You can think of FTP client software just like any other application that you have installed on your computers, like your web browser, a multimedia player, or your favorite game. FTP clients can differ in several aspects, such as whether they have a graphical user interface (GUI) or not. In addition, this application can vary widely in its supported feature set as well as the number of supported operating systems. While the most basic FTP clients would simply allow you to upload and download files from a remote server, more advanced FTP clients may allow you to make edits to remote files without the need to explicitly download them to your computer first.
Another important distinction is that not all FTP clients support the same transfer protocols. While it is safe to assume that all FTP programs will support the basic File Transfer Protocol (FTP), there are other protocols out there that offer additional features and increased protection. These additional protocols, such as FTPS, SFTP, and SCP, may or may not be supported by your FTP client. And lastly, we should note that FTP clients can be provided free of charge or they may be paid applications.
Below, we will examine some of the best FTP clients that are cross-platform and that are provided free of charge:
FileZilla FTP Client
FileZilla is a multi-platform open-source FTP client that can run on Windows, Mac, Unix, Linux, and BSD. Its interface is very intuitive and offers many extensive features including remote editing of files on the server. FileZilla is always fast and reliable, available in multiple languages, and enables you to transfer big files (more than 4GB) and synch your directories. This FTP client software supports FTP, SFTP, FTPS, and FTP over SSH. Besides, it can be managed via command lines and can be used in passive mode.
Cyberduck FTP Client
Cyberduck is another great free FTP client for Mac OS X and Windows. It offers directory synchronization and remote file editing that you can easily manage in many languages. The transfer protocols supported by Cyberduck include FTP, FTPS, SFTP, HTTP(S), WebDAV, Google Drive, Cloud Files, and Amazon S3. Cyberduck is written in Java and has enabled the drag and drop function for the transfer of files and Growl notifications. Remote compression for SFTP, resume, and passive mode is also supported by the Cyberduck FTP client software.
CoffeeCup Free FTP
You can choose between the FTP, SFTP, FTPS, and HTTP(S) protocols when you use the CoffeeCup Free FTP Client software. It offers a handy Statusbar, full local and remote file management, and backup with automatic ZIP file creation. Setting up your FTP account with the CoffeeCup Free FTP is very easy and fast. File transfers could be canceled or paused and files simply be handled by dragging and dropping. For extra efficiency, you have local and remote bookmarks that can be used simultaneously.
Here at AwardSpace, we are proud to say that we fully support all FTP clients that can work with Passive FTP. So, if your favorite FTP client supports this feature, you can use it to transfer files to and from your free or paid hosting account.
