Need a dual-pane Finder replacement with built-in SFTP like ForkLift?
3 apps · 8 factors
Scored for the goal: A dual-pane Finder replacement with built-in SFTP
Quick answer
From the sourced cells below · nobody pays for a position
Buy once, no subscription
ForkLift
$19.95 one-time
Free to use
Commander One
Free on the official website
Compare
One judgement per cell. Click a row to read every app’s answer; click a cell to open that answer’s sources.
100%1 unknown | 100%3 unknown | 94%fit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Features | |||
| Folder NavigationHas Dual panes★ | Single paneDual paneVertical panes+16 | Single windowDual panesIcon View+12 | Dual panesFullBrief+12 |
| Remote AccessHas SFTP★ | SFTPFTPFTP TLS+13 | SFTPFTPAmazon S3+6 | FTPFTPSFTPES+17 |
| SFTP Transfer QueueYes★ | – | – | ✓ |
| SFTP Authentication | Username/password; private keys, including… | – | Password/login; SSH public-key authentication… |
| Remote File EditingYes★ | ✓ | – | ✓ |
| Local–Remote SyncYes | ✓ | – | No |
| Purchase | |||
| Current price | $19.95 once +7 | $29.95/yr +3 | $29.99 once +2 |
| Product | |||
| What it does | Manage your files quickly… | Makers of Path Finder | File management software |
Head to head
Two apps side by side, full answers, nothing truncated. Swap either side.
Single pane or dual panes arranged vertically/horizontally; list, column and icon views. Open multiple folder tabs per pane, pin tabs, move tabs between panes, open tabs in new windows and restore tabs at startup. Save layouts, tabs and locations as Workspaces. Navigate using grouped sidebar favorites, Favorite Paths, clickable path bars, Quick Open, Go to Folder with history, Recent Folders, Back/Forward and parent-folder shortcuts. Recent Folders shows the last 10 locations per active data
Single-window browsing or two independent side-by-side panes with a resizable divider; independent views, sorting and grouping. Icon, List, Column and Cover Flow views (where available). Multiple reorderable tabs in each pane; save/load tab presets; configurable keyboard shortcuts; middle-click opens/closes tabs, Option-middle-click opens a background tab. Folder shortcuts: Sidebar Favorites, Devices, Network, Recent Documents, Tags, Bookmarks Bar, Path Navigator and Go to Folder with full-path–
SFTP, FTP, FTP TLS, WebDAV, WebDAV HTTPS, Amazon S3, S3-compatible storage (Wasabi, Digital Ocean Spaces, Tigris), Backblaze B2, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Rackspace Cloud Files, SMB, AFP and NFS; VNC is also listed as a connection option. iCloud Drive is accessible through local cloud integration. Multiple simultaneous server connections and drag-and-drop copying between servers are documented. SFTP supports passwords and passphrase-protected private keys. No numeric connection ceiling or
Direct upload: SFTP, FTP, Amazon S3, Dropbox and Backblaze B2; provider availability varies by version. Google Drive requires its desktop app/local mount; native direct upload is discontinued. iCloud Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive folders are accessible through macOS/provider apps; syncing and online-only availability depend on those services. AirDrop uses macOS sharing and requires nearby devices with Wi-Fi/Bluetooth and receiving enabled. Remote browsing/download support, simultaneous connection/
Checked the available sources and found no traceable answer. That is not a “no”.
Checked the available sources and found no traceable answer. That is not a “no”.
Username/password; private keys, including passphrase-protected keys selected through the password field’s key icon; server-driven MFA with password and verification-code prompts (4.2.8+). Uses OpenSSH (4.2.5+) and respects ~/.ssh/config; developer examples reference RSA and Ed25519 identity files. A complete key-type/encoding list (such as PEM, OpenSSH or PPK), numeric connection limits and tier restrictions are not specified. Multiple simultaneous server connections are supported.
Checked the available sources and found no traceable answer. That is not a “no”.
Yes — select a preferred external editor for remote files, including files on documented SFTP connections; ForkLift automatically uploads changes when saved. No editing-specific numeric limits or license-tier restrictions are stated.
Checked the available sources and found no traceable answer. That is not a “no”.
Yes — sync local and SFTP folders one-way in either direction or both ways. Compare size or modification date; control subfolders, hidden items, additions, empty-folder exclusion, orphan deletion, time-offset correction and exclusion filters. Save settings as a Synclet. No feature-tier restriction is stated.
Checked the available sources and found no traceable answer. That is not a “no”.
Website: Single user USD 19.95 / 34.95 once; Family USD 29.95 / 49.95 once (all household Macs); Small Business USD 69.95 / 119.95 once (5 office Macs). Each pair includes 12 / 24 months of updates; use is lifetime. Update renewal requires another license at the applicable price; existing owners receive 100 bonus update days. Setapp: Mac USD 14.99/month or 107.88/year (1 Mac). Additional published Setapp bundles: Two Macs and Mac + iOS USD 18.99/month or 134.88/year; Power User USD 22.99/month (
Website: USD $32.95 once for 1 year, $55.95 once for 2 years, or $122.95 once for 5 years; use and updates last the purchased term, with 3 Macs per license. Monthly subscription offered, current price unverified; yearly subscription reported at USD $29.95/year by TidBITS, not reverified in official checkout. Subscriptions include 2 activations per account/user profile; additional activations priced at purchase. Volume/site licenses: contact vendor. No permanent free tier; full-featured 30-day試al
Manage your files quickly across local drives and remote servers with ease. ForkLift is a robust FTP/SFTP/WebDAV/Amazon S3/Backblaze B2/Google Drive/Rackspace Cloud Files client and a powerful and versatile file manager.
Makers of Path Finder for macOS. https://cocoatech.io
Cost over time
Plays from month 1 to year 10 when you scroll here. Each bar is split by year; a one-time purchase stays one block.
Every subscription now costs more than ForkLift, the cheapest one-time purchase.
Releases
Each dot is a release. The hatched bar runs from the last release to today; its color says whether that gap is normal for the app.
Every app with a dated changelog is shipping at its usual pace.
Score
A reference score weighted by the priorities set for this research. Nobody pays for placement.
Reference score
Priority-weighted · 75% evidence · 2 must-have · 2 important
| App | Score | Payment | Price | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16pts | Free · One-time | Free · $29.99 | 8 / 8 |
| 13pts | One-time · Subscription | $19.95 · $29.95 | 7 / 8 |
| 10pts | Free · One-time | Free · $32.95 | 4 / 8 |
Sources
Where every claim comes from, when it was checked, and how to report an error.
How this report was made
Every cell links to the page it came from. Nobody pays to change a score.
- Report ID
- TMA-0MGDO4J
- Sources
- 34
- Verified cells
- 19/24 (79%)
- Last checked
- Oct 19, 2026
- Reading saved
- ≈ 2.5 h
Scoring
Must-have factors weigh 5 and important ones 3; only these are scored, or the first five factors if none are marked. An app earns a factor's weight only when a cited source confirms it, and unknown cells count for no one. A pick is named only when the lead is larger than everything still unresolved could swing. Reading time assumes about 4 minutes per source. Full methodology
Corrections
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