All three apps do the same core job: you connect to a server or a storage bucket, then browse, upload, download and edit files there. All three handle SFTP, FTP, FTPS, WebDAV, Amazon S3, Backblaze B2 and Azure, and all three can keep a local folder and a remote one in step. The differences are in how many services each one reaches, what else sits in the window, how mature each one is, what they cost, and whether you also need Windows.
Short version: if you want something free, need Windows as well as Mac, or connect to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or SMB shares, Cyberduck is the better choice. If you want the most mature Mac-only client with the widest feature set, Transmit has been refined over many years and is worth its price. Both of them can resume an interrupted transfer where the server supports it; Oxid Transfer can’t yet. If your work is servers and storage buckets (SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, S3, R2, B2, Azure, Google Cloud Storage) and you’d like a terminal in the same window as your files, Oxid Transfer covers that for less than Transmit.
At a glance
Where they really differ
How many places they connect to
Oxid Transfer covers servers and storage buckets: SFTP, FTP, FTPS and WebDAV, plus Amazon S3, Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, Azure Blob Storage and Google Cloud Storage. It doesn’t connect to consumer cloud drives or SMB file shares. Transmit adds Box, Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive for Business, though Google Cloud Storage isn’t in Panic’s protocol list and Panic says Transmit can’t fully support Cloudflare R2. Cyberduck’s list is the longest, with SMB file shares, SharePoint, Nextcloud, ownCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive among others. If those consumer services are where your files live, Oxid Transfer isn’t the right tool.
A terminal in the window
Oxid Transfer has an SSH terminal built into the window. It is an xterm-compatible emulator (SwiftTerm) on a real SSH session, so vim, htop and less work and you can run a command on the server without switching apps. Transmit and Cyberduck both take a different approach: each has an Open in Terminal command that opens your separate terminal app at the current folder (Transmit, Cyberduck). Cyberduck can also send a single remote command to an SSH server. If you already keep a terminal open next to your file client, this difference may not matter to you.
Interrupted transfers
This is where Oxid Transfer is behind. When a transfer fails, it retries automatically with backoff, but an interrupted file starts again from the first byte. Transmit and Cyberduck can both pick up part-way through, where the server supports it (Transmit, Cyberduck). If you move very large files over unreliable connections, that matters, and either of the other two will serve you better today.
Sync and deploying changes
All three can sync folders. Oxid Transfer does mirror or two-way sync between a local and a remote folder and shows you the plan before anything moves; deleting files that exist only on the destination is off by default. Transmit’s File Sync also handles local-to-local and remote-to-remote, which neither of the other two lists. Cyberduck also shows you a preview of every file it will change before it acts, and its documentation says a sync has to be restarted by hand each time.
Uploading on save works differently in each. Oxid Transfer watches a local folder you choose and uploads each file you change to a remote path; it doesn’t mirror deletions, and any post-deploy commands run only when you press Run Hooks Now. Transmit and Cyberduck work through your editor instead: open a remote file from either app, and each save uploads it (Transmit, Cyberduck). Try the workflow you actually use in each before deciding on this point.
Maturity and extras
Transmit and Cyberduck have both been around for many years, and it shows in the details: Transmit has batch rename, key management, two-factor login and Panic Sync for keeping your server list on every Mac you use; Cyberduck has Cryptomator encryption and a command-line version. Oxid Transfer is a newer app with a shorter list: servers and storage buckets, the built-in terminal, folder sync, deploy on save, remote move, copy and permission changes, and passwords kept in the macOS Keychain. It also has an MCP server so a coding agent such as Claude Code or Cursor can list, download, upload and move files on the sites you switch on for it, with no tool for deleting remote files. Its engine is written in Rust with a SwiftUI front end.
Price
Cyberduck is the cheapest: free to download, with an optional donation (from $10) that removes the donation prompt, or $23.99 from the Mac App Store. Transmit is $45 one-time, with a 7-day trial and volume discounts, or $24.99 a year through the Mac App Store. Oxid Transfer is $29 one-time, and one licence covers one Mac. It is also one of the 12 apps in the Oxid Value Pack, which is $99.
Which should you choose?
- Choose Cyberduck if you want it free, if you also work on Windows or Linux, if you need SMB, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or SharePoint, if you want Cryptomator vaults, or if you need interrupted transfers to resume.
- Choose Transmit if you want a long-established Mac client with a wide range of cloud services, remote-to-remote sync, resumable transfers, and your server list synced across your Macs.
- Choose Oxid Transfer if your work is servers and storage buckets (SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, S3, R2, B2, Azure, Google Cloud Storage), you want a terminal in the same window as your files or a coding agent that can reach your servers, your files are small enough that restarting a failed one doesn’t hurt, and you’d rather pay $29 once than $45.
Questions
Is Cyberduck free?
Yes. Cyberduck is free and GPL licensed. An optional donation key, from $10, removes the donation prompt, or you can buy it for $23.99 on the Mac App Store.
How much does Transmit 5 cost?
Transmit 5 is $45 one-time, with a 7-day free trial and volume discounts, or $24.99 a year through the Mac App Store. It requires macOS 13 or later.
Cyberduck vs Transmit: which should I choose?
Choose Cyberduck if you want it free, also work on Windows, or need SMB, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, SharePoint or Cryptomator vaults. Choose Transmit for a long-established Mac client with a wide range of cloud services, remote-to-remote sync and your server list synced across your Macs.
Is there a cheaper Transmit alternative for SFTP and FTP on a Mac?
Oxid Transfer is $29 one-time for one Mac and covers SFTP, FTP, FTPS, WebDAV, S3, R2, B2, Azure and Google Cloud Storage, with an SSH terminal built into the window. It doesn't connect to SMB shares, Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive.
Can Oxid Transfer resume an interrupted transfer?
Not yet. It retries with backoff, then restarts the file from the beginning. Transmit and Cyberduck can both resume part-way through where the server supports it, so for very large files over unreliable connections either will serve you better today.