The Best FTP Client Options You Can Choose in 2023

Best FTP Clients for WordPress Users (Mac and Windows)

WordPress is the most popular PHP framework you can use for your website or blog. It acts as an open source solution that comes with a variety of plugins to enhance the experience and better customizes your webpage.

When taking a look at the search result statistics, we can see a high trend for people looking for FTP clients for their WordPress-powered blogs. We took a look at them and we’ve come up with the best ones you can use to move files to and from your WordPress page. The main advantage of using an FTP client for this platform is that you gain full control over the plugins, themes, and interface and you can basically edit any type of file you would like.

Given that it’s an open-source platform, everything is fully customizable to your liking. The list below exemplifies some of the best options you can use to manage your FTP content. The main drawback to some of these might be that they are not free, but this is compensated by the extra features that they come with.

• WinSCP
• Cyberduck
• Transmit
• FileZilla
• WS_FTP Professional
• ForkLift
• Free FTP
• Core FTP LE

Review Criteria for FTP Clients

When it comes to our search criteria, we’ve looked at reviews from trusted individuals that have a lot of experience in this domain and have written cohesive and in-depth reviews of these products. Making sure that we picked the top safe FTP client for each category due to their complete reviews was the main goal when creating this article.

We wanted to make sure that all the data gathered was from handpicked experts and we used the latest and most powerful tools to determine the trends and the true popularity of any FTP client. Helpful was the main word when it comes to what we had in mind when looking at applications.

For example, we’ve taken a look at the reviews published by Devin Sears, who currently has over 53.000 Twitter followers and works for Bluehost, a web hosting website that allows users to have their websites hosted on their servers.

Hostings recommendations about Best FTP clients

When doing our research, we’ve also seen a lot of articles coming from hosting websites that are recommending an FTP client, Windows or Mac, for their users. These were all curated for their specific platform, but overall we’ve noticed a few trends we’d like to share with you, hopefully helping you with access your FTP server easier when it comes to your hosting provider. Without further ado, this is the list of the most popular clients we’ve found that are recommended by hosting websites:

• FileZilla
• CloudMounter
• Cyberduck
• Transmit
• WinSCP
• Commander One
• Forklift

Choosing the Right FTP Client

One of the most important subjects when talking about the best FTP client is without a doubt the way on which one should choose an application to suit their needs. There are various things you must take into account when shopping for a new way to connect to your server.

Security

The first thing you should always take into account is security. No matter what anyone tells you, all the fancy graphics in the world and bonus features don’t hold a candle to great security. This means that you will want your client to come with support for SFTP as well, with encrypted end-to-end communications and preferably be open source.

User Interface

The next thing you should have in mind when looking at a client is to make sure that the interface design is user-friendly and easy to use. We cannot stress enough how important this is, especially because you’re going to spend a lot of time in this application if you are managing servers. This is why you must ensure that the interface was well designed and that it does not require any complicated set of actions to perform basic tasks.

Bonus Features

The last step is to make sure that all of the other bonus features are on par with what you are looking for. Maybe it’s the ability to pause uploads, a built-in text editor, or even encrypt files directly from the app. All of these features should be taken into account prior to downloading and software.

Pricing

Last but not least, you should take into account the price. If your budget is limited, you might want to go for a free, open-source option that has fewer features but does not break your wallet. However, if you are someone who enjoys premium apps and wants to get the best possible experience, you might want to take a look at the ones that come with a price tag.

General Criteria Used To Evaluate Articles

When it comes to our selection of applications, we’ve been trying to keep a few guidelines to ensure that only the creme de la creme remains. We made sure to keep the important things in mind, that users care about, and that’s how we compiled the lists.

• The first thing we wanted to get out of the way was to make sure that all of these applications support the latest Windows version and the M1-powered Macbook. This is extremely important as most users with cutting-edge technology are expecting the best performance and experience from their product.
• The next step was to determine whether or not the applications are getting frequent updates, if bugs are being patched fast and if improvements are coming in a timely matter. It is very important to have an application that is still being updated, as it can prevent data breaches and other security issues which might occur as technology improves.
• The next subject was whether or not the application has a free version. Although we’ve included ones with free trials, we wanted to make sure that we depict options for every type of wallet and also to present some premium applications which some enthusiasts will enjoy.
• Last but not least, we wanted to ensure that all of the applications are coming from trusted developers and not from third parties or malicious users with shady intentions. All of the apps are curated and can be downloaded safely from their respective websites.

What the reviews have to say?

To solidify your opinion on the top products, we’ve gathered a little bit from what the reviewers have to say about these applications. These are all genuine opinions from power users that know how to test applications and what they are seeking from them. Let’s take a look!

FileZilla

When it comes to the most popular FTP on the list, it was described by users as a “Simple, Easy to Use and Versatile FTP Manager” which connects very well to FTP and SFTP hosts. Some have even gone ahead and declared it “most reliable, free, and easy to use FTP software". We’ve selected the following review to speak more about FileZilla:

Pros:

“I have been using FileZilla as the only FTP software for more than 10 years. It is light in size, easy to configure, and use. Its Pro version can be integrated with more than 15 cloud storage providers which come at just a $19.99 one-time purchase. It also provides CLI for Windows and supports Linux and OSx. Some of its best features are remote file search, multiple connections, 20 concurrent transfers, file comparison, and filters.”

Cons:

“The user interface of FileZilla has not changed all these years. The UI can be made more attractive and user-friendly.”

Commander One

The second position on the list has been described as a "Professional Mac FTP Client" and has received positive reviews from a lot of users. The popular Mac app has been a favorite of all the people owning a Macbook or iMac. Here are what one user had to say about the pros and cons for Commander One and what he would like to be changed:

Pros:

“I like the pro option to compress and extract within the platform to save time uploading and downloading files over the Internet, the local machine option, folder, and file manager from the platform.”

Cons:

“The code is closed for mac, I would like a version available for GNU Linux and open source servers.”

Cyberduck

Users claimed that Cyberduck is “Simply the best FTP and cloud storage browser” and acclaimed it for its many features and versatility. David G. working in Marketing & New Product Development said that it’s a “lean, simple and excellent FTP client” and mentioned that it takes a lot less time to upload files. But let’s see what other reviews have to say.

Pros:

“What I like best about Cyberduck is the simplicity of the app. Working on a Mac, the interface feels like a Finder window which makes using the app a familiar tool. Additionally, the ability to customize the app is greatly appreciated. Being able to add or remove icons from the toolbar is helpful.”

Cons:

“I honestly don't use Cyberduck for anything crazy. The primary purpose for me is to transfer files to vendors quickly. There are other solutions like WeTransfer, but having the bookmarks to clients' FTPs in Cyberduck allows for more effortless transfer of files. With all of this said, there's nothing that I dislike. Again, with my limited needs, Cyberduck does all I want it to do.”

After looking at hundreds of articles, we’re prepared to say that we’ve chosen the best FTP clients you can possibly find for Windows or Mac at this moment. Any of the top 5 solutions should suffice your needs, even those who only have a free version. All in all, we hope that these apps continue to improve and that their developers continue to support them over the following years as they did in the past.