In fact, FileZilla is not just limited to FTP, but also handles FTPS and SFTP for secure transfers of multiple files on multiple servers. The interface gives you a quick outlook of all your transfers, sites and disks and makes it easy to drag and transfer. I also quite like the QuickConnect feature to access your favorite server in seconds.

FileZilla is known to be fairly fast, and can also resume downloads and handle very big transfers, I'm talking here higher than 4 GB. You can set both local and remote filters for things like images, explorer files or CVS and SVN directories or even create your own. FileZilla also includes a tool to compare directories in terms of file size or modification time.

The application can guide you when setting up your network and lets you set speed limits in case you don't want to overload your bandwidth. One thing really missing from FileZilla though is a scheduler to automatically set transfer times.

Despite lacking a scheduler, FileZilla is an excellent open source FTP client.

Download FileZilla 3.5.3 in Softonic

The client handles FTP, SFP, Webdav and Amazon S3 transfers. Adding a new connection is very simple and only takes a couple of seconds. You can also drag and drop bookmarks to and from your Finder. The interface is easy to use and will probably be well suited to first time users. You'll also find that Cyberduck is compatible with most external editors like BBEdit, TextWrangler or TextMate.

One major complaint coming from Cyberduck users is that FTP login and transfers can be a little slow. Obviously this is a bit of a drawback, since transfer speed is one of the main benchmarks of FTP clients. However, many of the fixes introduced in the latest version compensate somewhat for this. The CPU hogging issue after completed downloads has been fixed as has the option to connect to services such as Dropbox.

Overall, Cyberduck is an efficient and elegant open source FTP client.

Download Cyberduck 4.2.1 in Softonic

Now things just got better with the introduction of FileZilla Portable, a version that you can take anywhere - superb for web administrators of all abilities and backgrounds. Like it's bigger brother, FileZilla Portable supports the resuming of downloads and uploads, detects when a connection has timed out and features support for firewalls, SFTP, SSL and more. Best of all, it's retained the drag and drop functionality of the original too so it's easy enough for use for anyone not familiar with FTP clients.

The interface and preferences in FileZilla Portable are a bit limited but you can see at a glance all of your transfers. It also includes a handy "Quickconnect" function which basically allows you to reconnect to your most frequent FTP sites instantly. You'll also be impressed by the general speed of FileZilla Portable although it does tend to drop connections as a security timeout feature which can be annoying. You can also set limits on how much of your bandwidth FileZilla Portable uses if you're worried about it hogging it.

FileZilla Portable is the classic FTP client that you can now take anywhere - what more could you ask for.

Download FileZilla Portable 3.5.2 in Softonic

Where Cute FTP really distinguishes itself is through it's security features. Not many FTP clients support so many different security protocols meaning you can upload and download to FTP servers with peace of mind. This is essential if you're administering a website that holds. The list of features doesn't stop there though and is truly mind boggling. It also supports Auto retry of failed transfers, bandwidth control throttle, remote file searching and .htaccess/.htpasswd editing amongst many many more.

If you're looking for a fully comprehensive free solution to FTP transfers, then you can't do much better than Core FTP Lite. If you're new to FTP transfers however, you'd probably be better off with something a bit simpler.

Download Core FTP Lite 2.2 in Softonic

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AnyClient is a free platform independent file transfer application that supports all major file transfer protocols including FTP/S, SFTP and WebDAV/S. AnyClient works both as a web based service (which requires no installation) although this is the standalone version that needs to be downloaded locally. It's not exactly the most sophisticated FTP client ever - there are no preferences at all for example - but it is very easy to use and free.

To connect to a site, you'll need to enter the FTP address and password of your destination in the Site Manager tab. Just go to File and Site Manager to access this. Alternatively, you can simply click Connect and this dialog with open automatically if it hasn't been filled-in. Note that AnyClient supports FTP/S, SFTP and WebDAV/S connections.

AnyClient is a great way to upload to FTP sites across platforms and especially those that need to connect to WebDAV sites although for those with advanced FTP needs, it's a bit too basic.

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SmartFPT is a free FTP client for Windows that houses all of the features expected of a complete FTP client. SmartFTP has a very intuitive and easty-to-use interface as well, making it a superb choice for beginning and more experience users alike.

Along with the classic features like passive mode transfers, uploading and downloading files, a large choice of FPT connections and creation of favorites that are included in most FTP clients, SmartFTP comes included with a unique batch of attributes.

You can connect to multiple FTP connections without time delays or errors with SmartFTP, for example. By dragging and dropping, you can transfer files from folder to folder as well. A few other notable features are passive mode and site to site transfers. SmartFTP's most entertaining novelty is probably the transfers menu though. This is a useful tool that allows you to create queues of transfers, either global or in a specific session. You can easily monitor the speed of your transfers and set specific tasks to the queue once all files have been transferred. SmartFTP’s menus can also be customized in a flash, letting you choose what information you want to see.

While SmartFTP does have a great, useable interface, some beginners might get a bit confused about how to use some aspects of the program, particularly when it comes to advanced features.

Although beginners might need some time to get accustomed to it, Smart FTP is a fantastic, flexible file transfer protocol tool.

Download SmartFTP 4.0.1245 in Softonic

You can build your own custom commands, reconcile entire directory structures with the click of a button, perform inter-server transfers by a simple drag and drop operation. This is perhaps one of the nicest features - just drag and drop as you would with explorer although it's not that unusual for an FTP server. The most unique feature is that fact that you can use macros to record and save a series of FTP transactions. These can then be re-played in one on-line session as many times and whenever you wish. However in practice this gets quite fiddly and there's not really much call for it anyway.

This is an excellent FTP server for both beginners and advanced users with tons of interesting options to explore.

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You can with WebDrive which integrates SFTP, WebDAV, FTP, FTPS, or GroupDrive servers into Windows Explorer by simply mounting the server as a local device. This allows you much easier access to an FTP site than having to go via an FTP client all the time. It doesn't mean you lose out on security either as WebDrive supports SSL and SSH encryption and Digest Authentication support for WebDAV servers.

The setup process is very simple even for those unfamiliar with FTP clients. Just enter the name you want to assign to the drive, a username and password, a Host Name and IP address and the Initial Remote Directory. Once you're ready to connect, just click on the Site Profile you've created and click Mount. If WebDrive is able to connect, it will display the name of the serve in Finder like any other local drive.

Accessing an FTP server via Windows Explorer is so much more convenient that having to resort to an FTP client and it's particularly ideal for those that are unfamiliar with how such clients work.

If you want easier access to your FTP server, WebDrive is ideal for FTP beginners.

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Secure FTP, however, is designed to provide maximum security when accessing SSL FTP connections. Secure FTP is a Java-based app that supports 256-bit AES encrypted secure connections. It can be run via either an easy-to-use Graphical User Interface (GUI) or for advanced users, a Command-Line Interface (CLI). The great thing is that it's absolutely free to use for non commercial use although commercial licenses can be granted free to try for 30 days.

The GUI interface of Secure FTP will be familiar to anyone that has used an FTP client before. Simply open a new connection, give it a name, enter the username and password plus of course, the host FTP address. You can choose to connect anonymously if you want, but note that many SSL connections won't allow this anyway. The only problem you may experience with Secure FTP is connecting to certain servers. The program forum indicates that those trying to connect to IIS servers have suffered particular problems and so it will be configuration that poses the main problems, if any.

Secure FTP is an ideal solution for those who need maximum security when accessing SSL FTP connections.

Download Secure FTP 2.5.21 in Softonic