception. Fugu allows you to take advantage of SFTP's security without having to sacrifice the ease of use found in a GUI. Features include:

• Drag and drop upload and download of files.
• Directory upload (not natively supported in SFTP).
• Permissions, owner and group modification.
• Directory histories.
• Support for international characters, including Chinese and Japanese glyphs.
• A Console, which may be used like a command line SFTP session.
• Support for Public Key Authentication.
• Support for connections to alternate ports.
• Full Aqua interface.
• SCP support.
• Ability to create SSH Tunnels.
• Keychain support.

Version 1.2.0 adds/changes the following from version 1.1.3, the previous release:

• New: promised file drags (drag and drop from remote pane to Finder)
• Update: additional FAQ entries
• Fix: valid paths for alternative OpenSSH installations

See the changelog for more details.

Goliath

Current Version: 1.0.1 (April 8, 2004)

Please note: This is a specialized file transfer program, and not a true FTP client. But since it is used for uploading files to web sites (as FTP is so often used for) - and as of mid 2001 it is being widely discussed and scrutinized as a strong candidate for replacing FTP in the updating of web sites - I feel it deserves a listing here. Goliath is a client application for creating and editing collections of files that reside on a remote server via the open WebDAV protocol (frequently called Web Folders) that makes it possible to make changes to files stored on web servers that support WebDAV. It was the first application to implement WebDAV on the Macintosh. Goliath exposes functionality similar to that found in the Windows version of Internet Explorer 5 plus many other features that are unique to the Mac. With Goliath, users can:

• View the contents of a web site in a Finder-like fashion (including size, modification date and type)
• Upload new files to a website
• Create new folders in web sites
• Delete files and folders on a web site
• Rename files on a web server
• Download copies of files on a web server using Drag & Drop (including delete by dragging to the Trash)
• Bookmark DAV resources for easy navigation
• Lock and make changes to existing files on a web server (using the applications of their choice)
• Display and editing of properties
• Duplicate items stored on web servers
• Native MacOSX support via Carbon.

Version 1.0.1 adds/changes the following:

• Files with a / in their name are now handled properly.
• Fixed a crash while trying to view the contents of folders that the current user does not have permissions to access.

Goliath requires a PowerPC based Macintosh running Mac OS 8.1 or higher. More information about the WebDAV protocol, including clients and servers, may be found at the WebDAV web site at http://www.webdav.org/.

GSFTP

Shareware; $18

Current Version: 1.3 (November 22, 2004)

GSFTP (formerly iFTP & Gideon) is a Java-based graphical FTP and SFTP client featuring remote & local file filtering, an easy-to-use bookmarking system, remote file editing and viewing, queue scheduling, and a modular architecture. Features include:

• Supports secure and standard FTP
• Multiple connections per browser
• Fully multithreaded
• Directory listings are cached for quick access
• Easy to use Bookmark manager
• Powerful bookmarking; bookmarks can contain both a local and remote home path

Version 1.3 adds/changes the following:

• Added support for Windows
• If user cancels reg enter we no longer close the main nag.
• Default local home folder is now the Desktop on win/mac
• Set Permissions panel now hides when user clicks apply
• Removed elipse from Disconnect menu item
• Added rename to the popup menu
• Added Preference Panel
• Spaced registration panel buttons better - no more overlapping
• Bookmark manager now disables all the data entry fields when no bookmarks exist
• Bookmark code has been changed. Bookmark file format is now an xml document.
• Changed data folder to GSFTP ( no longer Gideon )
• About panel is now clean
• Browser drop down now shows the correct image for hard drives
• No longer have to select the remote file view to click Disconnect.
• Rename is no longer Cmd-W
• We no longer draw open folder in drop down
• Fixed bug copy url to clipboard would return null for A:\ and D:\
• Localized the login, registration, error, Get Info, Set Permissions panels
• Transfer menu now works
• Tidied up special, help menu
• Owner group date fields are now set to -- if no data
• get info name panel icon is now raised a smig
• apply to enclosed is now to the right a little more
• removed default strings from get info panel - general area
• Recoded the Get Info panel population code to be more tolerant of null items
• Added icons for hd, floppy and rem media
• Added support for My Computer item under Windows
• updated to edtftpj v1.4.5
• FIXED: show bm window ; hide ; show again - exception
• FIXED: create new bm ; enter data ; create even newer bm ; original lost.
• FIXED: Create a new bm - start editing ; close window - bm data not saved.
• FIXED: Cancelling a rename resulted in an Exception
• FIXED: Cancelling a reg enter resulted in an Exception

Hefty FTP

Shareware; $20

Current Version: 1.5

Hefty FTP is a new (4/2000) FTP client from the makers of the very popular Monica batch file downloading tool, available below. Hefty FTP has lots of features, including the following:

• Automatically retries connections
• Automatically retries downloads and uploads
• Automatically resumes transfers if possible
• Can be transferring queued files to/from FOUR FTP servers simultaneously while browsing a fifth
• Can download files off the Web using HTTP, with full reconnection/resumption capabilities
• Gives you extensive control over your FTP sessions and transfers

Version 1.5 addresses the following:

• Major improvements to program appearance and documentation
• Greatly improved stability
• Numerous improvements to client-server interaction
• Option to disable sending of NOOPs
• Adjustable display font
• Several bug fixes
• Price reduction

The whole package looks truly promising.

iGetter

Shareware; $25

Current Version: 2.8 (December 7, 2009)

In the tradition of download utilities such as Monica, SpeedDownload, and Download Deputy comes iGetter, the newest downloader on the block. According to Ivo Ivanov, Technical Manager for Presenta Ltd., the makers of iGetter, "our purpose is to create download manager for Mac OS comparable with the best download utilities made for all platforms." Indeed, iGetter ones-up all these utilities by integrating its features into your web browser either through contextual menus (IE and iCab) or by intercepting hyperlinks (Netscape). Of course, iGetter has all the usual features of download managers, such as online/offline scheduling, prioritization, resumable downloads, and support for proxies, firewalls and AppleScript. iGetter requires Mac OS X 10.2 or higher.

Version 2.8 - the first new release in a little over a year and a half - adds/changes the following:

• Optimized for Safari 4 on Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.
• Added support for 64-bit browsers in iGetter Browser Plug-In.
• Reworked integration method with the Safari browser on Mac OS X 10.6.
• Added support for Camino 2.x on Mac OS X 10.6.
• Added support for Firefox 3.x cookie file format.
• Improved processing algorithm of the iGetter download queue, which leads to better download bandwidth utilization, without any interruptions for waiting downloads.
• Improved "Site Manager" connection limitation logic to allow new segments only when there are free slots for them.
• Improved support for "Referrer" field in iGetter Browser Plug-In.
• Added support for "Referrer" and "Cookies" in "Process Web Page" / "Download All" functions.
• Added support for the "7z" file extension in the iGetter browser integration.
• Improved iGetter Schedule function to keep the system awake and prevent idle sleep, when a scheduled event is forthcoming.
• Improved "Item Settings" and "New URL" to use the default browser's cookie.
• Fixed the background color used for "Status" column in the main window in Mac OS X 10.6.
• Fixed an incompatibility with Mac OS X 10.6, that caused a crash in some internal iGetter components.
• Fixed the background color glitch with the metallic theme when sheet windows are opened in Mac OS X 10.6.
• Fixed a bug that prevented iGetter to download through SSL connections in some cases.
• Fixed a bug that crashed iGetter when downloading very small files (less than 5 bytes).
• Fixed a bug that caused a crash, in some rare cases, when downloading simultaneously many files with many connections.
• Fixed a bug that could crash iGetter, when processing URLs received from external sources Browser integration, CM integration, Finder integration, etc.
• Fixed a bug with browser integration, that in some rare cases could cause a crash in Safari when a "POST" HTTP method is used.
• Fixed a bug with "Content-Disposition" HTTP header entity, when no filename is provided.
• Fixed the redownload function to sort properly the multiple files included for redownload according to their positions in the History list.
• Some other fixes and improvements.

iSynch

Shareware; $25-$80

Current Version: 1.3.1

(Formerly WebSynch) - From the iSynch home page: "iSynch is a tool to synchronize a Web site and your local folder, or to synchronize an FTP server and a local folder in an efficient way to save your time. It doesn't replace a FTP client, but has special features to update your site or keep an FTP mirror more easily than doing it by hand." Version 1.3.1 addresses the following issues:

• New: Support for the Navigation Services.
• New: New download options.
• New: Better date preview.
• Fix: Takes care of files which change date after a year.

MacSFTP

Open source; $0

Current Version: 1.0.6

MacSFTP is the first standalone SFTP (Secure FTP) client for the Macintosh, from Jean-Pierre Stierlin, author of MacSSH. Apart from Captain FTP, MacSFTP is the only other game in town if you need a self-contained, GUI-based solution for the Mac for connecting to SFTP sites that use public key authentication (although on Mac OS X, you can use the command line SFTP client quite nicely, with the format "sftp -oIdentityFile="[path-to-private-key-file]" [username@host]".) MacSFTP - which is currently undergoing development - is not based on lsh, but on OpenSSH, is time-limited for 15 days to allow you to test its functionality, and is priced at $25 (shareware). Version 1.0.6 addresses the following:

• Added an 'Update' option to transfer only modified files
• Added a display directories sizes option
• Added on the fly Text file's content translation
• Added one time password support
• Added alt-drag-and-drop between windows to create symlinks
• Added an option to parse /etc/passwd and /etc/group files to show permissions on Icons
• Added InternetConfig File-Mappings editor in preferences
• Added implict '*' header and trailer to the name filter
• Added an option to delete existing remote files before uploading
• Added current directory in window titles
• Added a 'Session' menu to modify current connection options
• Added a 'Touch' command
• Added a 'Default bookmark' option
• Updated with OpenSSH 3.5p1, OpenSSL 0.9.7 and GUSI 2.2.3b2
• Check symlinks can be interrupted
• Rename overlapping truncated filenames
• Fixed '@' in username treated as host separator
• Fixed wrong size reported in progress window
• Fixed consecutive '/' incorrectly parsed in pathnames
• Fixed unsupported ':' in remote filenames, converted into '/'
• Fixed unsupported symlink requests sent to older sftp-servers
• Fixed crashes of Carbon version when running in Classic MacOS
• Fixed crash when saving a file in BBEdit while its upload is already pending
• Fixed app not working when a mounted volume was named 'dev'

MacTFTP Client

Shareware; $12

Current Version: 1.1.1 (February 6, 2002) / 1.2 (February 15, 2008)

MacTFTP Client is the only tftp (trivial ftp) client for the Macintosh. If you don't know what tftp is, then you don't need it (For the curious: tftp is an old method for transferring files between two machines without the need for usernames/passwords. Today, it's most often used for updating firmware in various network devices, such as routers, switches, etc.).

Version 1.2 - the first new release in over 6(!) years - introduces Universal Binary support, running natively on both PowerPC- and Intel-based Macs.

See the MacTFTP Client download page for more information.

Monica

Current Version: 2.2

Like Download Deputy and NetBATCH, Monica is a batch file downloading tool that supports both FTP and HTTP transfers. Unlike NetBATCH, however, it is a standalone application, and it is a much more highly developed application that has gained favor with a large user base. Version 2.2 makes the following changes/additions:

• Fixed Creator code
• Improved access to Hotline 1.5 and 1.7 servers
• Increased numeric length to 4 in file name ranges
• Removed unnecessary debug code resulting in an approx binary size reduction of 450k
• Changed the text string tables to improve load times
• Added AutoPurge Queue facility to purge the queue approx every 10 minutes
• Added "Get List" facility to download files in a remote URL list
• Added function to close program if pirate serial number is detected
• Fixed bug where Applescript "GetURL" did not function correctly
• Added "GetList" Applescript command
• Removed interactive messageboxes when processing via script.
• Fixed bug where port was incorrectly parsed on redirect.

NetFinder

Shareware; $20

Current Version: 3.1.1 (April 15, 2008)

NetFinder (not to be confused with the former Apple Product of the same name) is a very nice FTP client that has become a time-tested product.

NetFinder 3 is a major rewrite of the application in Cocoa, and is the first release of the software since version 2.3.3 arrived in November 2003. Version 3 supports the following protocols:

• ftp - File Transfer Protocol
• ftps - File Transfer Protocol with SSL/TLS
• ftpsi - File Transfer Protocol with implicit SSL
• sftp - File Transfer Protocol over SSH
• http - Hyper Text Transfer Protocol - Web Pages
• https - Hyper Text Transfer Protocol with SSL - Web Pages
• webdav - File Transfer over http (works with iDisk and cpanel too)
• webdavs - File Transfer over http with SSL (works with iDisk and cpanel too)
• file - Browse local hard disk

Version 3 also includes the following advanced features:

• Advanced mirroring/syncing - mirror up, mirror down, mirror both ways (merge) - a perfect companion for iWeb
• Mirroring Simulation Run
• Dynamic self contained filterable mirror reports. (Brought to you first by NetFinder)
• NetFinder Automation Components - apply an automation to a selection of files/folders on a remote server in one simple step. (Brought to you first by NetFinder)
• Define your own automation components easily using Apple Automator.app
• Ability to edit remote files in an editor of your choosing
• Open in Terminal - quickly connect via ssh to a specific folder on a server
• Auto-upload droplets - mini-applications that upload to a server whatever is dropped onto them
• AppleScript support
• ICI script support
• RubyCocoa script support
• Script and Executable based NetFinder Automation Components
• Customizable Sound/Speech feedback

Version 3.1.1 makes the following additional changes:

• Added Toolbar to listing windows for easy access to often used commands.
• Added a View Menu to hide/show various parts of the listing window, including the toolbar.
• Added private/public URL mapping preference pane
• Added "Copy Public URL to Clipboard" feature.
• Added WebView command to open a files public URL in the default browser, eg Safari.
• Added remainder of German localization. Special thanks to Morell. If you still find something in English, send over the German translation and we will fix it up.
• Fixed a corrupt file causing characters to drop out in a few German localized strings. Thanks Reto.
• Fixed a bug in single window mode which would allow a new window to be created when opening the parent window from the Menu.
• Improved handling of bad reply from certain FTP servers, should no longer crash.

For a more detailed look at NetFinder 3's impressive capabilities, see the online documentation.

osXigen

Shareware; $20

Current Version: 1.2.2 / 2.6 (February 11, 2004)

osXigen is a full-featured FTP client for Mac OS X (Cocoa). It has the following features:

• Fully multithreaded
• Queue based download & uploads
• Active bookmarks - bookmarks that react to drag'n'drops on them - will maximize your productivity
• Filters - filter-out / filter-in files matching a regular expression
• Supports most FTP servers: UNIX/Linux, Mac (NetPresenz) , Windows (NT Server and Windows FTP Service), Novell NetWare and VMS and others
• Fully integrated with Mac OS X features: AppleScript, Keychain, Help System, etc.
• Protocol helper support

Version 2.6 - for Mac OS X 10.2 or later only - adds/changes the following:

• More Mac OS X 10.3 compatibility problems fixed
• New threading model implemented to solve random lockups and crashes
• New ASCII transfer implementation to improve compatibility and performance
• Bug fixes

osXigen is released as shareware; the software operates normally for 21 days to allow you to try it before buying it.

RBrowser

See text; $0-$35

Current Version: 4.4.8 (January 28, 2009) / 4.5.2 (August 31, 2009) / 4.6.4.2 (July 8, 2010)

RBrowser is a full featured graphical FTP/SCP/SSH/SFTP client, originally written for Mac OS X Server (and OpenStep), and now available for Mac OS X. RBrowser allows the user to manage/browse files on the remote host with an easy-to-use graphic interface. File management includes move, copy, duplicate, compress, delete,set permissions, make links, etc.:

• Remote Editing, Folder Synchronization.
• Entire file trees can be moved between local and remote host, or between remote hosts by simple drag & drop.
• Remote-to-Remote File Transfers between any hosts, regardless of protocol.
• Run Any number of operations simultaneously.

While other SFTP clients typically connect to an SFTP server and use whatever is available under that protocol, SFTP has some key limitations:

• No metadata: SFTP is not Fork/Finder info aware.
• No Recursive commands: SFTP does everything file-by-file, which takes a long time if it operates on a big file system.
• No Direct Remote-to-Remote transfer.
• Cannot reach hosts behind a firewall.
• Cannot copy files between folders on the remote host, so file management is problematic.

RBrowser combines all the secure tools available on both the local and the remote system. The SFTP, SSH, DITTO, the Bourne Shell, and SCP clients are all part of OS X. Other UNIX systems do not have DITTO but have the rest. Each have their strong points and their limitations as well. SFTP is better for file transfers because unlike scp it can hold a continuous connection and create links. Ditto is used if both hosts are Macs, so fork data is preserved during file transfers. SSH is used for file operations on the remote hosts, since SFTP has major limitations: for example it cannot make a copy of a file from on folder to another on the remote host! Also, SFTP does everything file-by-file, which takes a long time if it operates on a big file system. ssh, using a remote shell can do recursive file operations like rm, chomod very fast. Direct remote-to-remote operations require SCP. RBrowser automatically selects the best available tool for the job, so you do not even have to think about it.

Version 4.4.8 - the latest release for Mac OS X 10.4 - adds/changes the following:

• Complete reorganization of the Inspector/Attribute control. The Inspector Panel is no more, it has been broken into three sheets: 1. Inspector, which is read only, showing meta data of the file. 2. Attributes Sheet, lets the user set permission, groups, type, creator, etc.. 3. App picker panel that lets the user control document type - application associations. All three sheets can be called up from context menus or the App's main menu.
• New rename menu gives easier gui to changing names of files or sync definitions. In-table edits are no longer allowed.
• Bugfixes in the Sync Panel.
• New global option: Show Debug Log - this option makes it easy to generate a verbose debug log to diagnose problems.

Version 4.5.2 - the latest release for Mac OS X 10.5 - adds/changes the following:

• Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) compatibility fixes.
• Rename window can be closed by escape key.
• Small UI fixes.

Version 4.6.4.2 - the latest release for Mac OS X 10.6 - adds/changes the following:

• Fixes in the sync engine.
• Minor bugfixes in the FTP client.
• SFTP transfers remote to local are preserving mod dates wherever possible.

RBrowser is available in several different licensed versions; more information is available on the licensing terms page.

In its unlicensed (free) mode, RBrowser will be a full featured FTP client, including Remote Editing (SaveBack). A single user license costs $35, and provides unrestricted operations for all protocols (Local, FTP/SSL/TLS, SFTP-SSH), including Folder Sync.

Speed Download

Shareware; $25 (Standard) / $20 (Lite)

Current Version: 5.2.18 (June 18, 2010) / "Lite" version 1.1.18 (June 18, 2010)

From the Speed Download home page: "Often your download speeds are far from your theoretical maximums. Sometimes this is because the Internet is generally clogged up, or because your ISP is overloaded. But sometimes it's because the server you are connecting to is only giving a certain amount of bandwidth to each client. Speed Download tries to get round this by using up to 32 simultaneous connections." Speed Download requires any Mac with Mac OS 10.4.11 or higher.

Version 5 added significant new features and speed increases; here are some highlights:

• New: Completely redesigned and fully customizable interface
• New: optimized Speed Download engine and components for faster performance and wider compatibility
• New: introducing Simple and Advanced usage modes
• New: iTunes-like Minimized mode with user controlled color picker
• New: Overhauled built-in FTP Client support for more connections dual pane view introduced
• New: Filters bar
• New: 'Live' bandwidth throttle
• New: individual file scheduling
• New: queue downloading scheduling
• New: Speed Download dock menu notifications
• Enhanced: Auto-resuming of downloads, uploads, and file transfers at all times
• Enhanced: built-in Smart Folder technology
• Enhanced: Secure (encrypted) turbo-charged file-sharing between Speed Download users
• Enhanced: My Server section
• Enhanced: Download website content for offline viewing
• Tons of tweaks and performance oriented changes
• Much more.

Version 5.2.18 makes the following additional changes:

• New: Optimized for Mac OS X 10.6.4.
• New: Enahnced compatibility with Safari 5.
• Updated: Under the hood performance tweaks.

Speed Download Lite is a stripped down version of the Speed Download 5 download manager, for $5 less. Features include:

• New: Completely redesigned and fully customizable interface
• New: turbo-charged downloads and auto-resuming at all times
• New: iTunes-like Minimized mode with user controlled color picker
• New: Filters bar
• New: 'Live' bandwidth throttle
• New: individual file scheduling
• New: queue downloading scheduling
• New: Speed Download dock menu notifications
• Enhanced: Built-in Smart Folder technology
• Enhanced: Download website content for offline viewing
• Tons of tweaks and performance oriented changes

Super Flexible File Synchronizer

Commercial; See text

Current Version: 4.97 (June 28, 2010)

Super Flexible Software Ltd. produces Super Flexible File Synchronizer, a powerful, cross-platform backup and file synchronization tool. The software works with local hard drives, network drives and any other mounted volumes. It supports FTP, SSH, HTTP, WebDAV, and Amazon S3. ZIP compression and data encryption are also available. The full feature list provides a detailed overview of its capabilities.

Version 4.97 adds/changes the following:

• Reinstates functionality of the "Run As User" feature on the Job tab sheet. This had been very limited since multithreading within one profile was introduced.
• Fixes an issue where a subfolder selection would be ignored when a job was retried if the first connection attempt failed.
• Fixes a bug where after user cancellation, files may have been marked as successfully copied in the database even if they were not copied.

The software comes in two editions: a "Standard" edition for $34.90 and a "Professional" edition for $59.90. The Professional edition provides the following additional features over the Standard edition:

• FTP/SSH/WebDAV/S3 and ZIP compression support,
• Real-Time Synchronization (folder monitoring),
• Running the scheduler as a service,
• Copying file permissions and file shares,
• Creating new network connections and monitoring resources,
• Running profiles in parallel or under a different user account,
• Partial updating of large files.

Vicomsoft FTP Client

Commercial; see text.

Current Version: 3.1.6 (November 1, 2002) / 4.6.3 (January 25, 2010)

Vicomsoft produces the Vicomsoft FTP Client software (previously available in a shareware version) for Mac OS and Mac OS X. Vicomsoft touts speed as this FTP client's primary benefit, although I can't personally vouch for that, as I haven't tested it myself.

Pricing starts at $30 ("Classic" version) and $35 (Mac OS X version) for a single user license. See the online ordering page for more information.

Version 4.6.3 - the latest version for Mac OS X - adds/changes the following:

• Added option to encode UTF8 in Normalization Form C
• New Connection window did not appear on some systems
• Fixed some issues with icons and type/creator on Snow Leopard
• Added ability to control the timeout value for connections
• Fixed inability to create Droplets from a different user account
• Start Demo button no longer brings up the Purchase window

WebDrive

Commercial; See text.

Current Version: 2.04.212 (June 3, 2010)

South River Technologies, Inc. produces WebDrive, an alternative file transfer system that extends the Finder and all open/save dialog boxes with the ability to conveniently access remote FTP/SFTP/WebDAV servers. From the WebDrive web site: "WebDrive allows you to open and edit server-based files without the additional step of downloading the file. Using the simple WebDrive site profile manager, you can configure WebDrive to mount a remote FTP server as a local file system device. By connecting through a 'virtual' device, there is no need to learn a separate FTP client interface. You access and edit files on the server the same way that you interact with files on your local Mac."

WebDrive relies on MacFUSE to accomplish its magic.

WebDrive supports the following protocols:

• SFTP
• FTP and FTP/S
• WebDAV

Version 2.04.212 adds/changes the following:

• Fixed: Dates were not parsing correctly for IIS7 WebDAV Servers.
• Fixed: Uploads would fail for IIS7 WebDAV Servers that returned 204 No Content as a response on a successful upload.

WebDrive pricing varies from $34.95 for a single-user license with one year of free updates up to $4,299.95 for a 250 seat license with two years of free updates.

Yummy FTP

Shareware; $25

Current Version: 1.8.2 (February 23, 2010)

From the Yummy FTP web site: "Yummy FTP is an FTP and SFTP client application for the Mac, built as native Mac OS X software from the ground up, with the goal of providing a reliable, powerful, yet easy to use file transfer utility." Yummy FTP touts high transfer speeds as its greatest virtue, but I have not attempted to confirm that it's any faster than the other popular FTP clients for the Mac. However, Yummy FTP has a nice feature set that makes it worth considering, including the following helpful capabilities:

• Synchronization
• Remote editing
• AppleScript support
• In-client file previews
• File filtering
• Desktop-based FTP aliases
• Scheduling
• Support for SFTP via public key methods, including (as of version 1.5) support for Mac OS X's built-in SSH configuration capability (as with Transmit). While you can still specify a key for each bookmark within the program itself, this is no longer necessary if you use ssh_config at a system level.

Version 1.8 added the following new features:

• Open Web URL - select a remote file and open it in your web browser
• Dutch localization
• Open In Terminal - open the selected local or remote directory in Terminal.app
• Support for automatic Bookmark synching between computers, using Dropbox (http://www.getdropbox.com/) or Apple iDisk (with sync enabled)
• Snow Leopard compatibility
• Digitally signed using Apple Code Sign technology
• DualBrowse sync scrolling is now optional
• Added AppleScript command to fetch transcript
• View passwords while editing Bookmarks by unlocking with authentication
• Bookmarks viewer window now remembers open folders and scroll position
• Recent Commands menu added to Send Raw Shell Command option
• Added ability to specify default editor for files in the Get Info window
• Added ability to set both user & group, and permissions simultaneously from the Get Info window
• Added Open WebURL double click action
• Edit New Empty File context menu option available at all times
• Copy Name option added to Edit menu
• Set Default Toolbar option added to View menu
• Tabbed remote editing support with Projects in TextMate
• Added menu option to Diff local & remote files using your favorite tool
• Added option to only consider matching files during synchronization
• Diff option available from transfer clash warning message windows
• Preferred Diff tool can now be selected
• Filters can now specify age
• Global Filter can now be specified from the Bookmarks window
• Server-based duplicate and delete capability added to Remote Shell Commands menu, and as ctrl-alt-cmd optional equivalents of the Duplicate and Delete items in the File menu
• Improved QuickLook support
• Context menu options added to Sync Preview window
• Preference added to treat symlinks/aliases as if they were normal items
• Added info icon to Sync Preview info display to switch between local and server info
• Added preference to switch the intelligent target selection feature on or off
• Suffix mapping settings control extended for items without suffixes
• In List view, left arrow now takes you to the selected item's parent folder
• Open folders in List view show an opened folder icon
• Added a Reset To Default Toolbar menu item
• Added a 'Skip remaining errors' checkbox to error alerts, allowing the remainder of the job to be completed
• Added 'Lost Info' button to registration windows
• Dragged server items now drag text of their URLs too
• Faster broken connection recovery time
• More robust resume upload position calculation
• Synchronization speed improvement

Version 1.8.2 makes the following additional changes:

• Import Transmit favorites - One of the most asked-for features is finally available, making it possible to migrate from Transmit hassle free
• Create Symlinks / Aliases - Create an alias on the Mac side, or a symlink on the server side, using the familiar Finder-like drag and drop action, or by the new Make Alias menu item
• Multi-Site Upload Capability - The Auto-Route feature has been extended to allow any number of sites to accept your drag and drop upload
• Synchronization Speedup - Halves the time it takes to gather and analyze directory listing data prior to synchronization
• Many Enhancements And Bug Fixes - Over 30 enhancements and bug fixes