S3 Browser alternatives for Mac, Linux and Windows
Last updated October 23, 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.
What S3 Browser does well, and why people look elsewhere
S3 Browser has a lot going for it. Its AWS coverage is deep: CloudFront, Object Lock, lifecycle rules, GovCloud and AWS SSO profiles. It gets frequent releases (13.6.3 shipped on October 3, 2026) and comes with a command-line tool. Pro is a lifetime license per computer, from $49.99, and includes one year of free upgrades and support.
The usual reasons to look elsewhere:
It runs only on Windows. There's no Mac or Linux version.
The free edition is for personal use only. Any commercial, business, government or military use needs Pro.
The free edition has limits: two accounts and two concurrent tasks per queue, and multipart transfers run two parts at a time.
S3-compatible providers get generic support. Wasabi has its own setup guide, but its S3-compatible docs don't name Cloudflare R2, DigitalOcean Spaces or MinIO.
How we compared them
In October 2026 we read each vendor's current pricing page, feature pages, documentation and release notes. A feature is marked "Yes" only if the vendor documents it. "Not documented" means we couldn't find it, not that the app definitely lacks it. Web consoles are left out, because this list is about desktop apps.
Comparison table
Prices in USD as of October 23, 2026, before tax.
S3 desktop clients compared
CS Browser (S3 Browser)
Cyberduck
Mountain Duck
Transmit 5
rclone
WinSCP
ExpanDrive
MSP360 Explorer
Windows
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
macOS
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Linux
No
CLI only
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Price
Free (personal); Pro $49.99 lifetime, 1 year of upgrades
Free (donation); $23.99 in app stores
$49 per user, one major version; Mac App Store $59.99/yr; Microsoft Store $47.99
$45 once (a 6.0 would likely be paid); Mac App Store $24.99/yr
Free
Free
Free for up to 10 users; Business $29/mo flat
Free; PRO $59.99 once; updates $18/yr (optional)
Free version limits
2 accounts, 2 tasks, personal use
None
14-day trial
7-day trial
None
None
Up to 10 users
5 GB objects, no multipart
Cloudflare R2
Generic only
Yes
Not verified
Not fully supported
Yes
Yes
Not documented
Not documented
Backblaze B2
Yes
Yes
Not verified
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Generic
Wasabi / Spaces / MinIO
Wasabi
Yes
Not verified
Custom endpoint
Yes
Yes
Wasabi
Generic
Folder sync
Yes
Yes
Offline sync
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Not documented
Mount as a drive
No
No
Yes
No (yes in 6 beta)
Yes
No
Yes
Not documented
Presigned URLs
Yes
Yes
Not documented
Yes
Yes
No
Not documented
Not documented
AWS SSO
Yes
Yes (9.5+)
Yes (5.3+)
In 6 beta
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
CLI included
Yes
Yes
Via Cyberduck CLI
No
It is the CLI
Yes
Yes
Not documented
Built-in MCP server
No
No
No
No
Third-party only
No
No
No
Open source
No
Yes (GPL)
No
No
Yes (MIT)
Yes (GPL)
No
No
An MCP server lets AI assistants such as Claude or ChatGPT work with your files. "Third-party only" means a separate project, not part of the app.
The alternatives
1. Cyberduck: free, open source, Mac and Windows
Cyberduck documents the longest list of provider profiles of any app here: R2, Spaces, MinIO, Wasabi, Hetzner, Scaleway, Storj and more. It also handles versioning, ACLs, presigned URLs, lifecycle rules and Cryptomator encryption. It's GPL-licensed and free; a $10 donation turns off the donation prompt. The Mac App Store and Microsoft Store editions cost $23.99 each, with no prompt. IAM Identity Center (SSO) works from version 9.5.
There's no official Linux GUI: Linux users get the duck command-line tool. An unofficial community build of the app appeared in October 2026; see Cyberduck for Linux.
Best for: Mac and Windows users who want a free, full-featured client.
2. Mountain Duck: buckets as a drive in Finder and Explorer
Mountain Duck is from the makers of Cyberduck. It mounts buckets as drives on macOS and Windows (including ARM64), with offline sync for files you've opened. Version 5.3 added SSO. A license is $49 per user and covers one major version (currently 5), with discounted upgrades to later ones depending on when you bought. On the Mac App Store it's a subscription at $5.99 a month or $59.99 a year. A separate Microsoft Store edition is $47.99; the listing doesn't state its upgrade terms. There's no free tier, only a 14-day trial.
Best for: working on bucket files from your editor or other desktop apps.
3. Transmit 5: the polished Mac choice, with an R2 caveat
Panic's Transmit 5 is $45 one-time from Panic, and needs macOS 13 or later. It does sync, signed URLs and AWS profiles, and Panic Sync shares your saved servers across Macs. Transmit 6 is in public beta: it brings back drive mounting, adds SSO and needs macOS 26. Panic says a new major version like 6.0 would likely be a paid upgrade if you bought direct. The Mac App Store version is a $24.99-a-year subscription that includes it.
Panic's own documentation says Transmit can't fully support Cloudflare R2. It runs only on Macs.
Best for: Mac users on AWS or Backblaze B2 who care about design.
4. rclone: scriptable, every OS, now with a GUI
rclone is MIT-licensed and supports more providers than anything else here. It does server-side copies, mounting, one-way and two-way sync, version-aware listing and link sharing. Since v1.74 (May 2026),rclone gui opens a built-in web GUI with explorer, mounts and remotes views.
The GUI covers basic operations only, and the terminal has to stay open while you use it. For anything more, you're on the command line.
Best for: automation, servers and power users.
5. WinSCP: free S3 on Windows, next to SFTP
WinSCP is GPL-licensed and free, with mature scripting and a .NET library. A $19.99 Microsoft Store edition doubles as a donation. Its S3 docs name R2, B2, Spaces, MinIO, Wasabi and more. But like S3 Browser it runs only on Windows, it has basic ACLs only, and it doesn't make presigned URLs.
Best for: Windows admins who also use SFTP and FTP.
6. ExpanDrive: free drive mounting on all three systems
ExpanDrive is now owned by Files.com. It mounts S3, B2, Wasabi and others as drives on Windows, macOS and Linux, and also comes in a headless server edition. It's free for personal use and for teams of up to 10 users, commercial use included. Past 10 users in a year, Business is a flat $29 a month for the whole team and adds Server Edition, the Web Management Console and priority support. It streams files on demand rather than syncing them.
Best for: mounting buckets on Linux or in mixed teams.
7. MSP360 Explorer (formerly CloudBerry Explorer)
MSP360 Explorer runs on Windows and Mac, with a free edition and a PRO license at $59.99 per computer, one time. Checkout also adds upgrade maintenance at $18, billed yearly. You can remove it, but then you don't get updates. With it, the first year comes to about $78. Multipart upload, multithreading, encryption and compression are PRO features, and the free edition caps objects at 5 GB. There's no Linux version.
Best for: people already using MSP360's backup products.
8–9. ForkLift and Commander One: Mac file managers with S3
Both are dual-pane Mac file managers that can open S3 and Backblaze B2. ForkLift 4 starts at $19.95 for a lifetime license with one year of updates; after that, newer versions need a new license. It includes sync. Commander One puts S3 in its PRO Pack, a one-time $29.99 for personal, non-commercial use on one Mac. Minor updates are free and major versions are half price. An optional Lifetime Upgrades Guarantee makes them free for $14.99 more ($44.98 together). Neither app documents presigned URLs, ACLs or AWS profiles.
Best for: one file manager for local and cloud files.
Which should you choose?
You're on a Mac and want what S3 Browser does: Cyberduck.
You need a drive letter or a Finder mount: Mountain Duck, or ExpanDrive (also on Linux).
You use Cloudflare R2: Cyberduck, rclone or WinSCP. Avoid Transmit for now.
You want everything free and open source: Cyberduck, or rclone for scripting.
You're on Linux and want a desktop app: ExpanDrive for mounting, or rclone's web GUI.
You're staying on Windows and need deep AWS features: CS Browser is still a strong pick.
Coming soon: BucketWorx
We're building BucketWorx, a native desktop app for Amazon S3 and S3-compatible storage. It's planned for
Windows, macOS and Linux, with support for Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, Wasabi, DigitalOcean Spaces and
MinIO. We're working on responsive browsing of large buckets, resumable transfers, and a built-in MCP
server for AI tools that's read-only by default. It isn't released yet, so it isn't in the table. Prices
and exact OS versions haven't been announced.
One email when it launches. No newsletter, no spam.
Please check your email address and try again.
FAQ
Is there an S3 Browser for Mac?
No. S3 Browser (now CS Browser) runs only on Windows. Cyberduck, Mountain Duck, Transmit, ForkLift, Commander One, MSP360 Explorer, ExpanDrive and rclone run on macOS.
Is there an S3 Browser for Linux?
Not from NetSDK. On Linux today, ExpanDrive mounts buckets as drives, rclone has a command line and a basic web GUI, and Cyberduck has a command-line tool. BucketWorx is in development for Linux too.
Why is S3 Browser now called CS Browser?
It was renamed in version 13.5.5 on July 28, 2026. The website is still s3browser.com, and the announcement doesn't give a reason.
Is S3 Browser free?
Only for personal use. Commercial use needs a Pro license. It's a lifetime license per computer, from $49.99, and includes one year of free upgrades and support.
Which S3 clients work with Cloudflare R2?
Cyberduck, rclone and WinSCP document R2 support. Panic says Transmit can't fully support R2.
Sources
All checked October 23, 2026. Tell us at hello@bucketworx.com if anything here is out of date.