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Five OS X FTP Clients Compared
Vicom FTP Client 4.0
I’m a frequent, but not a very heavy-duty user of FTP client software, which is to say that I always have an FTP client up and running for uploading articles and pictures to the Applelinks server, and I use FTP for some software downloads as well -- especially large ones, but I don’t dip into advanced FTP features very often. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It is the standard Internet protocol for transferring files from one computer to another. FTP is part of the TCP/IP (Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) protocol suite, and TCP/IP is the basic protocol that runs the whole Internet. Every time you check your email, visit a web site or download files, you are using TCP/IP, but usually these days with some sort of graphical interface, such as email client or browser software. FTP is one of a number of protocols that run on top of TCP/IP, such as email, HTTP, and Telnet. FTP’s sole function is to move a file from a server to a client (download) or from a client to a server (upload) FTP requires two computers, one running an FTP server, the other running an FTP client. The exchange is initiated by the client which logs in under an accepted user name and password. Once this occurs, a session is opened and stays open until closed by either the client or the server, or until it times out. While the session is open, the client may execute numerous FTP commands on the server. These include commands to change directories, list files, get files and put files. FTP is an unusual protocol in that it uses two ports, one for commands and the other for data. (which is one reason why it is superior to HTTP for transferring large files.) Active FTP was invented first. The client initiates a connection on the server’s command port. The server then initiates a connection with the client from its data port. In Passive FTP, the client initiates both connections with the server, which remains “passive”. Most users don’t need to concern themselves with the distinctions between passive and active FTP. Leave that to your system administrator. However, there are good reasons for using an FTP client for file downloads, even if you;re a casual Internet user. HTTP, the protocol Web browsers operate with is designed to fetch web pages, and optimized for numerous repeated fetches of small items. FTP, on the other hand, is designed expressly for transferring files, offers faster overall throughput and better error checking. It is not uncommon for a user to fail repeatedly to download a large file via HTTP using a browser, only to succeed on the first try using a dedicated FTP client. If you download large files frequently, and experience difficulties, you definitely should have a dedicated FTP client software program in your software arsenal. There is a fairly extensive selection of Mac OS x FTP clients available from freeware to shareware and commercial software costing up to $50 or more. I’ve been checking out several in all three categories. This article is not an exhaustive review of what’s available by any means, but a representative sampling, which includes: Vicom FTP Client 4.0 (Commercial Software - demoware) I tried out all five FTP clients and out of curiousity decided to time how long it took each of them to bring up the Applelinks graphics server directory, which has nearly 3,000 files, and also the time each took to upload a batch of three approximately 50k jpeg files to the server. This was not the main point of the comparison, and since it was done over a slow dial up connection, the times recorded are only useful as a relative comparison under these particular circumstances, and should not be considered scientific benchmarks. Here are the results: Vicom FTP Client 4.0 Captain FTP 2.2.J RBrowserLite Ê3.1.1 NetFinder (OS X) 2.3.2 Unfortunately, for some reason Transmit 2.3.0 refused to load the Applelinks graphics directory. I made serial attempts at different times, but in each case the program would just freeze up, requiring a Force Quit. Since it worked fine on other FTP sites I tried, and the older Transmit 1.7 beta, which I still have on hand, has no difficulties loading this site (and very quickly too), I’m not sure what the problem was. The Vicom 4.0 client loaded the directory fastest, and the freeware RBrowser Lite and shareware Netfinder were in a virtual dead heat for fastest uploading the images. However, the differences in speed in either function were not radical. Here’s how the five stacked up features and specification wise. Vicom FTP Client 4.0; Cocoa Pretty For the past several years the FTP client I’ve used most consistently in OS 8/9 has been the unimaginatively named, but functionally excellent Vicom FTP Client 3.x. Vicom has just released a brand new OS X native FTP client. 
The new Vicom FTP Client is a very pretty Cocoa-based FTP application, and a more than worthy successor to the Classic application. It is a completely new piece of software, with a totally different (Cocoa-themed) user interface. The 2-window interface is supplemented by not one, but two slide-out Cocoa drawers for access to extra functions.. I do miss the Classic app’s individual progress windows for file transfers, but the more conventional progress bars in the main window convey the same information, with a handy alert sound when transfers are completed. 
Vicom claims that in beta testing, FTP Client for Mac OS X showed an average speed increase on downloads of up to 30% and was even found to be 70% faster than certain rival programs in SFTP mode. Furthermore, during multiple-file downloads, some rivals were unable to fetch, while others couldn’t even transmit under the same stringent test conditions. In my stopwatch comparison, it was the fastest of the four browsers in accessing the directory, but slowest executing the upload. Perhaps the claimed dramatic performance advantage requires broadband. 
FTP Client for Mac OS X also includes: SFTP Queue-based FTP Native OS X networking using BSD sockets Directory caching Hierarchical directory listings Inline editing for file renames Fully multithreaded Edit in BBEdit FTP Client supports a wide range of FTP Servers including AppleShareIP, Data General, Quantel Hal, Serv-U, Windows 2000 and of course WU-FTPD, the most widely used on the Internet. System requirements: Vicom FTP Client 4.0 is now available to download from the VICOMSOFT website: Captain FTP 2.2.J - A Swashbuckler From Germany Captain FTP is another OS X FTP client with an extremely attractive appearance, It doesn’t have the Cocoa drawers, but its Address Book puts the plain Jane connection menus of the other apps. to shame. This application has the attention to detail that typifies German products. 
Captain FTP 2.x features segmented downloads, which the program’s German developer Xnet Communications GmbH, describes as “very fast transfer based on an intelligent downloaded file analysis and connection parameters (amount of parallel FTP sessions) can speed up the entire transfer task dramatically.” 
This is said to be particularly effective when downloading large files from an FTP server that limits bandwidth per connection. In that case Captain FTP maximizes bandwidth utilization and increases performance. This Segmented Download feature allows Captain FTP to split a large file (recommended for file size over 1MB) into multiple parts and use multiple transfer connections to download those parts simultaneously. These parts are recombined into a single file upon receipt. “Having added this feature, Captain FTP evolves from the class of a standard FTP-client into a feature rich Download-Manager,” says the Xnet release. “For the last couple of months our development team has been working very hard on adapting some of our top technologies into our Captain FTP,” says Xnet CEO Mariusz Roznowski. “Don’t forget the FTP protocol was developed in the 1970s, many years ago. Since that time the networking technology has gone through many changes. There are a lot of other protocols for file transfer and Xnet has been dealing with them for more than 15 years. Our company has implemented nearly every new technology, but these solutions were only available to our large accounts. Captain FTP 2.0 is the step into sharing our secrets with smaller companies and home users at an affordable price. It has been our dream for many years and now it is the day we can realize it.” Captain FTP tasks are shared between separate threads (multi-tasking), therefore all time consuming functions such as uploading and downloading don’t consume valuable resources of the OS, but leave it available for other user requests. All program functions are achieved through the completely new “Aqua Interface.” Apart from changes in the Captain FTP core-engine there are many other improvements such as: quick bookmarks, a transfer resume, a very flexible Unicode converter which supports multinational fonts, a local file browser and even some sound after a finished transfer. Captain FTP is available in English, French, German, Japanese and Chinese. Captain FTP version 2.x features New in Captain FTP version 2.2 
And by the way, even if you already have a Mac OS X FTP client that you’re happy with, paying a visit to the Captain FTP Website, one of the best and most entertaining I’ve encountered, is still worth the trip. 
System requirements: Captain FTP is $25 demoware. The older, bur also very capable Captain FTP 1.4 is still available as freeware for private, non-commercial use to government employees, home users, students and staff of educational institutions. For more information, visit: Product information portal: Captain FTP download: RBrowserLite 3.1.1 FTP Client - Free and Fast RBrowserLite is a freeware, feature limited version of the commercial software RBrowser FTP client, and provides access to files on the local host as well as remote FTP Servers with an easy-to-use graphical interface. RBrowserLite provides a uniform interface to file transfer and file related operations, greatly simplifying access and use of files on remote systems scattered across the Internet. The RBrowser Lite interface is spartan, but functional 
RBrowserLite is for anybody who needs to use FTP server for downloads, backups, anything. If you work on remote systems or have to move files back and forth often, RBrowserLite can make your life a lot easier. • RBrowserLite allows the user to manage/browse/transfer files on the remote host with an easy-to-use graphic interface. 
RBrowserLite Features: File Transfers International Support 
System requirements: • Mac OS X 10.2 or higher Ê RBrowserLite is freeware Ê Ê Ê For more information, visit: http://www.rbrowser.com/RBrowserLite/RBrowserLite.html NetFinder (OS X) 2.3.2 - A Veteran Updated For OS X NetFinder (OS X) 2.3.2 is a carbonized OS X native version of the Netfinder FTP browser that’s been around since System 7 days. NetFinder is designed to be simple enough for new users to understand, yet powerful enough for advanced users. 
Among other features, NetFinder can automatically resume interrupted downloads. It’s also Internet Config-aware and will automatically use those settings when available. 
The program offers: support for HTTP, improved Firewall / Proxy support, secure storage of passwords using Apple’s Keychain Manager, support for SSL FTP, ICI Script, previewing of Movies, MP3’s and even Shockwave files, improved integration with BBEdit, It includes mouse wheel support under OSX. Version 2.3.2 features: added support for invert sorting column by clicking currently selected column again; added NFExecuteAppleScript() to ICI exported routines; improved compatibility with OSX 10.2; fixed a crash bug when the script console is visible and you open the NF prefs window under OSX. 
License: Free to try; $35.00 to buy For more information, visit: Transmit2.3.0 for Mac OS X - Many Features And A Classic Look Panic Software took the, classic drag-and-drop interface of Transmit, and rewrote it from scratch in Cocoa for Mac OS X. 
Transmit features: Fast and Solid FTP Core Super-Charged Interface SFTP/SSH Support Favorites Manager Local Paths linked to Favorites Path Shortcuts Flexible List Views Image and Text Preview Automatic Queueing Synchronization Long Filenames Built-In Text Editor You have 15 days to test Transmit with no features disabled. After 15 days, Transmit will limit your sessions to 10 minutes at a time. Additionally, your Favorites will no longer be accessible, although they’ll still be saved for when you decide to purchase.. System requirements: Choose Window -> Favorites Editor to add, edit, and manage your favorite servers, including the ability to specify a default “Your Stuff” for each favorite. Path Shortcuts let you define any number of paths (folders) that you frequently find yourself accessing, both locally and remotely. Just select Go > Path Shortcuts > Add Shortcut for Current Path, and that path will then be added and easily accessible from the Path Shortcuts menu in the future. You can even add the Path Shortcuts to the toolbar to make them even easier to use If your main window is tied up with a transfer, you’re still free to navigate around the site you’re connect to. Furthermore, you can queue additional transfers! Just perform a second operation —Êlike dragging and dropping another file — and the transfer will automatically appear in the Queue drawer! (The server must be configured by its administrator to allow multiple simultaneous connections in order for this to work.) If you need to want to set up a set of transfers to run, say, overnight, choose Window > Batch Download. Then, drag and drop any items from Their Stuff into the batch download window as you navigate through sites. When you’re ready, hit the Start button in the Batch Download window, and your files will be grabbed. Maintain a web site? Want to automatically synchronize Their Stuff with Your Stuff? Simply set Their Stuff and Your Stuff to the two folders you want synchronized to each other, and select Transfer > Synchronize or click the Synchronize button. Transmit can automatically transfer all the newer files, and can also automatically delete any orphaned files — it’s up to you. More features: New in Transmit 2.3 Transmit is $24.95 demoware. For more information, visit: So, which do I like best? The purpose of this article was not to pick winners and losers. I was pleased with the performance of all five clients (save for the issue Transmit had with our server), and any of the five will do a fine job for casual FTP users, There may be particular features in one or another of the applications that especially appeals to your needs and tastes. It’s hard to argue with the feature set and functionality provided for free in RBrowser Lite (or Captain FTP 1.4). Both Transmit and NetFinder have been around for a long time in their Classic iterations and have loyal followings with good reason. Personally, I find myself partial to Vicom FTP Client and Captain FTP, not least because of their drop dead gorgeous looks., as well as their features and solid performance. All five of these applications can be tried out for free, and I encourage you to check out several and see which suits you best.
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