The best SFTP client for Mac in 2026

Five SFTP clients compared on macOS: drag and drop, editing files on the server, protocols beyond SFTP, and how each one is sold.

By Lucas Russo, developer of SSHive · Updated September 27, 2026

macOS has no graphical SFTP client. The Finder's Connect to Server reaches SMB, NFS, WebDAV and FTP shares, not SFTP, and scp in Terminal is fine for one file but tedious for the back-and-forth of editing configs that fills a sysadmin's day. So you need another app, and they come in two kinds: file-transfer apps that speak many protocols and cloud services (Cyberduck, Transmit, ForkLift, FileZilla), and SSH suites that put SFTP next to a terminal (SSHive).

The choice comes down to one question: do you also need SSH, RDP or VNC in the same window? If you do, start with SSHive, and see how the SSH clients compare. If you only move files, especially to cloud storage, the dedicated apps below do more.

#1 Our pick if you also do SSH: SSHive

Disclosure: SSHive is made by NetMeSafe, which also publishes this site, so this ranking is not independent. What we say about the other apps comes from their publishers' own pages, and each one's row says what it does best.

SSHive's SFTP panel sits beside the SSH terminal of the same session: browse the server, drag files in from the Finder, and double-click a text file under 5 MB to edit it in the built-in editor, with Cmd+S writing it back. For transfers alone, an SFTP / FTP connection opens a two-pane file manager, your Mac on the left and the server on the right, with a transfer queue. SFTP, FTP and FTPS are free on the Mac, where the free tier caps uploads at 10 MB per file; Pro, $12.99 once, removes the cap. If you never open a terminal, the dedicated apps below may suit you better.

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The file-transfer apps we compared

The file-transfer apps we compared
#	App	Best for	Pricing
2	Cyberduck	Servers and cloud storage from one app: FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, SMB, Amazon S3, Azure, Google Drive, Dropbox and more, with files opened in the editor of your choice. Also on Windows.	Free, with optional donations; paid Mac App Store version
3	Transmit	A Mac-only transfer app from Panic: FTP, SFTP, WebDAV and S3, plus cloud services such as Backblaze B2, Box, Google Drive, Dropbox and Microsoft Azure.	One-time purchase, 7-day free trial
4	ForkLift	A dual-pane file manager for macOS that doubles as a transfer client: SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, Amazon S3, SMB, AFP, NFS, Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox.	Perpetual license with 1 or 2 years of updates
5	FileZilla	The long-standing free client for FTP, FTPS and SFTP, the same across operating systems. Cloud storage and WebDAV need the paid FileZilla Pro.	Free; FileZilla Pro is paid

Descriptions and pricing models checked against each publisher's own pages on September 24, 2026.

Why SFTP and SSH belong in one window

No more app-juggling

Fixing a config and restarting the service is one task. With a transfer app next to Terminal, it is two windows and a Cmd+Tab each time. In SSHive, the file browser and the shell belong to the same session, one click apart.

One login for both

The SFTP panel opens its channel on the SSH connection you already have, with the same key or password. Nothing to type twice, and no second set of credentials to maintain for file transfer.

Also on iPhone and iPad

The iPhone and iPad app browses SFTP servers as well, with the same free tier as the Mac, and Pro bought on the Mac applies there too, with nothing more to pay. Of the apps above, Transmit and ForkLift are Mac-only, while Cyberduck and FileZilla also run on Windows.

Frequently asked questions

Does SSHive handle FTP, FTPS, WebDAV or S3?+

On the Mac, SSHive transfers over SFTP, FTP and FTPS, all three in the free tier; the iPhone and iPad app does SFTP. There is no WebDAV, S3, Azure or Google Drive: for cloud storage, Cyberduck, Transmit or ForkLift are the better tools. If your files live on servers you also reach over SSH, SSHive is the right one.

Can I edit remote files in place with SSHive?+

Yes. In the SFTP panel, double-click a text file under 5 MB and it opens in SSHive's built-in editor; Cmd+S writes it back to the server. Larger files, and files whose extension marks them as binary, are downloaded instead.

What happens if a transfer is interrupted?+

A download is written to a temporary file and only takes its real name once it is complete, so a cut connection never leaves a truncated file that looks finished. Transfers run in the background with their progress and speed, and each one can be cancelled. Throughput depends above all on the network, the server's disk and the SSH cipher.

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