FTP or File Transfer Protocol is the most common method of transferring files between computers over a network. It's also the go-to option to move large amounts of files back and forth from/to a server.

As such, you'll find a variety of FTP clients, depending on your operating system, to help you with the same, each promising to deliver better transfer and management features than the other while staying true to its core functionality.

Here are some of the best FTP clients you can start using right now.

1. FileZilla

FileZilla FTP client

FileZilla tops our list of the best FTP clients for Linux. It's open-source and comes with an easy-to-use interface, which makes it user-friendly even for first-time users.

Besides FTP, which is at the core of FileZilla, the program also supports FTPS (FTP over TLS) and SFTP (SSH over FTP) protocols along with different cloud storage services like Dropbox, OneDrive, Microsoft Azure Blob Storage, and more.

Using FileZilla, you can transfer large files (>4GB) without encountering any issues. If required, you also have the option to resume file transmission midway. As for other features, the program gives you access to remote file search, remote file editing, transfer queue, and a powerful site manager to simplify file transfer and management operations even further.

How to Install FileZilla

To install FileZilla on Ubuntu/Debian, run:

        sudo apt install filezilla
    

On Arch Linux:

        sudo pacman -S filezilla
    

On Fedora/CentOS and RHEL:

        sudo dnf install filezilla
sudo yum install filezilla

2. CrossFTP

crossFTP FTP client

CrossFTP is another cross-platform FTP client for Linux. Just like FileZilla, it offers the usual slate of features such as quick search, multi-connection, and support for versatile protocols and cloud storage services but brings along a few additional features as well.

One such unique CrossFTP feature is scheduling, which comes in handy when you need to move items later. Likewise, you also get a speed limiter to limit the bandwidth consumption required during file transfers. So, for instance, if you're running multiple tasks and don't want CrossFTP to hog up your entire bandwidth, you can use the limiter to limit its bandwidth usage.

Talking about CrossFTP's biggest highlights, the program employs what it calls a turbo engine, which is essentially a transfer engine that promises to facilitate faster file transfers. And it also offers client-side encryption using the AES algorithm to protect your data during transmission.

Related: How Does Encryption Work? Is Encryption Actually Safe?

CrossFTP Installation

To install CrossFTP on Debian-based distros like Ubuntu, first, head over to the link below and download the suitable CrossFTP package.

Once downloaded, open the terminal and navigate to the directory where you've saved the file.

Download: CrossFTP

Finally, run the following command to install the DEB package on your system:

        sudo dpkg -i ./crossftp_deb_package.deb
    

On Arch Linux, you can download the package from the AUR using yay:

        yay -S crossftp-client
    

3. gFTP

gFTP FTP client

gFTP is a free and open-source FTP client for Linux. It offers both a GUI—based on the GTK+ toolkit—and a CLI, which you can choose to use based on your preference. In addition to FTP, the tool also includes support for FTPS, SFTP, FSP, and FXP protocols for an increased scope of use.

When it comes to usability, gFTP offers a pretty basic and easy-to-use interface to simplify file operations. You can connect to remote sites with ease and transfer files fairly quickly without any hiccups. One neat addition to the program is the message log box that informs you about any errors encountered during file transmission so you can act on them accordingly.

Other interesting features gFTP offers include support for Unix, macOS, VMS, MVS, and NT (DOS) style directory listings and the bookmarking functionality for connecting quickly to remote sites.

How to Install gFTP

To install gFTP on Debian/Ubuntu, run the following command:

        sudo apt install gftp
    

On Arch Linux:

        sudo pacman -S gftp
    

On Fedora/CentOS and RHEL:

        sudo dnf install gftp
sudo yum install gftp

4. lftp

lftp FTP client

lftp is a CLI-based FTP client for Linux. Compared to some of the other FTP client programs on this list, which are GUI-based, lftp comes out as a sleek and faster program for those who prefer to use the command line.

With respect to functionality, lftp offers pretty much a similar set of features as others, bringing in support for different file access methods, including FTPS, SFTP, HTTP, HTTPS, and HFTP, in addition to the BitTorrent protocol, which makes it a versatile file transferring tool. Since it's a CLI tool, you, of course, get to enjoy the advantages of commands, which in the case of lftp are plenty and allow you to do a host of tasks efficiently.

Amidst transferring files with lftp, if at some point you accidentally exit the program, it ensures it moves itself to nohup mode to complete the transfer in the background. Similarly, if downloading breaks midway, the program automatically restarts from the point where it got halted.

lftp Installation

On Debian/Ubuntu, run the command below to install lftp:

        sudo apt install lftp
    

On Arch Linux:

        sudo pacman -S lftp
    

On Fedora/CentOS and RHEL:

        sudo dnf install lftp
sudo yum install lftp

5. Konqueror

konqueror FTP client

Konqueror is more than your regular FTP client: it's swiss-army-knife for all kinds of file management and file previewing operations, including transferring files between systems over FTP (and SFTP) protocols. As such, by installing it on your system, you get two programs in one.

Having the functionality of both programs in one also lets you use Konqueror to browse files on the connected server/computer and perform operations on them with ease. Most of such functionalities come as part of KIO plugins, and so you can choose from a selection of these plugins to extend the program's capabilities.

As for other FTP features, Konqueror offers pause/resume, segmented file transfer (downloading from multiple servers) to speed up download time, and downloading from BitTorrent sources.

How to Install Konqueror

To install Konqueror on Debian/Ubuntu, run:

        sudo apt install konqueror
    

On Arch Linux:

        sudo pacman -S konqueror
    

On Fedora/CentOS and RHEL:

        sudo dnf install konqueror
sudo yum install konqueror

Finding the Right FTP Client for Your Needs

With the help of this list, you should be able to pick the right FTP client for your Linux system that fulfills your criteria and meets your requirements.

Although the feature-set of any program is a subjective preference and attracts different kinds of users differently, there are a few aspects that you should always consider when choosing an FTP client.

One such important aspect is the protocol in use. To ensure all your data transfers (and server logins) happen securely, you must always use SFTP since it uses encryption to encrypt both data. Alternatively, you can check out other file transfer methods to learn about different ways to transfer files.