Ipswitch WS_FTP Pro 8 review

There's no shortage of advanced FTP applications, which makes choosing the right one difficult. WS_FTP, with its stability and simple interface, has an enviable 12-year track record.

Retaining both the classic dual screen and slicker Explorer clone, there are no surprises in the version 8 interface, but professionals will appreciate the subtle changes that make this an essential upgrade. Examples include the long overdue thumbnail support for image files, and the 'active edit' mode for editing remote files within the client using your choice of software. You can also now create folders that use the 'hotdrop' feature - drag and drop a file into one and WS_FTP automatically uploads them without needing to be loaded first. An auto-reconnect feature, meanwhile, remembers client and server settings and reloads them next time you start the application.

There have been some improvements to security too, including explicit SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) support and management of multiple client certificates. You can also specify a port range for incoming data connections, the client's external IP address, SSL behind a firewall or even a NAT-enabled router.

There's also SOCKS4 and SOCKS5 proxy support, as well as configuration capabilities for selecting the encryption algorithms and compression used by SSH (Secure Socket Shell). So you get a client with 128-bit SSL encryption during transfers, and SFTP (Secure FTP) over SSH 2 during remote file management on legacy systems. Throw in the 'firescript editor', for easy customisation of scripts to transfer files through your firewall, and you're saving time as well as keeping secure.

The remaining improvements are mainly cosmetic - the toolbar customisation issues have been resolved, there's easier access to local and mapped drives and so on. Plus, all the usual features have been left intact, such as the sync utility, task scheduler and FTP site search.

Of course, if you just want to download a few files from websites and shareware archives, you may as well stick with your web browser. But if you have a website where multiple file transfers are common, WS_FTP Pro 8 is secure, efficient, easy to use and demands serious consideration.

Author: Davey Winder