# Cyberduck review (2026): is the free plan enough? > Server and cloud storage browser for Mac and Windows Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. Cyberduck is a file transfer client for Mac and Windows. It connects to FTP, SFTP, WebDAV and SMB servers and to cloud storage such as Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive. The software is free to download; the vendor asks for donations and sells copies through the Mac App Store and Windows Store. - **Category:** Desktop Utilities - **Made by:** iterate GmbH - **Website:** https://cyberduck.io - **Runs on:** macOS, Windows - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want remote storage to show up as a disk in Finder or Explorer, because that is Mountain Duck, sold separately. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Cyberduck has a free plan, and paid plans start at Free; $10 minimum donation for a registration key. - **Pricing model:** Free plan - **Free plan:** The direct download is free; it shows a donation prompt after installing or updating. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | 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. | Read from https://cyberduck.io/donate/ on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Cyberduck before buying. ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Mac and Windows users who move files to FTP, SFTP or S3 servers - People who want a no-cost client for several cloud services ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 3.0 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. Cyberduck is a browser for FTP, SFTP, S3 and about a dozen cloud services, and the direct download costs nothing. It nags for a donation after install and after every update until you register a key, and mounting a server as a disk is a separate product. - **Value for money: A.** The 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. - **Free plan and trial: A.** Free to download and use with no cap listed. The cost is a donation prompt after installing or updating, until you register a key. - **Features: B.** FTP, 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. - **Ease of use: C.** No rating on record. You add each server or account yourself, though the vendor publishes profiles that cut the typing. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Mac and Windows desktop apps and a command-line version. The site lists no Linux, iPhone or Android app. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Cyberduck's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among desktop utilities - Cyberduck's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 154 of the 186 other desktop utilities we grade, and level with 27. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 107 of 186) and worst on ease of use (C, above 5). The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/utilities ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Nothing Cyberduck does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 5 things listed below take a company. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 154 of the 186 other desktop utilities we grade. - You could not: A file manager working directly on your disk. - You could not: Storing and serving files for other people. - You could not: A real app for macOS and Windows. Something home-made would be a web page. - You could not: It plugs into other products, Amazon S3, Backblaze B2 and Google Drive among them. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, Nextcloud, Cryptomator **Tags:** File management, File sharing ## Alternatives - [Transmit](https://toolgpa.com/tools/transmit): Mac file transfer app for servers and cloud storage. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cyberduck-vs-transmit) - [ForkLift](https://toolgpa.com/tools/forklift): Dual-pane file manager and file transfer client for macOS. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cyberduck-vs-forklift) - [Commander One](https://toolgpa.com/tools/commander-one): Dual-panel file manager and FTP client for Mac. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/commander-one-vs-cyberduck) - [Path Finder](https://toolgpa.com/tools/path-finder): Dual-pane file manager for Mac, built as a Finder alternative. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cyberduck-vs-path-finder) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://cyberduck.io - https://cyberduck.io/donate/ - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cyberduck/id409222199 Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/cyberduck Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).