Cyberduck vs Mountain Duck (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Cyberduck grades higher than Mountain Duck: 3.0 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Cyberduck grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Cyberduck
Server and cloud storage browser for Mac and Windows
Mountain Duck
Mounts server and cloud storage as a drive on Mac and Windows
Which one is for you
Pick Cyberduck if
- Fits if you move files to FTP, SFTP or S3 on a Mac or Windows PC
- Works for people who want one free client for several cloud drives
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want remote storage to show up as a disk in Finder or Explorer, because that is Mountain Duck, sold separately
- Not for you if you run Linux, iOS or Android, as the site lists none
- Watch out: free copies show a donation prompt after install and after updates until you register a key
- Watch out: the Mac App Store version is $23.99 and replaces the donation
Pick Mountain Duck if
- Fits if you work on files in S3 or an SFTP server from ordinary desktop apps
- Works for teams who would rather buy licences once than pay a subscription
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you run Linux, as only macOS and Windows are listed
- Pricey if you need it for several people: each seat needs its own licence, $49 each
- Watch out: a licence covers one major version, so a version 6 would need an upgrade
- Watch out: the trial length isn't stated on the pages we read
- Not for you if you only want cloud storage in Finder for free, since ExpanDrive's free plan covers that
How we grade them
| 3.0GPACyberduckVery good | 2.4GPAMountain DuckFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe direct download is free and a donation of $10 or more removes the prompt, which is under 60% of what this category's cheaper quarter charges. The Mac App Store copy is $23.99. | B$49 one-time per user, with $193 for five. That is more than a year of the category's typical $3.33 a month, but under two. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree to download and use with no cap listed. The cost is a donation prompt after installing or updating, until you register a key. | CThere's a trial version before you buy a key, but the pages we read don't say how long it lasts or whether a card is asked for. No free plan. |
| Features | BFTP, SFTP, WebDAV, SMB, S3, Backblaze, Azure and the main cloud drives, with connection profiles and Cryptomator vaults. Mounting remote storage as a disk is the separate Mountain Duck. | BFTP, SFTP, WebDAV, SMB, S3, Azure, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and more, with on-demand files, offline folders and Cryptomator vaults. The listing shows no gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. You add each server or account yourself, though the vendor publishes profiles that cut the typing. | CEvery connection has to be set up with server details or a cloud login. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | CMac and Windows desktop apps and a command-line version. The site lists no Linux, iPhone or Android app. | CmacOS 13 or later and Windows 10 or later. Computers only, with no Linux, phone or web version. |
| Best for | moving files to servers and cloud storage on Mac or Windows | S3, SFTP and WebDAV as a drive |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Cyberduck and Mountain Duck. How we grade
Where they differ
- Mountain Duck is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Mountain Duck can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Mountain Duck also covers file sync.
At a glance
| Cyberduck | Mountain Duck | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | Free; $10 minimum donation for a registration key | $49 per user, one-time (licence covers version 5) |
| Free plan | The direct download is free; it shows a donation prompt after installing or updating. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Trial version of the app, then buy a registration key |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | iterate GmbH | iterate GmbH |
| Price read from | cyberduck.io | mountainduck.io |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Cyberduck
- Free copies show a donation prompt after install and after updates until a key is registered.
- Mac and Windows only; the site lists no Linux, iOS or Android app.
- Mounting remote storage as a local disk is a separate product, Mountain Duck.
Mountain Duck
- Runs on macOS 13 or later and Windows 10 or later only; no Linux version is listed.
- A licence is valid for one major version, so a future version 6 would need an upgrade purchase.
- The buy page shows the price only after the form loads; it is per seat, so each user needs a licence.
- Free to download as a trial, but the trial length is not stated on the pages we read.
Key features
Cyberduck
- Many storage types
- Connects to FTP, SFTP, WebDAV and SMB servers, plus Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Azure, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box and OneDrive.
- Connection profiles
- The vendor publishes connection profiles for popular hosting and storage providers so setup needs fewer manual settings.
- SFTP key support
- SFTP supports public key and two-factor authentication, and it can read settings from an existing OpenSSH configuration.
- Cryptomator vaults
- Creates client-side encrypted vaults that are interoperable with Cryptomator, for use on any server or cloud storage.
- Share links and versions
- For services such as Nextcloud and ownCloud, creates share links and lets you view and revert earlier file versions.
- Command-line companion
- A command-line version and the separate Mountain Duck app, which mounts remote storage as a disk, are listed on the site.
Mountain Duck
- Integrated connect mode
- Version 5 syncs through the File Provider API on macOS and Cloud Files on Windows, so no device driver or network mount is installed.
- Smart synchronization
- All remote files are listed, and each is downloaded to the local disk only when opened. Chosen folders can be kept offline.
- Broad protocol and cloud support
- Connects over FTP, SFTP, WebDAV and SMB, and to Amazon S3, Google Storage, Azure, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, Box and others.
- Cryptomator vaults
- Client-side encryption using Cryptomator-compatible vaults, so data at rest is unreadable to the server or cloud provider.
- Team features
- File locking for Office documents on WebDAV servers, version history on versioned S3 buckets, and custom versioning on the server.
- Sharing and search
- Create expiring share links from the context menu on supported storage, and search remote files with Spotlight or Windows Search.
Plans
Cyberduck
Direct download$0
Free to download and use. A donation prompt appears after installing or updating.
Contributor$10
minimum donation, paid once
A donation of at least $10 gets a personal registration key that turns off the donation prompt.
Mac App Store$23.99
one-time purchase
The store version for Mac, sold in place of a donation. Requires macOS 10.13 or later.
Mountain Duck
Single user$49
per user, one-time, for version 5
Per-seat licence, usable on any number of computers by the same user. Discounted upgrades for later major versions.
5 users$193
for 5 users, one-time, for version 5
Volume price for five seats, below five single licences. The buy page also offers 10, 20 and 50 users, and a custom quote.
10 users$348
for 10 users, one-time, for version 5
Volume price for ten seats. Larger teams and white-label deployments are handled as custom quotes.
Ways to pay less
Cyberduck
No public discounts listed.
Mountain Duck
- Education
30% academic discount
Mountain Duck offers a 30% discount coupon for academic use, requested by ticket from an institutional email address.
- Other savings
30% switcher or Cyberduck discount
A 30% discount is offered to owners of a Cyberduck key, or of a Transmit Disk, ExpanDrive or NetDrive licence, on request.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Cyberduck or Mountain Duck?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Cyberduck starts at Free; $10 minimum donation for a registration key, and Mountain Duck starts at $49 per user, one-time (licence covers version 5).
Which has a free plan, Cyberduck or Mountain Duck?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Cyberduck has a free plan. Mountain Duck does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.