Need help choosing the best FTP client for design work

Mac
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I’m a freelance designer managing multiple client websites, and my current FTP setup is slow, clunky, and sometimes fails during big uploads. I need recommendations for a reliable, secure, and designer‑friendly FTP client that works well with large files, has a clean UI, and supports features like sync, bookmarks, and easy file comparison. What tools are other designers using and why do you prefer them?

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If you’re doing any kind of web or product design long enough, you eventually get dragged into the world of FTP, SFTP, and remote file juggling. It’s not glamorous, but if the tools don’t suck, it hurts a lot less.

Here’s my take after bouncing between a bunch of clients as a designer who cares way too much about previews, sync, and not nuking a live site by accident.

What actually matters for designers using an FTP client

For design work, I’ve found these things matter way more than “feature checklists” on product pages:

  • Clear file previews (images, SVG, text, etc.)
  • Easy drag and drop between local and remote
  • Reliable SFTP and key handling
  • Syncing or mirroring so staging ↔ production doesn’t become chaos
  • Not feeling like you are using a UI from 2003

Once I started judging apps by those, a few clients really stood out.

Commander One (macOS)

Link: Commander One

On macOS, this one quietly became my default when I’m in “designer who also has to be DevOps for some reason” mode.

What I actually like:

  • Dual‑pane layout so I can keep local files on one side and the server on the other. For reorganizing assets, this is way less error‑prone than clicking between tabs.
  • Solid SFTP support. Once keys are set up, it’s just click, connect, move files.
  • Built‑in viewer for a bunch of formats, so I can quickly open images, check SVGs, peek at CSS or HTML, and bail out if something looks wrong before uploading.
  • It feels more like a proper file manager that happens to speak FTP/SFTP, instead of a pure FTP tool bolted to a weird UI.

If your workflow is “Sketch/Figma/Framer + a code editor + an SFTP client,” Commander One fits into that pretty cleanly.

Other FTP / SFTP options worth knowing about

Everyone’s setup is different, so here are some others I’ve used or still keep around for specific reasons:

Transmit (macOS)

Nice if you care about polish. The UI is clean, and it plays well with cloud storage and SFTP. Folder sync is especially good if you keep a “dist” or “build” folder locally and need to one‑way sync to production without manually dragging things.

FileZilla (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Not pretty, but it’s cross‑platform, free, and extremely common. If you jump between machines or you’re working on random client laptops, it’s the one you’ll definitely find or can install in seconds. More of a “it gets the job done” tool.

Cyberduck (Windows, macOS)

Nice middle ground between “simple” and “nuanced.” It hooks into lots of different storage types (FTP/SFTP, WebDAV, S3, etc.), which can be handy if you’re dealing with CDNs or random legacy servers. Not my daily driver, but I’ve used it plenty on client machines.

If you’re a designer trying to pick just one

If you’re on macOS and you want something that feels more like a power file manager that also speaks FTP/SFTP, I’d absolutely put Commander One in the “seriously try this” bucket.

If you want a more traditional, polished FTP app with really good sync, try Transmit. If you just need something free and universal, FileZilla will not be exciting, but it will be there.

The best choice depends on whether you care more about:

  • A file‑manager feel (Commander One)
  • Classic FTP client vibe with extras (Transmit, Cyberduck)
  • “Just work everywhere & be free” (FileZilla)

For most designers I’ve worked with on macOS, Commander One plus whatever code editor they like has been more than enough to keep remote files under control without turning every deployment into a gamble.

2 Likes
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You’re absolutely right to bail on a slow, flaky FTP setup. That’s how live sites get torched at 1 a.m. and nobody wants that.

I agree with a lot of what @mikeappsreviewer said, but I’d actually frame your choice a bit differently: instead of “which FTP client is prettiest,” think “which one makes it hardest for me to screw up client sites and easiest to push design changes quickly.”

Here’s how I’d slice it for a freelance designer juggling multiple clients:

1. If you’re on macOS: Commander One as your daily driver

Commander One is honestly one of the best fits for your use case:

  • Dual pane layout: keep local on the left, remote on the right so you literally see what’s going where. Way less chance of dragging a big image folder to the wrong place.
  • SFTP first: if your current setup still uses plain FTP, that’s a red flag. SFTP with key auth is way more secure for client work.
  • Built in previews: super handy when you’re swapping out images, SVGs, or checking CSS/HTML before upload. No guessing which logo-final-FINAL.png you’re about to replace.
  • Handles big uploads better than a lot of “old school” FTP apps. You still want a solid connection, but it’s much less prone to choking mid transfer.

If you want a reliable, designer friendly tool, “Commander One FTP client” is a solid search phrase to bookmark. It behaves more like a proper file manager with SFTP baked in, not some legacy FTP window from 2005.

2. When you care more about sync than layout

Here’s where I slightly disagree with @mikeappsreviewer: they lean on Transmit for sync, but I’d say only go that route if you’re consistently deploying from a build or dist folder and you like one way folder sync. If you’re mostly hand tweaking assets, Commander One’s more visual approach is nicer.

That said, if your workflow is:

  • design in Figma / whatever
  • export assets or builds
  • upload exactly that folder to staging / production

then a traditional sync centric app like Transmit (macOS) can be safer since it keeps things mirrored and less “drag and drop guesswork.”

3. If you’re cross platform or on a budget

You didn’t say OS, so:

  • FileZilla: free, cross platform, ugly, but does the job. I only really recommend it if money is tight or you jump between macOS and Windows. It’s also not great for “designer friendly” UX, it feels like a tool from an IT closet.
  • Cyberduck: okay compromise if you’re touching S3, WebDAV, random weird hosting setups. Personally I find the workflow a bit clumsier than Commander One for day to day design work.

4. Big uploads and failures

Regardless of client:

  • Use SFTP, not FTP.
  • Turn on “resume transfers” or “retry on failure” in settings.
  • For big image folders, zip them locally, upload the zip, then unzip on the server if you have SSH or a host panel that supports it. That avoids half uploaded images everywhere.

5. What I’d actually do in your shoes

Freelance designer, several client sites, current tool is slow and unreliable:

  1. If you’re on Mac:

    • Install Commander One.
    • Set up SFTP for each client with key based auth.
    • Use dual pane and previews for all day to day uploads.

  2. Keep a backup client installed:

    • Either Transmit (for polished sync workflows) or FileZilla (if you need something free and universal).

That gives you a primary, designer focused tool with Commander One, plus a fallback when you’re on a random machine or need a different sync style.

And yeah, once you get away from the clunky client you’re using now, you’ll wonder why you tolerated it for so long.

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You’re already getting solid advice from @mikeappsreviewer and @stellacadente, so I’ll skip repeating the same “install X, click Y” walkthroughs and zoom in on how this actually feels in a freelance workflow.

I do disagree with both of them a bit on one point: I don’t think the main split is “file‑manager feel vs classic FTP feel.” For freelance design work, the real split is:

  • “I babysit live servers manually” vs
  • “I try very hard not to touch production unless I have to.”

With that in mind:

1. Commander One for everyday design uploads

Yes, another voice for Commander One, but for a different reason: it makes it very obvious what is local and what is remote. Dual panes sound boring until you are juggling five client sites and it is 11:47 pm and your brain is mush. You just look left, look right, drag. That visibility alone saves you from nuking the wrong /images folder.

The built‑in viewer for images and code is underrated too. When a client sends you “logo-final-FINAL-v3.png” and you have six versions in your folder, being able to quickly preview on the remote side before overwriting is huge. That is where it actually feels designer friendly instead of “IT department tool.”

I’ve also had fewer failed big uploads with Commander One compared to some older FTP tools, especially over SFTP, although your connection obviously still matters. Turn on any resume/retry options in settings and it usually just quietly finishes the job.

2. Transmit / Cyberduck as “deployment brain,” not your main canvas

Where I part ways a bit with how the others frame it: I would not make a sync‑focused app like Transmit your main daily driver for hand‑tweaking assets. Sync is great when you have a clean build pipeline. Most freelancers do not. They have:

  • One staging
  • One production
  • A bunch of random “quick fixes” that never made it into a proper repo

In that kind of chaos, aggressive sync can bite you. I keep Transmit around specifically for rare “mirror this whole build folder to production” moments, not for everyday nudging of one hero image.

Same thing with Cyberduck. It is handy when some legacy host gives you WebDAV, S3, and a prayer. I treat it like a multi‑protocol wrench, not a comfy everyday app.

3. FileZilla is the emergency pizza of FTP

Here I mostly agree with them: it’s ugly, but it’s everywhere and it works. I would not call it designer‑friendly at all, but I install it when:

  • I’m on a random Windows box
  • I just need to grab or push a few files and never touch that machine again

If you’re annoyed by your current clunky setup, moving to FileZilla is a sideways step, not an upgrade in feel.

4. Practical tweaks so big uploads stop failing

Whatever you choose, a few things will help more than switching apps every week:

  • Use SFTP, not plain FTP, for every client. No negotiation there, especially with client data involved.
  • Turn on transfer resume / retries. Most decent clients, including Commander One, can keep trying when your hotel Wi‑Fi gasps and dies.
  • For giant folders of images, zip them first, upload one archive, then unzip on the server if your host or panel allows it. Much less chance of half‑uploaded assets.
  • Keep clear per‑client connections with naming like ClientName - STAGING and ClientName - PROD so you visually pause before dragging to the wrong environment.

5. If I were in your exact shoes

Freelance designer, multiple clients, current tool is slow and flaky:

  • I would make Commander One my main “design‑side” FTP / SFTP client. Dual pane, previews, and a modern UI make it way less mentally exhausting when hopping between sites.
  • I’d keep something like Transmit installed only for those specific “sync a whole build” deploys when I actually have a dist folder ready.
  • I’d leave FileZilla as a backup tool for weird client machines or quick one‑offs.

So yeah, I’m basically in the same ballpark as @mikeappsreviewer and @stellacadente, but I’d say: treat Commander One as your everyday canvas, and treat the others as specialized tools you pull out when the job really matches their strengths.