FileZilla Client vs lftp
FileZilla Client
filezilla-project.orglftp
lftp.yar.ruSide by side
| Figure | FileZilla Client | lftp |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · FTP and SFTP clients | 8.9 (#2) | 8.1 (#13) |
| Spec score · SFTP Client Software | 8.6 (#6) | 7.8 (#17) |
| Community Support | The site provides a community forum and wiki. | The project lists two mailing lists for general discussion and major announcements, and for development and snapshot announcements. |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Supported platforms | cross-platform | linux |
| Protocol coverage | ftp-ftps-sftp | Features include SFTP versions 3 through 6, partial WebDAV, SOCKS, proxies and FTP FXP transfers. |
| Purpose | FileZilla describes itself as a free FTP solution. | LFTP is a command-line file transfer program supporting FTP, HTTP, FISH, SFTP, HTTPS, FTPS and BitTorrent. |
Plans
In their own words
FileZilla Client
FileZilla Client is a free FTP solution for file transfers, with support for FTP, FTPS, and SFTP. It is available for Linux, macOS, and Windows. The project presents FileZilla Client separately from FileZilla Server, FileZilla Pro, and RemoteDrive, so those products should not be assumed to be part of the Client. Documentation includes installation instructions for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X, plus tutorials, usage guidance, and help with connection, transfer, and network configuration problems. The Wiki also includes guidance for key-based SFTP authentication. Support resources include a community forum, Wiki, FAQ, support section, and contact page. The project site links to source code, an issue tracker, nightly builds, translations, and version history. FileZilla Pro is a separate product whose overview lists support for cloud services including S3, Google Drive, and OneDrive. No paid price or billing schedule is stated for the Client, and no free-tier limits are stated.
lftp
lftp is a free command-line file transfer program for Linux, with support for FTP, HTTP, FISH, SFTP, HTTPS, FTPS and BitTorrent. It can synchronize files, automate transfers and run queued jobs at set times. Its mirror command downloads or updates a directory tree; reverse mirror does the same by uploading to a server. Multiple files can transfer in parallel, and pget can use multiple connections for one download. lftp retries operations after non-fatal errors and can resume downloads from where they stopped. Unfinished jobs can continue in the background after you exit the program or close an xterm. FTPS and HTTPS rely on GNU TLS or OpenSSL, depending on how lftp was built. Downloads include source archives and Fedora RPM binaries. Release information differs across the project pages: the homepage lists 4.9.3, released on 2024-11-08, while the download page calls 4.9.2 the latest stable version. The author says they have little time to support lftp; the project lists two mailing lists.