ExpanDrive vs ST Explorer

ExpanDrive mounts cloud storage and protocol endpoints as desktop drives, letting you access files through Finder, Explorer, and other applications. Files stream on demand rather than syncing folders, with local caching and an option to pin files for offline access. Listed connections include Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, Nextcloud, FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, and others. It runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Server Edition can operate as a headless service on Windows Server and Linux, expose mounted storage as a Windows SMB share, and includes a command line for managing mounts and connections. ExpanDrive says connections use TLS and credentials are kept in the local operating system credential store. Plain FTP sends credentials and file contents in the clear; FTPS or SFTP is recommended for sensitive connections. The Free plan is free, billed forever. Business is $29 a month, billed monthly; Enterprise pricing is custom.

ST Explorer is a free native SFTP client for browsing and transferring remote files on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It offers icons, list, and column views, plus an integrated SSH terminal that supports multiple tabs on the same connection. Transfers include drag-and-drop uploads, clipboard uploads, server-side remote-to-remote copies, and a live progress panel. On Windows, files copied in Explorer can be pasted into ST Explorer using native clipboard integration. The site says host key pinning uses known_hosts with TOFU, and describes the app as having no telemetry or phone-home behavior. ST Explorer is open source under the MIT license and is approximately 12 MB as a single executable without an installer. The listed Free plan costs nothing; it specifies Windows 10/11 with WebView2, while macOS and Linux builds are available from source. SSH key authentication is supported. Stivetec makes the app and links to GitHub for issue reports.