FTPie vs NetDrive

NetDrive is a long-running Windows (and Mac) tool for mounting cloud, FTP and NAS storage as a drive. It is a capable mounter with broad protocol support and is popular for making a NAS or FTP server appear in Explorer. FTPie takes the file-manager route instead, and is sold once rather than on subscription.

As always with these tools, the real question is how you want to interact with your files: a mounted drive every app can see (NetDrive), or a dedicated workspace to manage everything (FTPie).

How NetDrive works

NetDrive connects an account and presents it as a drive letter, with caching to smooth over network latency. It covers a wide range of backends - cloud services, FTP/SFTP/WebDAV and NAS - and is generally licensed as a subscription. Its job is access, not file management; organizing and moving files is still done through Explorer.

How FTPie works

FTPie is a dual-pane file manager rather than a mounting layer. You browse and transfer between storages inside the app, with built-in viewers and editors, scheduled backups, compression and sharing - and a one-time purchase instead of a recurring fee.

Side-by-side comparison

Where NetDrive has the edge

• Drive mounting with caching, so any app can use the storage as local.
• Cross-platform with a Mac version.
• Set-and-forget access to a NAS or server from Explorer.

Where FTPie has the edge

• Real file management - dual-pane, server-to-server, organize across storages.
• Built-in tools for editing, viewing, backups, compression and sharing.
• One-time price instead of a subscription.

So which should you pick?

Choose NetDrive if a mounted drive that any app can use - especially for a NAS or FTP server - is what you are after, and you are fine with a subscription. Choose FTPie if you want a one-time-purchase Windows file manager that browses, transfers, edits, backs up and shares across all your storage. As a NetDrive alternative, FTPie is the management workspace rather than the mount.