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Head-to-head · FTP Clients

Cyberduck vs Transmit

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Cyberduck #3 in FTP Clients 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit Cyberduck
Transmit #5 in FTP Clients 8.7/10 7-day trial Free trial✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Transmit

Cyberduck leads on 1 check, Transmit on 1, and 2 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreCyberduck · 9.1/10
  • Free planonly Cyberduck
  • Free trialonly Transmit
  • Most featuresTransmit · 3 of 4

Cyberduck scores higher on our rubric for ftp clients: 9.1 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #5.

Cyberduck offers free plan; Transmit doesn't. On supported platforms, Cyberduck gives you Cross-platform where Transmit offers Macos. Transmit offers scheduled transfers; Cyberduck doesn't.

Cyberduck is the better fit for broad, free desktop FTP and cloud transfers. Transmit is the better fit for mac users needing advanced synchronization.

  • Cyberduck fits best

    Broad, free desktop FTP and cloud transfers

  • Transmit fits best

    Mac users needing advanced synchronization

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Cyberduck 9.1/10 Visit ↗ Transmit 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.1 8.7
Ranking #3 in FTP Clients #5 in FTP Clients
Best for Broad, free desktop FTP and cloud transfers Mac users needing advanced synchronization
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price $10 one-time $24.99/user/yr
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — 7 days
Deployment Desktop Desktop
Platforms Windows, macOS macOS
Support Email, Tickets, Community, Docs Email, Docs
Integrations 17 integrations 13 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features Cyberduck 2/4 · Transmit 3/4
File synchronization ✓ ✓
Scheduled transfers — ✓ (best)
Transfer automation ✓ ✓
Portable version Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Protocol coverage Multi-protocol Multi-protocol
Supported platforms Cross-platform Macos
Concurrent transfers Not checked yet 20 transfers
Our review
Pros
  • Free, open-source client with FTP, FTPS, and SFTP support
  • Connects with major cloud, storage, and collaboration services
  • Supports synchronization, resumable transfers, and command-line automation
  • Supports FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, S3, and cloud-service connections
  • Synchronizes local and remote files with rules, filters, and batch renaming
  • Offers SSH-key management, queues, Automator, and up to 20 transfers
Cons
  • Scheduled transfers are not included
  • The main desktop app supports Windows and macOS
  • The $10 registration key only disables the donation prompt
  • Available only for macOS
  • No free plan is offered
  • Pricing differs between a one-time license and subscription
Our verdict

Cyberduck is an open-source desktop file-transfer client for people moving files between local folders, servers, and cloud-storage services. It supports FTP, FTPS, SFTP, WebDAV, SMB, and services including Amazon S3, Google Drive, Dropbox,…

Read the review →

Transmit is a macOS file-transfer client for developers, system administrators, contractors, and freelancers who work across servers and cloud storage. Its dual-pane browser supports FTP, FTP over TLS/SSL, SFTP, WebDAV, S3, and connections…

Read the review →
  1. CyberduckFTP Clients 9.1Free plan
  2. TransmitFTP Clients 8.77-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Cyberduck — where it wins

    • Free, open-source client with FTP, FTPS, and SFTP support
    • Connects with major cloud, storage, and collaboration services
    • Supports synchronization, resumable transfers, and command-line automation

    Where it doesn't

    • Scheduled transfers are not included
    • The main desktop app supports Windows and macOS
    • The $10 registration key only disables the donation prompt

  • Transmit — where it wins

    • Supports FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, S3, and cloud-service connections
    • Synchronizes local and remote files with rules, filters, and batch renaming
    • Offers SSH-key management, queues, Automator, and up to 20 transfers

    Where it doesn't

    • Available only for macOS
    • No free plan is offered
    • Pricing differs between a one-time license and subscription

More comparisons

All FTP clients comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update