What is Transmit?
Transmit is Panic's file transfer client for macOS, and the judgement to make first is about how it is sold: buying from panic.com is a one-time purchase of $45 USD with no recurring fee, not a subscription. It connects over SFTP, FTP and FTPS, WebDAV, and a long list of cloud services including Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive, and it can mount remote servers as volumes in the Finder through Transmit Disk. Panic requires macOS 13.0 or later, and the app has supported Apple Silicon since version 5.7 in November 2020. A seven-day trial of the full app is available before buying. The same product is also sold on the Mac App Store, but only as a $24.99 per-year subscription, and Panic states the two builds are not interchangeable. It suits people who move files to servers or object storage regularly rather than occasionally.
Verified product facts
- Type
- file transfer clientEditorially reviewed
- Platform
- macOS
- Apple Silicon
- Yes
- Pricing
- One-time purchaseDeveloper-stated
- Developer
- PanicDeveloper-stated
- Relationship to Nuanyue
- Third-party product — not published by NuanyueEditorially reviewed
- Licence
- Proprietary; licensed per user under Panic's EULA
- Current version
- 5.11.7Developer-stated
- Official website
- panic.com/transmit/
Last updated . Facts marked developer-stated come from the developer and are not independently confirmed; editorially reviewed marks a Nuanyue judgement.
Key features
What Transmit does at a glance.
SFTP, FTP and FTPS connections
WebDAV
Over HTTP and HTTPS
Cloud storage
Including Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Azure, Box and OpenStack Swift
Transmit Disk mounts saved servers as volumes
In the Finder
Folder synchronisation
With configurable skip rules
Editing remote files
In a local external editor
What you can use Transmit for
- Uploading files to a remote server over SFTP or FTP
- Browsing Amazon S3 or Backblaze B2 buckets alongside local files
- Mounting a remote server as a volume in the Finder with Transmit Disk
- Synchronising a local folder with a remote one
- Editing a remote file in a configured external editor
Who is Transmit for?
- Developers who move files to servers or object storage regularly
- People who prefer a one-time purchase over a subscription
- Users who want remote servers to appear as Finder volumes
Who is Transmit not for?
- People who want the cheapest option — free clients such as Cyberduck cover similar ground
- Teams sharing one licence — Transmit licences are per user, so each user needs their own
Limitations
- The Mac App Store build is a $24.99-per-year subscription and is not interchangeable with the panic.com licence
- Some cloud services are rate-limited to two simultaneous connections
Strengths and trade-offs
What Transmit does well, and what to weigh before choosing it. Points marked developer-stated come from the developer’s own material and have not been independently confirmed.
Strengths
- A one-time purchase from panic.com: $45 buys the app permanently, with no recurring fee.
- Connects to SFTP, FTP, WebDAV and a broad set of cloud services including S3, Backblaze B2, Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive.
- Licences are per user rather than per Mac, so one buyer can install Transmit on all of their own Macs.
Trade-offs
- The Mac App Store build is subscription-only and is not interchangeable with the panic.com licence, so the two purchase routes cannot be mixed.
- At $45 it costs more than the free and open-source file transfer clients it competes with, such as Cyberduck.Editorially reviewed
First-use experience
What the app asks of you when you set it up. Only established facts appear here; anything we could not confirm is left out rather than guessed at.
- Installation
- Download the full version from panic.com and drag the app to Applications; it runs as a seven-day trial until an unlock code is entered.
- First launch Developer-stated
- Prompts for a serial number to leave trial mode, and imports Favourites from an earlier Transmit version at first launch.
- System integration Developer-stated
- Transmit Disk mounts saved servers as volumes in the Finder, and the app can open remote files in a configured external editor.
- Apple Silicon
- Supported
What it does
Transmit is a file transfer client for macOS. It connects to remote servers and cloud storage, browses them alongside the local disk in a two-pane file browser, and moves files between the two. It is sold as a one-time purchase from panic.com rather than as a subscription.
Protocols and cloud services
Transmit speaks the traditional file transfer protocols — FTP, FTPS and SFTP — as well as WebDAV over both HTTP and HTTPS. Alongside those it connects to object storage and hosted services: Amazon S3 (including IAM roles), Backblaze B2, Box, DreamObjects, Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft Azure, OneDrive, OpenStack Swift and Rackspace Cloud Files.
Not every backend behaves the same. Panic publishes a per-protocol support matrix, and several cloud services are rate-limited to two simultaneous connections, which is worth knowing before comparing transfer speeds between providers.
Transmit Disk
Transmit Disk mounts saved servers as volumes in the Finder, so a remote SFTP or S3 location can be browsed like a local disk rather than through the app’s own window. Panic documents it separately from the main file browser, including a dedicated FAQ and a troubleshooting page.
Pricing
There are two purchase routes and they are deliberately different products:
| Route | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
| panic.com | One-time purchase, no recurring fee | $45 USD |
| Mac App Store | Subscription | $24.99 USD per year |
Panic’s own wording is that the App Store and panic.com builds “are not 100% the same and are not interchangeable”. A licence is per user, not per Mac, and a seven-day trial of the full app is available before purchase. Panic also offers a 25% education discount on request.
Apple Silicon
Recorded as supported. Panic’s release notes for version 5.7, dated 12 November 2020, state it “adds support for Apple silicon chips, like the new Apple M1”.
Release history
Dated releases recorded for Transmit, newest first, each with the source it was read from.
5.11.7
Fixed drag and drop of file browser items when using column view.
Source: Documentation
5.7
Added support for Apple silicon chips, like the new Apple M1, and for macOS 11 Big Sur.
Source: Documentation
Questions about Transmit
Is Transmit a one-time purchase or a subscription?
Buying from panic.com is a one-time purchase of $45 USD with no recurring fees. The Mac App Store version is sold separately as a $24.99-per-year subscription, and Panic states the two builds are not interchangeable.
Which macOS version does Transmit require?
Panic's product page states Transmit 5 requires macOS 13.0 or later.
Does Transmit run on Apple Silicon?
Yes. Panic added Apple silicon support in version 5.7, released on 12 November 2020, describing it as support for 'Apple silicon chips, like the new Apple M1'.
Which protocols and cloud services does Transmit support?
FTP, FTPS and SFTP, WebDAV over HTTP and HTTPS, and cloud services including Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft Azure, OneDrive, OpenStack Swift and Rackspace Cloud Files. Some cloud services are rate-limited to two simultaneous connections.
Can I use one Transmit licence on several Macs?
Yes. Panic's licences are per user, not per Mac, so one person may install Transmit on all of their own Macs; if several people use it, each needs their own licence.
Compared with
Head-to-head comparisons Nuanyue has published.
Cyberduck
Free, open-source FTP, SFTP and cloud storage browser for Mac.
Both are macOS file transfer clients; Cyberduck is free and open source while Transmit is a paid one-time purchase, so they are the usual two sides of that decision.
Similar apps
Related in purpose, but not a straight swap.
Fork
Native Git client for Mac with visual rebase and merge tools.
Both are paid native Mac tools aimed at developers, but Fork is a Git client and Transmit is a general file-transfer client.
Works well with
Not a replacement — apps commonly used alongside this one.
Nova
Native Mac editor and IDE from Panic, with LSP and built-in debugging.
Both are Panic apps, and Nova's remote publishing is built on Transmit's file-transfer engine.
Sublime Text
Fast native code editor with a Python package ecosystem.
Transmit can open remote files in an external editor, and Sublime Text is a common pairing for editing files in place.
Links
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the sources below. Last updated .
- Transmit — official websiteGrade B
- Panic — developer websiteGrade B
- Transmit — documentationGrade C
