Second is that your phone might not be properly detected, it's infrequent but it happened once or twice, or it may not show up if you close Commander One and reopen it. It's a minor inconvenience, but you'll have to launch it manually.
First is that try as I might, I don't think Commander One can open automatically when you connect your phone over MTP, unlike Android File Transfer. From search to conditional selection to the ability to open a file without transferring it first to all the various views and options, there's really no fair way to compare it against the barebones drag/delete functionality of Android File Transfer.īut there are still a few hiccups worth thinking about. Now there are two ways to purchase the PRO pack, either from the Mac App Store or from the Eltima store, and it costs $29.99 regardless though there are benefits and downsides to both so check this PRO source comparison before you decide where you want to plunk down your dineros.Īs is clear from the rundown, Commander One gives you complete browsing and editing capabilities on your Android phone's storage, as if it was a folder on your computer.
It's free to try for 15 days, after which you'll need to pay to unlock those added options. Commander One is a free file browser, but the PRO pack opens up a lot of features including Android and MTP support ( free vs PRO comparison chart). So before I get into what Commander One does and how it works, let's clear out the pricing and versions issue. After giving it a go, I'd say it does what it promises, but I'm still not sure that's worth the entry price unless you need its other abilities or you copy large files super frequently between your phone and computer.
So when Eltima reached out and asked us to take a look at Commander One's Android file manager and transfer abilities, I was intrigued though not fully convinced.
I use very little third-party software on my Mac beyond Chrome and Photoshop and I find Mac software way overpriced. To be honest with you, I had heard of Eltima's solutions before, starting with SyncMate, but I'd never given them a proper go. Unselecting all files also requires a nonstandard Command-hyphen keyboard shortcut.Sorry, no file opening for you! Commander One to the rescueĮnter Commander One from Eltima. Worse yet, selecting multiple non-contiguous items requires holding down the Command key the entire time-that takes some getting used to, since it’s the opposite of how Finder works, where the first click needs no modifier. Such power comes with an overall lack of polish-although Quick Look is built into Commander One, pressing the Space bar doesn’t preview a file or folder, but rather selects or deselects it instead. IDGĬommander One can now directly access iOS devices via Wi-Fi or wired connections, but it’s not quite as intuitive as dedicated software like iMazing. By comparison, the extension is a down and dirty, low-level approach to accessing iOS data, but one better suited to advanced users who know what they’re doing. Less finesseĪlthough a welcome addition to its arsenal, Commander One’s implementation of iOS device support is no substitute for dedicated utilities like iMazing or PhoneView, both of which present mobile data in a more elegant, user-friendly way. The only way around this limitation is to disable the iOS extension altogether, which can be done from the launch prompt or Preferences > Extensions panel.
The Pro Pack upgrade allows Commander One to access FTP or WebDAV servers and cloud services in addition to local and network-attached volumes.Īnother new Pro feature is the ability to mount iOS or MTP devices in addition to Android, although in the case of iOS, an administrator password is required every time Commander One is launched due to Apple’s restrictions. In addition to browsing local and network-attached volumes, the Pro version works with FTP and WebDAV servers as well as cloud services, adding Box and Backblaze to the original lineup (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Amazon S3).
The only catch is that, after a 15-day trial period, you’ll have to pony up $30 for the Pro Pack upgrade to use themes, but that purchase unlocks a long list of other features too.