Alternatives to SmartFTP
A Windows client for FTP, FTPS, SFTP, WebDAV, SSH and cloud storage transfers. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
SmartFTP
A Windows client for FTP, FTPS, SFTP, WebDAV, SSH and cloud storage transfers.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as SmartFTP.
WinSCP
A Windows file manager for remote servers, covering SFTP, FTP, FTPS, SCP, S3 and WebDAV, with scripting built in.
WinSCP is free and open source under GPL-3.0, covers SFTP, FTP, FTPS, SCP, S3 and WebDAV, and adds batch scripting plus a .NET and COM library.
FileZilla
The long-standing free FTP, FTPS and SFTP client, with a matching server for Windows.
FileZilla is open source and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, but cloud storage back ends are limited to the paid Pro edition.
Cyberduck
A server and cloud storage browser for Mac and Windows that speaks FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, SMB and every major object store.
Cyberduck is free and open source, runs on Windows and macOS, and connects to FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, SMB and major object stores, but has no built-in SSH terminal.
Core FTP LE
A free Windows FTP client with SFTP, FTPS, transfer resume and site-to-site transfers.
Core FTP LE is a free Windows client with FTP, SFTP and FTPS, but some advanced features are reserved for the paid Pro edition and cloud storage is not mentioned.
Xftp
A Windows SFTP and FTP client from NetSarang for moving files between local and remote hosts.
Xftp is another paid Windows client, focused on SFTP and FTP, with scheduled transfers, synchronized browsing across two servers and FXP support.
Classic FTP
A simple FTP client for Windows and Mac for uploading and maintaining website files.
Classic FTP is a simpler Windows and Mac client with FTP and FTP over SSL only, and its free version is limited to non-commercial use.
Bitvise SSH Client
A Windows SSH client combining a terminal, SFTP file transfer and port forwarding.
Bitvise SSH Client is free for Windows and combines a terminal, graphical SFTP and port forwarding, but does not cover FTP, WebDAV or cloud storage.
muCommander
An open-source, cross-platform dual-pane file manager with remote filesystem, cloud storage and archive support.
muCommander is a free, open-source dual-pane file manager for Windows, macOS and Linux that browses FTP, SFTP, SMB, S3 and cloud storage alongside local files.
Also worth comparing
These listings name SmartFTP as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
CS Browser
A Windows client for Amazon S3 and S3-compatible storage, formerly called S3 Browser.
SmartFTP is a paid Windows client that reaches S3 and Backblaze B2 as well as FTP and SFTP, with an SSH terminal and automated transfers.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Solar-PuTTY
A free tabbed SSH, Telnet, SCP and SFTP session manager for Windows, built on PuTTY.
MSP360 Explorer
A file manager for moving and managing files between local storage and cloud storage services.
EF Commander
A two-panel Windows file manager with an archiver, viewer, hex editor and FTP/SFTP client.
SpeedCommander
A dual-pane file manager for Windows with a viewer for 80+ formats, archives and FTP/SFTP.
LFTP
A command-line file transfer program for FTP, HTTP, SFTP, FISH and BitTorrent, with mirroring and job control.
