Skip to content
Bucketeer

Comparison, November 2026

Bucketeer and Cyberduck compared

Cyberduck by iterate GmbH is an open-source file browser for Mac and Windows that connects to S3, Azure Blob Storage and many other protocols, from SFTP to Google Drive. Mounting in Finder is a separate product, Mountain Duck. Bucketeer is a Mac-only app for object storage that browses, transfers, mounts and syncs in one app.

. Written by . Sources

The short answer

  • Choose Cyberduck if you also need FTP, SFTP, WebDAV or consumer clouds such as Dropbox and Google Drive, work on Windows too, or want a command-line tool.
  • Choose Bucketeer if you work with S3 and Azure buckets on a Mac and want Finder drives, scheduled sync jobs and watch folders in the same app.
  • Both connect to Amazon S3, S3-compatible services and Azure Blob Storage, both edit files in other apps and both offer client-side encryption.

Bucketeer and Cyberduck side by side

As of November 2026. Cyberduck from its vendor's official pages (see sources), Bucketeer from its documentation. Not documented means the vendor's pages do not say, not that the feature is missing.
BucketeerCyberduck
Type of productNative Mac app for object storage: browser, transfers, Finder drives and sync in one appOpen-source (GPL) file browser for servers and cloud storage
PlatformsMac only, macOS 14 or later (Mount as Drive needs macOS 14.1)macOS 10.13 or later and Windows; the duck command-line tool also runs on Linux
Where to get itMac App Store onlyDirect download, Mac App Store and Windows Store
Pricing modelApp from the Mac App Store; Bucketeer Pro is a one-time in-app purchase, no subscriptionOpen source under the GPL with an optional donation key; the Mac App Store version is a paid app
Amazon S3 and S3-compatible storageAmazon S3, presets for Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, Wasabi, DigitalOcean Spaces, Storj and Civo, plus any S3 endpoint such as MinIOAmazon S3 and S3-compatible storage through connection profiles, with documentation for Wasabi, Cloudflare R2, DigitalOcean Spaces and MinIO; Backblaze B2 as its own protocol
Azure Blob StorageYes, with its own Azure backendYes, with account key or SAS; Azure Files is not supported
FTP, SFTP, WebDAV and other servicesNo, object storage onlyYes, among them FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, SMB, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box and Google Cloud Storage
Storage in FinderYes, Mount as Drive through the File Provider extension (Bucketeer Pro); not for encrypted bucketsNot in Cyberduck; iterate points to its separate app Mountain Duck
SyncSync jobs that copy, move or mirror bucket to bucket across providers or folder to bucket; by hand, at launch, on a schedule or on folder change; watch folders (Bucketeer Pro)Manual folder synchronisation as mirror, download only or upload only; no built-in schedule, the docs suggest the CLI with cron
Editing in other appsOpen and Open With; every save is uploaded, a conflict copy is made if the server version changedFiles open in an external editor and are uploaded on every save
Client-side encryptionAES-256-GCM per bucket on the Mac, key in the macOS KeychainYes, Cryptomator vaults
Share linksS3 presigned URLs and Azure SAS linksS3 pre-signed URLs, Azure SAS URLs and share links for several other providers
Object versionsList, restore and delete object versionsYes, revert and delete previous versions in versioned S3 buckets
Metadata and headersHTTP headers, user metadata and tags; storage class shown; auto-tagging rulesHTTP headers and metadata, S3 ACLs and storage class editable in the Info window
AutomationShortcuts and Siri actions, bucketeer:// deep links, Spotlight for object namesCommand-line tool duck for macOS, Windows and Linux

Where Cyberduck is ahead

  • Many protocols in one app, from FTP and SFTP to WebDAV, SMB, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and Box.
  • Windows and Linux: the app runs on Windows, the duck command-line tool also on Linux.
  • ACL editing for S3 and Google Cloud Storage in the Info window.
  • Open source under the GPL.

Where Bucketeer is ahead

  • Finder drives in the same app: Mount as Drive shows a bucket in Finder, while Cyberduck leaves mounting to Mountain Duck.
  • Scheduled sync and watch folders: sync jobs run at launch, on a schedule or when a folder changes, without cron.
  • Bucket dashboard, activity log and trash with a local copy of deleted objects.
  • Shortcuts and Siri actions and bucketeer:// deep links.
Sync section of Bucketeer with sync jobs and a watch folder
Screenshots show demo data.

Frequently asked questions

Is Bucketeer a Cyberduck alternative on the Mac?

For object storage, yes. Bucketeer connects to S3, S3-compatible services and Azure Blob Storage like Cyberduck and adds Finder drives and scheduled sync. If you also need FTP, SFTP, WebDAV or Dropbox, Cyberduck covers those and Bucketeer does not.

Can Cyberduck mount a bucket in Finder?

Not Cyberduck itself. Its vendor iterate offers the separate app Mountain Duck for that. Bucketeer has Mount as Drive built in, as part of Bucketeer Pro.

Do both apps support Azure Blob Storage?

Yes. Cyberduck connects to Azure Blob Storage with an account key or SAS, Bucketeer with the storage account name and key.

Sources

Statements about Cyberduck come from the vendor's own pages listed here, read in November 2026. Statements about Bucketeer come from the app's documentation.

  1. Cyberduck, product page (cyberduck.io)
  2. Cyberduck, download and system requirements
  3. Cyberduck in the Mac App Store
  4. Cyberduck FAQ
  5. Cyberduck docs, Amazon S3
  6. Cyberduck docs, S3-compatible providers
  7. Cyberduck docs, Azure Blob Storage
  8. Cyberduck docs, synchronize folders
  9. Cyberduck docs, edit files
  10. Cyberduck docs, file transfers
  11. Cyberduck docs, Info window (versions, metadata, ACL)
  12. Cyberduck docs, share files
  13. Cyberduck docs, command line interface
  14. Bucketeer features on this site

Cyberduck is a trademark of its owner and is offered by iterate GmbH. The name is used here only to identify the product. Bucketeer and DigitalFreedom Global LLC are not affiliated with iterate GmbH, and iterate GmbH has not reviewed or endorsed this page.

If a statement here is out of date, write to hello@digitalfreedom.co.za and we will check it and correct the page.