The Relay vs OpenMTP: wireless continuity app or free cable file manager?

They are different kinds of tool, and for plain file copying OpenMTP is hard to beat on price: it is free and open source, and it moves files between an Android phone and a Mac over a USB cable. Pick OpenMTP if you want to copy a camera roll or a big folder across a cable and nothing else. Pick The Relay if you want the phone and the Mac to work together without a cable: clipboard, login codes, notifications, incoming calls, links, files, and a webcam, in one app, with one subscription through Google Play after a 7-day free trial.

Publisher note: The Relay publishes this guide and is one of the products discussed. Details about other products come from each maker's own pages, checked on 2 October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm before you buy.

How do OpenMTP and The Relay compare side by side?

A cell says "Yes" only where the maker's own page lists the feature. "Not stated" means the pages we read do not mention it. It does not mean we tested the product and found it missing.

The OpenMTP cells come from its site and FAQ and its GitHub page, where the developer says the app is free to use.

What is OpenMTP?

OpenMTP is a Mac app for Android's standard file-transfer mode, MTP. The steps on its site are short: install it, connect the phone with a cable, unlock the phone, tap the USB notification, and choose File transfer. Your Mac is on the left of the window and the phone is on the right, and you drag files across. It does not change anything in the phone's developer settings. The site says it handles files larger than 4 GB, which it contrasts with Android File Transfer, and that it works with phones, cameras, and other MTP devices.

That is the whole product, and it is good at it. For a walk-through, see how to use OpenMTP, and for troubleshooting see OpenMTP not working.

When OpenMTP is the better choice

• Files are the only job. It does that for nothing.
• You are moving a lot. A whole camera roll or a folder of long videos is a job for a cable and a free tool. See transferring videos from Android to a Mac.
• You prefer a cable. The Relay has no USB mode.
• You want no network at all. OpenMTP's site describes a cable, with no Wi-Fi setup and no account.
• You have an older Mac. OpenMTP's site lists macOS back to 10.12, while The Relay needs macOS 13 Ventura or later.
• You want open-source code. OpenMTP is open source and The Relay is not.

When The Relay is the better choice

• You do not want to plug in. Every OpenMTP session starts with a cable and an unlocked phone. The Relay works over your own Wi-Fi network once the two are paired by scanning a QR code on the Mac.
• You want more than files. Pasting between devices, getting a texted code onto the Mac's clipboard, seeing notifications, and accepting calls are not in OpenMTP's pages.
• You want the phone as a webcam and microphone, which is covered in using an Android phone as a webcam for a Mac.
• You move small things all day. A cable is a good way to move a lot at once. It is a poor way to move a screenshot ten times a day.
• You want everything under one subscription. There are no feature tiers.

Is it cable versus wireless, then?

Partly. OpenMTP's site says USB with MTP is "much faster and more reliable than transferring over Wi-Fi". That is OpenMTP's claim about its own approach, and we have not measured The Relay, so we cannot say how the two compare for a large transfer. If speed on a huge transfer matters to you, test a folder with each. For the long list of wired and wireless routes, see Android to Mac USB file transfer and Android to Mac Wi-Fi file transfer.

What The Relay will not do

• It has no USB cable mode.
• It does not mount the phone as a disk in Finder.
• It does not mirror the screen or send texts, and it does not place calls.
• It is not remote. Both devices must be on the same network or in Bluetooth range.
• It does not back up your photo library.
• It needs Android 8.0 or later and macOS 13 Ventura or later, with no iPhone, Windows, or Linux version.
• It is not free: after the 7-day trial it is a subscription through Google Play unless you cancel in Google Play before the trial ends. Refunds go through Google Play; see the terms.

Questions people ask

Is OpenMTP free?

Yes. Its site says "Free and open source, forever". The developer accepts donations.

Does OpenMTP work over Wi-Fi?

No. Its FAQ says it connects over a USB cable using MTP. For wireless files, see NearDrop or LocalSend, or The Relay.

Can The Relay replace OpenMTP?

For moving files without a cable, yes. For a wired copy it cannot, because it has no USB mode. Many people will want OpenMTP for the occasional huge transfer and something wireless for daily use.

Is OpenMTP safe?

Its site says it is open source and collects no personally identifiable information. See is OpenMTP safe?.