Is Bucketeer a ForkLift alternative?

Only for object storage. ForkLift is a full file manager for local files and many protocols. Bucketeer focuses on S3 and Azure buckets and adds versions, metadata, share links and Finder drives.

Can ForkLift edit S3 metadata?

Not according to BinaryNights, which lists S3 metadata as a feature request. Bucketeer edits HTTP headers, user metadata and tags.

Is ForkLift in the Mac App Store?

ForkLift 4 is sold as a direct download and through Setapp; its official pages do not name the Mac App Store for version 4. Bucketeer is distributed only through the Mac App Store.

Bucketeer vs. ForkLift 4, Mac apps for S3 compared

Name: ForkLift
Author: BinaryNights

ForkLift 4 by BinaryNights is a dual-pane file manager and file transfer client for macOS. It connects to Amazon S3, Backblaze B2 and many other protocols and syncs folders one-way or two-way. Bucketeer is a Mac app for object storage only, with Azure Blob Storage, Finder drives, object versions and metadata editing.

The short answer

Choose ForkLift if you want a Finder replacement with two panes, Git support and connections to SFTP, SMB, NFS and consumer clouds as well as S3.
Choose Bucketeer if your work is in S3 and Azure buckets and you need object versions, metadata and tags, share links and Finder drives.
Both sync folders and upload files saved in another app.

Bucketeer and ForkLift side by side

As of November 2026. ForkLift 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.
	Bucketeer	ForkLift
Type of product	Native Mac app for object storage: browser, transfers, Finder drives and sync in one app	Dual-pane file manager and file transfer client
Platforms	Mac only, macOS 14 or later (Mount as Drive needs macOS 14.1)	Mac only, macOS 14.6 or later
Where to get it	Mac App Store only	Direct download and Setapp; ForkLift 4 is not documented in the Mac App Store
Pricing model	App from the Mac App Store; Bucketeer Pro is a one-time in-app purchase, no subscription	Lifetime licence with one or two years of updates
Amazon S3 and S3-compatible storage	Amazon S3, presets for Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, Wasabi, DigitalOcean Spaces, Storj and Civo, plus any S3 endpoint such as MinIO	Amazon S3 and Backblaze B2; the support FAQ names Wasabi and DigitalOcean Spaces
Azure Blob Storage	Yes, with its own Azure backend	Not documented
FTP, SFTP, WebDAV and other services	No, object storage only	Yes, among them SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, SMB, AFP, NFS, Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox
Storage in Finder	Yes, Mount as Drive through the File Provider extension (Bucketeer Pro); not for encrypted buckets	Not documented
Sync	Sync 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)	One-way or two-way folder sync, saved as a favourite; a schedule is not documented
Editing in other apps	Open and Open With; every save is uploaded, a conflict copy is made if the server version changed	Changes are uploaded when you save in your preferred editor
Client-side encryption	AES-256-GCM per bucket on the Mac, key in the macOS Keychain	Not documented
Share links	S3 presigned URLs and Azure SAS links	Dropbox links only; S3 presigned URLs are not documented
Object versions	List, restore and delete object versions	Not documented
Metadata and headers	HTTP headers, user metadata and tags; storage class shown; auto-tagging rules	Not supported; BinaryNights calls S3 metadata a feature request
Automation	Shortcuts and Siri actions, bucketeer:// deep links, Spotlight for object names	Runs command-line tools from keyboard shortcuts

Where ForkLift is ahead

A full file manager with two panes, tabs, workspaces, batch rename and archive browsing.
Many protocols: SFTP, SMB, AFP, NFS, WebDAV and consumer clouds next to S3.
Two-way folder sync.
Git status, commit, push and pull.

Where Bucketeer is ahead

Azure Blob Storage with its own backend.
Object storage tools: versions, metadata, tags, auto-tagging, presigned and SAS links.
Buckets as drives in Finder.
Scheduled sync jobs and watch folders.
Client-side encryption per bucket.

Metadata and Tags sheet with HTTP headers, user metadata and tags of an object — Screenshots show demo data.

Bucketeer and ForkLift compared