A few weeks ago, I decided to look for an FTP client app for my iPhone, just in case I needed to do some emergency editing of files on this site from my iPhone. That’s when I came across a several apps, one of which cost as much as $6.99, but I wasn’t about to spend that much on an app that was basically my backup plan.
That’s when I saw FTP Client Pro for just 99¢. The app seemed to have all of the core features I’d need like connecting to my FTP site, navigating the directory structure and the ability to read, upload or delete files. Unfortunately it didn’t do one thing I really needed it to, which was to be able to edit files as well. So I contacted the developer, Anders Havn, and got a response back within a day or so basically asking me what types of files I wanted to be able to edit? And in virtually no time at all, I saw a notification that an update was available and voila…I could now edit my .txt and .php files from within the app. Talk about great service and support!
Understandably, FTP Client Pro does not have all the bells and whistles of its substantially more expensive competitors like FTP On The Go, but what it does do, it does flawlessly and I’d venture to say that it does everything that most people would need it for 99% of the time. I don’t mean to in any way downplay its list of features, because they are fairly substantial, especially given the low price! For instance, with FTP Client Pro, you can create new folders and files, delete files, view text files (doc, txt, rtf, pdf, pps, xls, etc), edit simple text files (including txt, css, php, xml, html, csv, htm, etc). It also supports a wide variety of video and audio formats including the ability to play audio and video files (mp3, avi, mov, etc) and view image files (jpg, bmp, png, gif, etc) that are on the server. In fact, you can also upload pictures and videos from your iPhone to the server or send a file from the server in an email.
If you have limited access to a data connection, then one other particularly nice feature is the ability to cache files so that they do not need to be downloaded multiple times and then you can access these cached file while offline. Once I started extensively using the app a bit more, I soon realized that with some directory listings containing hundreds of files to scroll through, it would be really nice to have a way to search for a particular file. One email to Anders and before I knew it, there was another update live on the App Store with an all-new incremental search/filter bar. A couple of additional updates were released this week to allow the saving of multiple logins and address an issue I was having with the editing of larger-sized files.
Did I already mention how well this app is supported?!
In Conclusion
It has been said that great things come in small packages and after experiencing FTP Client Pro, I am inclined to agree. If like me you are looking for a simple to use FTP client for your iPhone to do some file transfers, and possibly a little editing, there is really no need to spend a ton of money, when odds are FTP Client Pro will do exactly what you need for less than a buck. I highly recommend you put this app on your short list when considering an FTP client app.
I usually don’t have the time to revisit reviews after they’ve been posted, but the developer has done SO MUCH work updating this app over the last 6 months, adding so much more value (without raising the price) that it was worthy of a score increase.
Not only have all my previous criticisms been addressed (landscape mode now supported, now have the ability ability to search in-line for text while editing and it’s a universal app!), but there are loads of additional features that have been added in the 19 updates since my review of v1.6 back in May. This is one of the most well supported apps I have had the pleasure of using. The only thing left on my wishlist would be the ability to sort a directory listing by date (ascending and descending) and reverse alphabetical order.
This is one of the most inexpensive, yet robust FTP apps available and will most likely suit your needs.
Highly recommended!
