Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Paragon ExtFS VS sshfs

Compare Paragon ExtFS VS sshfs and see what are their differences

Paragon ExtFS logo Paragon ExtFS

Provides MacOS and Windows machines native access to the Linux OS ext file system family.

sshfs logo sshfs

This is a filesystem client based on the SSH File Transfer Protocol.
  • Paragon ExtFS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-15
  • sshfs Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-26

Paragon ExtFS features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Paragon ExtFS for Mac allows macOS users to seamlessly access Linux Ext2, Ext3, and Ext4 file systems, facilitating data transfer and interoperability between macOS and Linux environments.
  • Read and Write Access
    Provides full read and write access to Ext file systems, enabling users to view, modify, and transfer files without limitations.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Offers an easy-to-navigate interface that integrates with the macOS Finder, making it simple for users to manage and interact with ExtFS-formatted drives.
  • High Performance
    Optimized for high-speed data access and efficient utilization of system resources, ensuring quick file handling and minimal performance degradation.
  • Automatic Mounting
    Automatically mounts ExtFS partitions at startup, providing immediate access without needing manual mounting every time the system boots.

Possible disadvantages of Paragon ExtFS

  • Cost
    Paragon ExtFS for Mac is a paid software, which can be a drawback for users seeking a free solution for Ext file system access.
  • Limited to macOS
    The software is only available for macOS, potentially limiting its usefulness for users who require Ext file system access on other operating systems.
  • Potential Stability Issues
    As with any third-party kernel extensions, there can be occasional stability issues or incompatibilities with macOS updates.
  • Privacy Concerns
    As a proprietary tool, users must trust Paragon Software with the handling of their data, which may raise privacy concerns for some.
  • Dependence on Software Updates
    Effective functionality often relies on the timely release of updates from Paragon Software to ensure compatibility with the latest macOS versions.

sshfs features and specs

  • Remote File Access
    SSHFS allows you to mount remote directories over SSH, enabling seamless access to files on a remote server as if they were on your local machine.
  • Security
    Relying on SSH for data transmission ensures encrypted and secure communication between the client and server, protecting against eavesdropping and tampering.
  • Ease of Use
    Setting up SSHFS is straightforward for those already familiar with SSH, making it a convenient solution for remote file handling without needing additional configurations.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    SSHFS can be used across various Unix-like systems and has ports for macOS and Windows, offering broad compatibility for different environments.
  • Portability
    As SSHFS builds on SSH, it can be used almost anywhere SSH is available, providing flexibility in working across different networks and setups.

Possible disadvantages of sshfs

  • Performance
    Since SSHFS relies on SSH for data transfer, it may not perform as well as traditional network file systems, particularly over high-latency connections.
  • Limited Functionality
    SSHFS might not support all functionalities of a full-fledged network file system, such as advanced file locking mechanisms or sophisticated permission management.
  • Dependency on SSH
    The effectiveness of SSHFS is contingent upon SSH configurations and permissions, which can limit usability if not properly set up.
  • Potential Security Risks
    If SSH access is compromised or not sufficiently secured, the data accessed over SSHFS is at risk, underscoring the need for robust SSH security practices.
  • Mount Stability
    In the event of network interruptions or SSH session drops, SSHFS mounts can become unstable or unresponsive, requiring remounting or manual intervention.

Paragon ExtFS videos

Paragon ExtFS for UEFI - mounting ExtFS volume in UEFI environment with Paragon UFSD SDK for UEFI.

sshfs videos

Mounting Remote Filesystems With SSHFS

More videos:

  • Review - sshfs - Mount Network Share over SSH - Linux CLI
  • Review - Hak5 - Build Secure Online Storage - SSHFS, File Systems, Fuse and Userland, Hak5 1111 part1

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Paragon ExtFS and sshfs)
Cloud Storage
38 38%
62% 62
FTP Client
0 0%
100% 100
CD Image Creator
100 100%
0% 0
DVD Image Creator
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Paragon ExtFS and sshfs. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, sshfs seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 34 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Paragon ExtFS mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Paragon ExtFS yet. Tracking of Paragon ExtFS recommendations started around Mar 2021.

sshfs mentions (34)

  • Sshfs for Windows
    What are you basing that on? It had a release in 2022 and last commit is 7 months old. It probably hasn't needed any new features in a while. I'm not sure how often it would need security updates. Ah, I see now there's a note in the README[0]. It sounds more like it's in maintenance mode / understaffed than completely abandoned, but I suppose it's worth being aware of. Sshfs has been a killer feature for me on my... - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • How do you setup your gnome extension development environment?
    Sshfs - allows us mount a remote filesystem using SFTP. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • The Cheapest NAS
    I use sshfs. If you can login via ssh then you can mount the remote server through ssh as a local drive. https://github.com/libfuse/sshfs For added security I limit my home ssh access to a handful of trusted IPs including my cloud VM. Then I set up an ssh tunnel from my hotel through the cloud VM to home. The cloud VM never sees my password / key. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Rclone syncs your files to cloud storage
    > It's replaced sshfs for some cases. I'd been using sshfs for some years until I learned that rclone can mount remotes to the file system, and I've been using that happily since then. https://rclone.org/commands/rclone_mount/ > at present SSHFS does not have any active, regular contributors, and there are a number of known issues - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • A currently maintained fork of SSHFS
    Interesting, I alaways assumed sshfs was part of OpenSSH, learn something new every day. Also, looks like sshfs used in Slackware is abandoned. https://github.com/libfuse/sshfs A quote from the link, I wonder if this project will be the 'one': >If you would like to take over this project, you are welcome to do so. Please fork it and develop the fork for a while. Once... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Paragon ExtFS and sshfs, you can also consider the following products

DiskInternals Linux Reader - A freeware tool for extracting files from Ext2/Ext3/Ext4, hfs and ReiserFS partitions in Windows

WinSCP - WinSCP is an open source free SFTP client and FTP client for Windows.

Linux File Systems for Windows - Plug hard disk with ExtFS/Btrfs/XFS partitions and work with media on Windows.

Rclone - rsync for cloud storage.

Ext2Read (Ext2Explore) - Ext2Read is an explorer like utility to explore ext2/ext3/ext4 files. It now supports Linux LVM2.

SSHFS-Win - SSHFS-Win is a minimal port of SSHFS to Windows.