Android File Transfer alternatives for Mac
Google’s Android File Transfer was last built in 2018. Here are the Mac apps people use instead in 2026: what they cost, how they connect, what they need on the phone, and whether they go online.
Facts checked on October 27, 2026 against each app’s own website, App Store listing or source code. Prices change, so check before you buy. This page is published by Yaaft, one of the apps compared.
What happened to Android File Transfer
Android File Transfer is an Intel app, last built in October 2018. On a Mac with Apple silicon it only runs through Rosetta. Google no longer points to it: android.com/filetransfer now redirects to Quick Share for Windows, and Google’s help page on moving files between a computer and an Android phone covers Windows and Chromebook, not the Mac. The installer itself is still on Google’s download server.
It also installs Android File Transfer Agent, a background helper that takes the phone as soon as it’s plugged in, so other apps can’t connect while it runs. If you switch to another app, remove the agent in System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions.
Over a USB cable
These use MTP, the File transfer mode built into Android, so nothing has to be installed on the phone.
| App | Price | Connects by | Latest version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yaaft | Free | USB (MTP) | 0.1.0, October 2026 |
| Android File Transfer | Free | USB (MTP) | October 2018 |
| OpenMTP | Free, open source | USB (MTP) | 3.3.0, August 2026 |
| MacDroid | Free for Android → Mac only; PRO $19 a year or $34 once | USB (MTP or ADB), Wi-Fi (ADB) | 2.10, June 2026 |
| SmoothDroid | $10 / €9 once, with a year of updates | USB (MTP) | 1.2.1 |
| Commander One PRO | $29.99 once; MTP is a PRO feature | USB (MTP) | 3.18, September 2026 |
| iDroid | Free with limited speed; iDroid+ removes the limit | USB (MTP or ADB), Wi-Fi (ADB) | 1.31, October 2026 |
Yaaft
Free, with no ads and no account. A native app for Apple silicon and Intel, macOS 13 or later, sandboxed and without network access: macOS doesn’t let it connect to anything. It names the app holding the phone when another app has it, and can share the phone with Preview or Photos. It copies files over 4 GB and works in 20 languages. It doesn’t mount the phone in Finder; you browse it in Yaaft’s own window.
OpenMTP
Free and open source, with separate Apple silicon and Intel downloads, and it runs on macOS 10.14 or later. It is built with Electron, so each download is over 120 MB. As of version 3.3.0, anonymous usage statistics and automatic update checks are both on by default; you can turn them off in its settings. Not to be confused with “OpenMTP for ARM” on the Mac App Store, a separate app by another developer.
MacDroid
Mounts the phone as a drive in Finder. The free version copies from Android to the Mac only; copying the other way needs PRO, a $19 yearly subscription with a 7-day trial or $34 once. Besides MTP it can connect over ADB by cable or Wi-Fi, which needs Developer options and USB or wireless debugging on the phone. macOS 11.5 or later.
SmoothDroid
A one-time purchase of $10 / €9 with a year of updates, sold directly rather than on the Mac App Store (also on Setapp). No account or phone app; its privacy policy says it has no in-app analytics. The trial copies files up to 5 MB. Apple silicon and Intel, macOS 12 or later.
Commander One
A two-pane file manager, not a phone app as such. The free edition can’t open phones; MTP devices need Commander One PRO, $29.99 once per Mac, and then appear as a mounted drive. Apple silicon and Intel, macOS 10.13 or later.
iDroid
On the Mac App Store, macOS 12 or later. Connects over MTP or ADB by cable, or ADB over Wi-Fi. Free with a limited transfer speed; the iDroid+ upgrade removes the limit.
Without a cable
Wireless tools need an app on the phone or Android’s own sharing, and both devices on the same network.
- LocalSend: free and open source, works over your local Wi-Fi without internet or an account. Install it on both the phone and the Mac.
- NearDrop: free and open source, lets a Mac receive files from Android’s built-in Quick Share over local Wi-Fi. Its author calls it a partial, unofficial implementation, and the app isn’t notarized.
- Quick Share: Google has no Quick Share app for the Mac; its Quick Share desktop app is for Windows.
- AirDroid Personal: needs an AirDroid account and its app on the phone, and can transfer over the internet as well as locally. The free plan limits remote transfers to 30 MB per file; Premium is $3.99 a month or $29.99 a year.
Which one to pick
- Free, nothing on the phone, never online: Yaaft, or OpenMTP with its statistics and update checks turned off.
- The phone as a drive in Finder: MacDroid or Commander One PRO, both paid for full use.
- A Mac older than macOS 13: OpenMTP (10.14+), Commander One (10.13+), MacDroid (11.5+) or SmoothDroid (12+). Yaaft needs macOS 13.
- No cable: LocalSend, if you don’t mind installing it on the phone.
Whichever you choose, only one app can use the phone at a time. If the phone doesn’t show up, see Android phone not showing up on your Mac?
Get Yaaft for macOS 13 or later.