6 Best SFTP Clients for Windows and Mac Users

In this list, we will discuss FTP and FTP clients. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, which helps you upload your files into your web Space or WordPress Host. So, you can use these files on your websites. We will also discuss FTP and the importance of FTP for WordPress users. There are dozens of FTP client software available to upload files from Windows and Mac operating systems. But before we dive in and discuss the Best FTP client software, let’s understand FTP.

What is an FTP Client?

FTP stands for (File Transfer Protocol), which allows us to upload files from our local computers to WordPress Site. Now, the role of the FTP client in this is that it will help you connect your WordPress Hosting account directly from your computer. It’s simple software, and we need to install it according to our device. Many FTP client software is available for different ora like Windows, Linux, and Mac.

Why is the FTP Client important?

The main benefit of the FTP client is that it gives you an easy-to-use graphical user interface. So, we can perform all the FTP functions like Copy, Upload, Delete, Rename and Edit WordPress files and folders. Without the FTP client software, you must learn commands to perform these tasks.

Another best benefit of the FTP client software is that it will also help you fix Common WordPress Errors. But remember, the FTP client is not necessary to install to use WordPress. But, when you’re not able to connect to your WordPress site or admin area. FTP client will allow you to connect to your WordPress Hosting account and quickly fix the issue.

How can we use FTP Client? 

You need some basic information to connect FTP Client software to your Hosting Account. We need a Username, Password, and Port number.

You can also find the information from your web hosting Cpanel dashboard. Still, if you can’t find these credentials, you can ask for support from your web hosting company. They will mail you all the credentials. Once you have this information, we can proceed further. Make sure the FTP connection Option is Enabled from your web hosting account. Otherwise, you won’t be able to connect to it.

After that, all you need to do is download one of the FTP client software and install it on your computer. You have to download it according to your Operating System. Then, launch the FTP client software, and it will ask for Hosting Name, Username, Password, and Port. Then, click on connect.

Usually, the Hostname is your Website URL. And if you enter nothing on the port number field, the FTP client will try to connect using plain FTP protocol 21. 

But there’s a secure way to connect, use port number 22 to connect to your server. Port number 22 will use SFTP that encrypts all the information before sending it to the webserver. It’s a secure way and helps to keep your website safe from hackers.

So, here you can see some of the best FTP client software for WordPress Users. Let’s understand each with features and supported operating systems. We have mentioned both free and paid FTP client software. 

1. Cyberduck
2. FileZilla
3. WinSCP
4. Core FTP
5. Transmit
6. Free FTP

Cyberduck

(*6*)

Cyberduck is one of the most easy-to-use FTP client software for Windows and Mac. If you’re looking for an FTP client software, then Cyberduck can be a better option. It’s an open-source and free FTP client software. So, before you spend any money on different FTP client software, you should download Cyberduck once and try. It’s beginner-friendly and used by advanced users because of the straightforward interface.

Cyberduck also supports popular cloud storage providers like Google Drive, Box, OneDrive, and Amazon cloud space. There are some more benefits for mac users like, it can simply integrate with the native mac environment. So, you can use specific Mac features like storing login credentials and locating the files with a finder. And lastly, it provides different code editors so you can easily edit the files without downloading them.

Cyberduck can be integrated with Cryptomator to encrypt files which can be impressive and sound secure. But, you can’t have the dual panel mode with the Cyberduck FTP client software. You have to adjust to it.

FileZilla

FileZilla FTP Client is the most popular FTP client software with multiple platforms support. This FTP Client supports Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms, and it’s free. FileZilla is a cross-platform FTP, SFTP, and FTPS client with a vast feature list.

Let’s discuss some of the best features provided by the FileZilla FTP client software. Firstly, it has the most easy-to-use user interface. It has many dynamic tools that help you compare and move files between your computer and your website’s server in a couple of clicks. But, what do I mean by compare? Yes, this FTP client comes with a dual-panel interface, so you can easily compare files and folders with internal details like file size and type. 

Windows and Mac users can find the FileZilla FTP client software from its official website, and Linux users can find it at the distro’s official repositories. 

So, let’s discuss all the essential features of the FileZilla FTP client. First of all, FileZilla comes with Built-in file management that makes it easy to use. It’s free and supports multiple languages. It also has some quality features that help it to reduce timeout errors. You will also find Advance Files settings.

One most crucial thing about FileZilla is that it’s a friendly and effective FTP client. Still, Windows users reportedly found adware and spyware attacks while using or downloading the FileZilla package. And don’t forget to uncheck the checkbox called adware during the installation.

WinSCP

WinSCP FTP client is one of the most powerful software that is only available for the Windows platform. You will find too many options and buttons available on the interface. But, as soon as you understand and start using the WinSCP FTP client, you will know it has the most straightforward and user-friendly interface compared to other FTP Client software.

Just as we discussed earlier on 2 FTP client software, WinSCP is also free to use. WinSCP has the support for multiple protocols like WebDAV, Amazon S3, SFTP, SCP, AND FTPS. The user interface is quite simple. On the left side, you have a window to see all the files and folders from your computer. And on the right side, you have a list of files from the server you connect to. You can easily navigate to different folders as well as make selections.

To upload or download the files with WinSCP, you must click on that file. You can even edit the file from here. All the changes on your server space will be synced automatically or manually. But, file handling and editing the files with this type of user interface is pretty straightforward and a time saver. Then, file encryption support is also available to increase security.

One best feature that makes WinSCP unique from other FTP clients is that you can create automatic rules to perform specific tasks. And lastly, WinSCP has no support for Mac and Linux environments. If you’re a Windows user, then download it from the link. It’s free.  

Core FTP

Core FTP client software is another FTP client for windows. It’s available in both Free and Premium variants, and as usual, the free version comes with limited features. But the Core FTP LE or Free version has enough features required to fill users’ needs. The free version has all the required features and protocols like FTP, SFTP, SSL, TLS, FTPS, IDN, browser integration, site-to-site transfer, drag and drop support, file preview, editing features, and so on.

The Core FTP LE version also has plenty of features. For example, it comes with Smart Bandwidth Control. As well as it allows you to Start/Stop/Resume transfer or auto-retry of failed transfer. More than that, the Core FTP LE also comes with Advanced Directory Listings and Remote File Searching. These small features can save tremendous time and effort.

If we talk about the Pro version of the Core FTP client, you can have a bundle of related features. Let’s discuss some of the essential elements as the pro version allows you to encrypt and decrypt the files to increase security. Core FTP pro also allows you scheduled transfer. Compression and Decompression tools available will help you compress files to your server.

The Core FTP Pro client has different versions per user’s requirements and support systems. It starts at $39.95, allowing you one user per client licence with email support. You can check all the permissions on the website.

Transmit

Here is another excellent FTP Client software, Transmit version 5 for Mac Users. This FTP Client is only created for the Mac environment with the most attractive User Experience and Eye-Catching User Interface that perfectly matches macOS Big Sur. Most web developers who manage more than one web server use the Transmit FTP client software. Because the interface is easy to work with, as the features are more attractive than its UI, transmit 5 FTP client’s most compelling features are higher speed, folder syncing, and disk features.

The Transmit FTP client allows you to connect to most web servers like Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft OneDrive, Backblaze B2, Box, etc. It can handle all the basic protocols like FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, and S3 better than any FTP client. A unique feature of Transmit 5 is that they made the complex services just as simple as drag and drop. The Transmit Developers include Panic Sync in Transmit 5, a secure and fastest way to connect your website servers.

Transmit 5 FTP client software also has dozens of small and essential features that make server space management easy. For example, this FTP client software comes with a sidebar feature where you can see and copy all the details about files in one click. Then, it also includes the Batch Rename feature, which helps you rename more than one file at a time. Then, a source panel at the top header allows you to navigate your favorite folders in one click. There’s a massive list of features that you can learn from the website. You will also have a Dual Panel interface in this FTP client.

Transmit 5 FTP client software allows you to try it for seven days. Then after that, you have to pay $45 for a lifetime licence.

Free FTP

Free FTP is the last FTP Client in this article introduced by CoffeeCup. It is one of the most famous client software among Windows users. It has a dual-panel interface and the most easy-to-use FTP client software. The beginners must try this FTP client because it has the easiest-to-use interface. Like all the FTP client software, the Free FTP also supports essential protocols like FTP, SFTP, and FTPS. It easily Integrates with the operating system and includes a history panel that shows all the recently used files and folders.

We must prefer Free FTP Client software because it has the simplest way to connect to the server. It does not end here. This FTP client software has also allowed you to upload and download the files by Drag-and-Drop. Free FTP also has a Bookmarks feature, and it helps you keep your place in a folder on your computer or server.

As discussed on Transmit 5 FTP, the Free FTP client software also provides a status bar containing all the important information. You will even have the information about the FTP sessions on that status bar. Then some features are only enabled in the full version.

Free FTP comes with two types of licences. First is the free version, which has all the features required to upload and download the files to the computer or server. And there’s another paid version available that comes with extra features like Code Completion, Built-in preview, etc. You can buy the full version for $39 with a lifetime licence.

Conclusion:

As we discussed, there are different types of FTP client software available. You will find the exact mechanism with various features. Some of them are free, and some come with freemium plans. All the listed details are collected from the official websites, and you can find some pricing differences. So please confirm first before making any purchase. All the FTP client heading has a backlink to their official website. We also have mansions all the supportive environments. For example, some of them are only available for Windows. At the same time, some of them are available on every operating system support.