TurboFTP is a commercial FTP and SFTP client for Windows from TurboSoft. It moves files between a PC and remote servers over plain FTP, FTPS (SSL/TLS) and SFTP over SSH2. It also adds folder synchronization, scheduled transfers, automatic uploads and built-in OpenPGP encryption. TurboSoft sells it in several editions and offers a time-limited evaluation.
Two-pane window and transfer queue
The main window stacks a log of the server dialogue, the local and remote file listings side by side, and the transfer queue. Users can drag files from either pane into the other or into the queue. One queue can hold items for more than one site.
Speed limits, automatic reconnect, resumption of broken transfers and an anti-idle mechanism keep long jobs running. Users can save a queue as a session file for later use.
Overwrite rules for existing files
When a transfer would replace a file, TurboFTP checks user-defined rules. Each rule compares source and destination by size (larger, smaller, same, different) and by time (newer, older, same, different). It can apply to uploads, downloads or both. A matching rule then overwrites, resumes a partial file, skips, renames the incoming copy with a timestamp suffix, or asks. A prompt can carry a default answer and a timeout.
Comparing and synchronizing folders
The Folder Synchronizer scans a local folder and a remote folder recursively and shows both trees side by side. Every item gets an action icon: upload or download as new, overwrite, update, delete or ignore. Users can change any planned action before anything runs. The synchronizer disables options that conflict with the chosen direction; an upload-only scheme, for instance, blocks downloads. Start Synchronization sends all planned transfers to the queue. Wildcard filters decide which files take part, and TurboFTP stores the settings per site.
For website work, TurboFTP also sets Unix permissions through CHMOD and opens local or remote files in an editor assigned to each file extension.
Scheduled tasks and the Sync Service
The Task Scheduler runs two kinds of job, once or repeatedly. These are a saved queue session or a folder synchronization that follows the site’s sync scheme without user input. Users can make a task wait until another one finishes.
From the Professional edition up, the Sync Service module runs these tasks as a Windows NT service, so no one needs to be logged in. It adds per-task logs, network share access and email reports. It also supports moving or deleting files after transfer, running programs before or after a task, and command-line control.
Folder monitoring
Basic Auto Upload, available in every edition, watches a local folder from the TurboFTP window and uploads new files. The Advanced Auto Upload in the Sync Service watches one folder per task, optionally including all subfolders. It can react to new files, updated files or both. Include and exclude filters limit what is sent. The service recreates new local subfolders on the server, and periodic email reports summarize what was sent.
Encryption and connection security
TurboFTP has its own OpenPGP keychain for public and secret keys. The keychain supports import from ASCII-armored or binary key files, export, passphrase changes and a key creation wizard. Users can encrypt, decrypt, sign and verify files from the local file pane. Wizards also create SSH keys and SSL certificates.
Each saved site can have its own SFTP and TLS algorithm choices, and TurboFTP handles client certificates, S/Key one-time passwords, MODE Z compression and HTTP or SOCKS proxies.
Site Address Book
The Site Address Book stores servers in a tree of folders, each site with its own connection, security and synchronization settings. Users can import site lists from WS_FTP, CuteFTP, LeapFTP and FTP Explorer. For quick jobs, an Explorer context-menu wizard uploads selected files through a saved profile without opening the main program.
Editions
TurboFTP Lite covers the client itself: FTP, FTPS and SFTP, the Folder Synchronizer, overwrite rules, Basic Auto Upload and OpenPGP in the main window. Professional adds the Sync Service with up to five combined sync and auto-upload tasks. Elite raises that limit to 30 and Business removes it. Corporate adds a FIPS 140-2 mode and automatic OpenPGP encryption before upload and decryption after download inside the Sync Service.
