AWS File Mover Express: what it does and the alternatives (2026)
Last updated November 4, 2026 · By the BucketWorx team. We're building BucketWorx, a desktop S3 client that
isn't released yet. It's mentioned below, but it isn't ranked or scored against the apps you can use today.
How we compared them
On November 4, 2026 we read File Mover Express's README, every user guide in its repository, and the release
notes for 1.0.0 through 1.1.2, which came out that day. Where the docs were silent, we looked at the source
code, and we say so below. For the other three we read their websites and documentation. A feature is marked
"Yes" only if it's documented. "Not documented" means we couldn't find it, not that it's definitely missing.
File Mover Express and alternatives compared
File Mover Express
AWS CLI
Cyberduck
rclone
Type
Desktop app, command line and MCP server
Command line
Desktop app, plus the duck command line
Command line, plus a built-in web GUI
Windows / macOS
Yes / Yes
Yes / Yes
Yes / Yes
Yes / Yes
Linux
Command line and daemon only
Yes
Command line only
Yes
Price
Free
Free
Free (donation); $23.99 in app stores
Free
Open source
Yes (Apache 2.0)
Yes (Apache 2.0)
Yes (GPL)
Yes (MIT)
Storage
Amazon S3 (others not documented)
Amazon S3; others with --endpoint-url
S3, R2, B2, Wasabi, Spaces, MinIO and more
S3, R2, B2, Wasabi, Spaces, MinIO and more
Watch a folder and upload new files
Yes (hot folders)
No
Not documented
Not documented
Folder sync
Upload only (hot folders)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Edit permissions (ACLs)
Not documented
Yes (aws s3api)
Yes
Not documented
Browse versions
Not documented
Yes (aws s3api)
Yes
Yes
Presigned share links
Not documented
Yes
Yes
Yes
Built-in MCP server
Yes (9 tools)
No
No
Separate project (rclone-mcp)
Prices in USD as of November 4, 2026. An MCP server lets AI assistants such as Claude or ChatGPT work with
your files. Cyberduck's desktop app has an unofficial Linux build; see
Cyberduck for Linux.
What File Mover Express does
File Mover Express comes from AWS Labs and is "provided at no additional cost": you pay only the usual S3
charges. It's aimed at digital imaging technicians and other media people, for jobs like moving camera
footage, work in progress and finished archives into S3. Underneath is a transfer daemon written in Go; the
desktop app, the command line and the MCP server all control it.
Fast transfers: large files go in parts, several at a time, and "autotuning" picks the
number of threads and the part size for each file. Transfers can be paused, resumed and retried, and can
use S3 Transfer Acceleration and a bandwidth limit.
Two-pane desktop app: your computer on the left, a bucket on the right. Drag files across
to upload or download them. You can also rename and delete, and see each object's metadata.
Hot folders: watch a folder and upload anything new or changed in it, to one bucket or
several.
Checksums: optional MD5, XXHash, XXHash64 or XXH3, and it reads Media Hash List (MHL)
files from cameras. Checksums are off by default.
Remote daemon: run the daemon on a server or an EC2 instance and drive it from the desktop
app on another machine, over TLS with a password.
MCP server: a separate fme-mcp program with 9 tools to browse, start uploads
and downloads, and pause, resume or cancel them. Its docs warn that it "has full access to whatever the
daemon can do".
Sign-in: each connection is one bucket in one region, signed in with an AWS profile,
access keys, or single sign-on through your identity provider (OIDC).
Bucket reports: a list of a bucket's contents as Excel, CSV or JSON.
The macOS app (Apple silicon and Intel) is signed and notarized, and the Windows installers (x64 and Arm) are
signed by Amazon. Linux gets only the daemon and command line.
What it doesn't do
File Mover Express is a transfer tool. Its docs don't cover:
Other storage providers. Everything in the docs is about Amazon S3.
A desktop app on Linux. Linux is daemon and command line only.
Changing who can see an object. There's nothing about ACLs, making a file public or
private, or editing headers such as Content-Type or Cache-Control.
Old versions and deleted files. You can't browse versions or bring back a deleted file.
Deleting is the reverse of careful: the docs say "Deletions are permanent" and that "all versions of the
object and any delete markers are removed", so on a versioned bucket a delete also wipes the history.
Share links. There are no presigned links for sending a file to someone.
Archived objects. It can't download from Glacier or Deep Archive, and the docs send you
elsewhere to restore them first.
Full sync. Hot folders only upload, and deleted files stay in S3. There's no copying
between buckets.
None of that is a flaw for what it's built for. It just means you may want a second tool alongside it.
The alternatives
AWS CLI: the standard on the command line
The AWS CLI is free, Apache 2.0-licensed, and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. aws s3 cp and
aws s3 sync move files and send big files in parts automatically, and
aws s3 sync --delete makes a destination match its source. Lower-level commands under
aws s3api cover nearly every S3 feature, including ACLs and versions, and
aws s3 presign makes share links. Other S3-compatible services can be reached with
--endpoint-url.
Best for: scripts, servers and anyone already on AWS.
Cyberduck: a free desktop app for most providers
Cyberduck runs on macOS and Windows and documents profiles for R2, Spaces, MinIO, Wasabi and many more. It
handles versions, ACLs, presigned URLs and lifecycle rules, and it does SFTP, FTP and WebDAV too. It's GPL
and free, with a donation prompt; the app store editions cost $23.99. On Linux there's the official
duck command line.
Best for: managing files and permissions in S3 and other providers from a desktop app.
rclone: every provider, every system
rclone is MIT-licensed and supports more providers than anything else here. It copies and syncs between any
of them, mounts buckets as drives, lists versions and makes share links. rclone gui opens a
basic web interface in your browser. See rclone GUIs for desktop apps
built on it.
Best for: moving data between providers, automation and backups.
Which should you choose?
You move camera footage or other large media into Amazon S3: File Mover Express.
You want a folder uploaded to S3 automatically as files land in it: File Mover Express.
You script transfers on AWS: the AWS CLI, or File Mover Express's CLI for big files.
You use R2, B2, Wasabi or another provider: Cyberduck or rclone.
You need permissions, versions or share links in a desktop app: Cyberduck.
We're building BucketWorx, a native desktop app for Amazon S3 and S3-compatible storage on Windows, macOS
and Linux. It covers what File Mover Express leaves out: Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2 and DigitalOcean Spaces
as well as AWS, old versions and undeleting files, permissions, headers, share links, folder sync, and a
security scan of your buckets. It has a command line, and an MCP server for AI tools that's read-only by
default.
It listed 12 million objects from one bucket in 20 minutes:
see the test.
It isn't released yet, so it isn't in the table. Prices haven't been announced.
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FAQ
What is AWS File Mover Express?
A free, open-source (Apache 2.0) app from AWS for moving files between your computer and Amazon S3. It's built for media work such as getting camera footage into S3. It comes as a desktop app for macOS and Windows, a command line, and an MCP server for AI assistants. Version 1.0.0 came out on July 18, 2026.
Does File Mover Express work with Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2 or other S3-compatible storage?
Its documentation covers Amazon S3 only. A connection has an endpoint field, which the docs describe for S3 access points and VPC endpoints. The source code switches to path-style addressing when an endpoint is set, with a comment naming MinIO, but no other provider is documented. For R2, B2 or Wasabi, Cyberduck and rclone document support.
Is there a File Mover Express app for Linux?
Not a desktop app. Linux gets the transfer daemon and command line (x64 and arm64), meant for servers and cloud instances. You control it from the desktop app on a Mac or Windows PC over an encrypted connection, or with the command line. The docs say you can build the desktop app from source.
Is File Mover Express faster than the AWS CLI?
Its documentation says it "provides better performance than the AWS CLI with built-in checksumming", but the docs we read don't give numbers, and we haven't measured it. Both split large files into parts and send them in parallel; File Mover Express also tunes the number of threads and the part size for each file.
Can File Mover Express sync a folder?
One way only. A hot folder watches a folder on your computer and uploads files that are new or changed. Its docs say deleted files are not removed from S3, and it doesn't download changes. aws s3 sync --delete and rclone sync can make a destination match its source, deletions included.
Is File Mover Express signed?
Yes, on macOS and Windows. The macOS builds are signed with Amazon's Apple Developer ID and notarized. The Windows installers are signed as "Amazon Web Services, Inc.", though the docs say SmartScreen may still warn until the certificate builds a reputation. The Linux binaries aren't signed. The installation guide explains how to check that a download really is Amazon's.
Sources
All checked November 4, 2026. Tell us at hello@bucketworx.com if anything here is out of date.