FileZilla 3 Review

excellent
key review info
application features
  • FTP and SFTP client
  • (5 more, see all...)

Probably one of the most popular FTP and SFTP clients, the free and open source FileZilla facilitates file transfers between PCs and websites using a client and server side.

The full package includes the FileZilla client, icon sets, language files, Explorer shell integration for dragging and dropping files from Explorer, along with a desktop icon. It can be made available for all users or just the current one. Setting it up is fast and easy.

Considering the technical nature of the application, its interface does not have distinct visuals, opting for a simple look instead. Multiple panes put together a quick route between local and remote directories and files by making use of drag-and-drop support. The topmost one shows extensive log data recorded by FileZilla, such as the success or failure of a directory listing.

The site manager supports multiple websites that can be grouped into folders, along with multiple bookmarks for local and remote locations. General configuration details focus on the host name and port number, protocol (FTP or SFTP), encryption in case of FTP, logon type (anonymous, normal, ask for password, interactive, account) and comments (if any).
Advanced settings are optional and revolve around the server type (e.g. Unix, VMS, DOS, Cygwin, autodetect), proxy bypass, default local and remote directory, synchronized browsing, and server timezone offset. Meanwhile, transfers can be performed in default, active, or passive mode with a limited number of simultaneous connections. Last but not least, the charset encoding for filenames used by the server may be custom, UTF-8 (forced), or on autodetect mode (UTF-8 if possible, local charset otherwise).

What's worth mentioning is that multiple tabs are supported, meaning that multiple connections to different websites can be established at the same time. As beautiful as it may sound, FileZilla does not include server-to-server transfers at the moment.

Once connected, users are free to roam websites and perform file transfers, regardless of whether the goal is to upload or download files and folders, rename or delete them, create remote directories, copy URLs to the Clipboard, or even alter file attributes when it comes to owner, group, and public permissions between read, write, and execute commands, as well as recursion if preferred (all files and directories, only files or only directories). Files can be opened and edited using third-party applications.

It is possible to create a queue with files to download or upload to websites at a later time. This comes with a few perks, with the top one being the possibility to leave the workstation unattended while numerous or large-sized files from different locations are being uploaded to the site. If files with the same name already exist, the default action can be set between overwriting (regular, if source file is newer, size differs, size differs or source file is newer), renaming, resuming the file transfer, prompting for action, and skipping.

Since large-sized files take a longer time to upload, FileZilla may prioritize them by lowest, low, normal, high, and highest levels. To wrap up the queue processing feature, a post-task action can be established between exiting the app, disconnecting from the server, executing a custom command, showing a message, playing a sound, rebooting, or shutting down the PC. Successful and failed transfers may be inspected in different panes.
The current connection configuration can be immediately saved to the site manager, while new ones can be imported from XML files. Transfers are executed in automatic, ASCII, or binary mode at limited speed (separately configurable for uploads and downloads), and their timestamps can be preserved by FileZilla.
A manual transfer is done by specifying the transfer direction (upload or download), local and remote file path, server (currently connected to, from site manager, custom), and data type (auto, ASCII, binary). It can be postponed or started immediately.

A search function is provided to look for specific files on remote servers. It can be accompanied by conditions in regard to file name, size, path, and date. Custom raw FTP commands may be executed as well, hidden files can be shown by applying force, while new site-specific or global bookmarks can be created and organized.

As far as viewing options are concerned, the interface becomes minimalistic by hiding the file list status bars, toolbar, quick connect bar, message log, local and remote directory tree, and the transfer queue, leaving visible only two panes for the local computer and server. Synchronized browsing can be enabled at any time with the click of a button, file names can be filtered, while directories can be compared by size or modification time.

FileZilla features private data clearing (particularly useful when sharing the workstation with other people) and a wizard for optimizing firewall and router settings.

As far as program settings are concerned, it is possible to set a connection timeout, the maximum number of retries and delay between failed login attempts, transfer mode (active or passive), and FTP proxy type. The total simultaneous transfers, downloads, and uploads can be limited, together with the speed limit burst tolerance.

Aside from swapping the file and directory panes, the layout can be switched from classic to explorer, widescreen, or blackboard style. FileZilla is capable of minimizing to the system tray instead of taskbar, preventing the system from sleeping during transfers and other operations, checking for updates automatically, logging all activity to file, and so on.

The Good

File transfers are carried out quickly, while CPU and RAM are minimally used. Supported Windows versions include 8/8.1, 32- and 64-bit.

FileZilla features FTP and SFTP support, custom command lines, a pending queue for uploads and downloads alike, along with keyboard shortcuts. All program activity can be logged to file. The app does not require extensive knowledge of FTP clients, making it intuitive and user-friendly.

A portable counterpart is made available for users who want to bypass the installer and run FileZilla from a mass storage device directly.

The Bad

Although hotkeys are supported, they do not cover all functions, which is a downside to power users when performing repetitive actions quickly. On top of that, they cannot be remapped.

In a similar manner, help documentation is included but does not discuss all features.

The Truth

In the digital world of free and open-source FTP clients, FileZilla remains king, thanks to usability, feature set, low memory consumption, and general straightforwardness.

user interface 4
features 5
ease of use 4
pricing / value 5


final rating 5
Editor's review
excellent
 
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