lftp vs SmartFTP

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.

SmartFTP is a Windows client for transferring files between local computers and internet servers. It supports FTP, FTPS, SFTP over SSH, WebDAV, Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Google Drive, OneDrive, SSH, and terminal access, with cloud connections varying by edition. Listed uses include website publishing and maintenance, uploads and downloads, managed file transfers, and local or remote backup and synchronization. Professional includes FTP, FTPS, SFTP, WebDAV, file synchronization, transfer integrity, and an integrated editor. Ultimate adds Google Drive, OneDrive, a terminal client, and password-manager integrations. Enterprise adds scheduled transfers plus Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, Backblaze B2, and Box. All editions include transfer resume, integrity verification, and on-the-fly compression. Windows downloads include x64 and Arm64 builds for listed Windows versions and servers. SmartFTP has no free plan, but offers a 30-day Enterprise evaluation without limitations. Subscription and perpetual license prices are listed separately, including $79.99 a year for Professional Subscription and $1,995.95 as a one-time purchase for Enterprise.