Android File Transfer alternatives for Mac, compared
Most "best alternative" lists are written by the company selling one of the options. This one isn't, so it also says where Comprador loses. If you just want files between an Android phone (or any MTP device) and your Mac, here are the real choices.
The short version
| Comprador | Android File Transfer | OpenMTP | MacDroid | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free & open source | Yes | Free, closed | Yes | Paid |
| Shows up in Finder, like a drive | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Nothing to open and babysit | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| No kernel extension or permission prompt | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| No developer mode / USB debugging | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Still maintained | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Signed & notarized by Apple | Yes | Old | No | Yes |
The longer version
Android File Transfer is the one everyone starts with and the reason most people end up here. Google quietly pulled its download in early 2024; the page now serves a Windows-only app. It still runs if you find an old copy, but it's unmaintained, caps files at 4 GB, and increasingly throws "Could not connect to the device" on Apple Silicon. Treat it as gone.
OpenMTP is the free, open-source one most people land on next, and it's good. The catch is that it's a separate dual-pane app window you keep open and watch during transfers, rather than the phone showing up in Finder. If that's the experience you want, it's a solid pick.
MacDroid is the polished paid option. It does mount in Finder, but the free tier only copies one way (phone to Mac), two-way needs PRO, its fast path uses ADB (so Developer Options and USB debugging), and it asks for system-extension permissions on first launch. If you don't mind paying and granting that, it works well.
Comprador is free and open source, mounts the device as an ordinary Finder volume, needs no kernel extension and no developer mode, and ships signed and notarized. It's the only one of the four with all of those at once. One thing none of the others do: because it serves the files over NFSv4, you can play or scrub a video straight off the phone in place, without copying it to the Mac first.
Where Comprador loses
It's Apple Silicon and macOS 13 or later only, with no Intel build. It's USB only, with no wireless transfer. And it's newer than OpenMTP, so it has less of a track record. If you're on an Intel Mac or you want Wi-Fi transfer, one of the others (or a tool like Soduto for wireless) will serve you better.