5 Best Free FTP Programs You Should Try

admin | March 21, 2012 | 0 Comments

A fast and reliable FTP program is an invaluable tool for any web master or server administrator, but that doesn’t mean you have to pay an arm and a leg to get one! Below are our picks for the five best free FTP programs you should try.

#1: FileZilla

FileZilla is a fast and reliable cross-platform FTP, FTPS and SFTP client. With a laundry list of useful features and an intuitive graphical UI, FileZilla is one of the most popular free FTP programs.

Features:

Supports FTP, FTP over SSL/TLS (FTPS) and SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)
Cross-platform. Runs on Windows, Linux, BSD, Mac OS X and more
IPv6 support
Available in many languages
Supports resume and transfer of large files >4GB
Tabbed user interface
Powerful Site Manager and transfer queue
Bookmarks
Drag & drop support
Configurable transfer speed limits
Filename filters
Directory comparison
Network configuration wizard
Remote file editing
Keep-alive
HTTP/1.1, SOCKS5 and FTP-Proxy support
Logging to file
Synchronized directory browsing
Remote file search

#2: FireFTP

FireFTP is a secure cross-platform FTP/SFTP client for Mozilla Firefox. This handy little FTP program is popular among users because it provides easy and intuitive access to FTP/SFTP servers.

Features:

Cross-platform: Works on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
Secure: SSL/TLS/SFTP support, same encryption used with online banking and shopping
Synchronization: Keep directories in sync while navigating
Directory Comparison: Compare directory content (compares subdirectories too!)
International: Available in over 20 languages
Character Set Support: UTF8 and just about any other character encoding supported
Automatic reconnect and resuming of tranfers
Search/Filtering
Integrity Checks of transfers (XMD5, XSHA1)
Export/Import accounts
Remote Editing
File Hashing: Generate hashes of files (MD5, various SHA’s)
Drag & Drop
File Compression: Using MODE Z
Timestamp Synchronization
Proxy support
FXP support
Advanced properties (CHMOD, recursive CHMOD, thumbnails)
Tutorials and help files available for support
IPv6 support
Seamless integration with Mozilla Firefox

#3: GoFTP

GoFTP is a user-friendly FTP program that includes all of the basic features you need, in addition to several advanced features, as you can see below. Currently on version 2.1.85, GoFTP claims to be the fastest FTP program on the planet, although I’ll leave that up to you guys to decide!

Features:

“Instant Connect” Technology (proprietary technology)
“Instant Directory” Technology (proprietary technology)
Multi-connection transfers for maximum bandwidth utilization
On the fly file compression for amazing transfer speeds
Up to 314% faster than other multi-threaded FTP programs
Integrates with your favorite HTML editor
Custom Commands
Site Manager with folders
Keep Alive system
Timeout detection
Firewall support
SOCKS4/5 and HTTP1.1 Proxy support
FTPS SSL secured connections
SFTP support
Upload/Download Queue
Drag & Drop
Multi-language support

#4: WinSCP

WinSCP is an open source SFTP/SCP/FTPS/FTP client for Windows, offering file transfer, scripting, and basic file manager functionality. WinSCP is also available as a plugin for other file managers.

Features:

Graphical user interface
Translated into several languages
Integration with Windows (drag & drop, URL, shortcut icons)
All common operations with files
Support for SFTP and SCP protocols over SSH-1 and SSH-2 and plain old FTP protocol
Batch file scripting and command-line interface
Directory synchronization in several semi or fully automatic ways
Integrated text editor
Support for SSH password, keyboard-interactive, public key and Kerberos (GSS) authentication
Integrates with Pageant (PuTTY authentication agent) for full support of public key authentication with SSH
Explorer and Commander interfaces
Optionally stores session information
Optionally supports portable operation using a configuration file in place of registry entries, suitable for operation from removable media

#5: CoffeeCup FTP

Currently on version 4.5, CoffeeCup Free FTP is fast, powerful, and very user-friendly. This FTP program offers a suite of unique features, including combo bookmarks, info-at-a-glance status bar, and an FTP Activity pane.

Features:

Support for secure file transfers, including SFTP over SSH, FTPS over TSL, and HTTPS
Drag & drop
FTP Activity pane
Transfer files in binary, ASCII, or auto mode
Runs On: Windows 7, Vista, XP
Historically Accurate: It remembers where you’ve browsed in a session on your local computer and keeps your tracks neatly tucked away in a drop-down menu
Vital Info at a Glance: At the bottom of the Free FTP workspace is the handy, info-packed Status bar
Easy local and remote file management
Quick and Easy Archival: The Make ZIP Archive feature automatically creates a ZIP folder and saves it on your local computer
Setting permissions for files and folders on your server is fast, easy and intuitive
Combo Bookmarks: They act like normal bookmarks, except they let you save the local and remote folders, then call them both up simultaneously at any time