Top 3 Best Free FTP Programs
If you’re building a site by yourself with HTML & CSS, then the next step is to move away from your site builder or file manager within your hosting account, and move to FTP (file transfer protocol). FTP is a program used to transfer files from one host (your computer) to another host (your website host) over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet.
The Doc has used FTP for over 13 years now, and has lots of experience in what FTP programs are the best and which ones are junk! Below are the Doc’s top 3 favorite FREE FTP Programs (ranked in order).
1. FileZilla
By far the Doc’s favorite FTP Client, FileZilla is not only 100% free, but extremely powerful and trimmed of any nonsense features that you would hardly use. The team that builds FileZilla is very active, with updates to the program almost weekly! Highly recommended FTP Client for everyone from beginner to advanced! Works on PC, Mac, and Linux.
2. CuteFTP Lite
The Doc used CuteFTP in the 90′s when it was free and extremely popular. These days its still great, but the basic version is not free. However, the Lite version is still a great #2 pick for FTP Client, and its free!
3. SmartFTP
A good #3 pick, SmartFTP is almost like the other 2 selected FTP Clients. One plus is the good amount of free knowledge-base information, video tutorials, and support forums. For Windows only!
Hello,
CuteFTP Lite is not freeware. It costs $24.99.
Kind regards,
Martin
Hey Martin! Yep, you’re right that its not a freeware, but if you go to “Download” and use the trial, you can actually use it for quite a long time and see if its worth the buy. It’s a good #2 pick, but I recommend that you always use Filezilla our #1 pick. Then, if you have an issues with that FTP program, move down the line to #2.