Midnight Commander Alternatives for Linux

There are many alternatives to Midnight Commander for Linux if you are looking for a replacement. The best Linux alternative is FileZilla, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Midnight Commander and loads of them are available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux alternatives to Midnight Commander are Double Commander, Spacedrive, Dolphin File Manager and GNOME Files.

filter to find the best alternatives

Midnight Commander alternatives are mainly File Managers, but if you're looking for FTP Clients or File Renamers you can filter on that. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Midnight Commander.
Midnight Commander iconMidnight Commander
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GNU Midnight Commander is a visual file manager, licensed under GNU General Public License and therefore qualifies as Free Software. Its a feature rich full-screen text mode application that allows you to copy, move and...

More about Midnight Commander
More about Midnight Commander
Midnight Commander alternatives page was last updated Dec 3, 2024
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  1. FileZilla icon

    FileZilla

     1906 likes
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    Open-source FTP solution offering FTP, FTPS, and SFTP support. FileZilla Pro expands protocol options to WebDAV, Amazon S3, and more with FileZilla Server for comprehensive file management.

    67 FileZilla alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • ReactOS
    FileZilla screenshot 1
    Bundleware

    Be aware that installing FileZilla on your computer might install some bundleware/malware on your machine.

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Support for SFTP
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  Portable
    4.  Dedicated Server Hosting
    5.  No registration required
    6.  Mounting drives

    FileZilla VS Midnight Commander

     
    Comments about FileZilla as an Alternative to Midnight Commander
    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    May 12, 2018
    12

    Main priority is managing files on ftp server instead of local. Not File Manager like MC!

    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Negative Dec 3, 2024
    0

    FileZilla is for FTP, not local file managing.

    Guest
    Negative May 30, 2022
    0

    FileZilla is not a file manager

    Show more comments
    3 of 9 comments
    Midnight Commander Icon
    FileZilla icon

    • This alternative is disputed. FileZilla is a legitimate Midnight Commander alternative, but it might have issues that some users think are important.

    • FileZilla is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Midnight Commander.

    • FileZilla is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Midnight Commander.

    • FileZilla is Freemium and Open SourceMidnight Commander is Free and Open Source
    • FileZilla is LightweightMidnight Commander is not according to our users
  2. Double Commander icon

    Double Commander

     577 likes
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    Open-source file manager with dual-panel interface, inspired by Total Commander. Supports plugin use, advanced search, tabbed browsing, and runs smoothly with background operations. Unicode and multi-platform compatibility enhance its versatility.

    132 Double Commander alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • RU flagRussia

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Double Commander screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Configurable
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Dual Pane Support
    2.  Two-panel file manager
    3.  Folder Sync
    4.  TC plug-in's support
    5.  Batch Rename Files
    6.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    7.  File Comparison
    8.  Multiplatform
    9.  Portable
    10.  File Sync
    11.  Ad-free
    12.  Multiple Files Renaming

    Double Commander VS Midnight Commander

     
    Comments about Double Commander as an Alternative to Midnight Commander
    Guest
    Positive Sep 2, 2024
    0

    just try it, great application

    Midnight Commander Icon
    Double Commander icon

    • Most users think Double Commander is a great Midnight Commander alternative.

    • Double Commander is Free and Open SourceMidnight Commander is also Free and Open Source
  4. Spacedrive icon

    Spacedrive

     141 likes
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    Organize files across many devices in one place. From cloud services to offline hard drives, Spacedrive combines the storage capacity and processing power of your devices into one personal distributed cloud, that is both secure and intuitive to use.

    74 Spacedrive alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Spacedrive screenshot 1
    Discontinued

    The development has been paused for now.

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Filesystem
    2.  Dark Mode
    3.  Rust
    4.  File Tagging
    5.  Image Preview
    6.  Cross-Platform
    7.  No Tracking
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  Ad-free
    10.  No registration required
    11. Git icon  Git Support
    12.  Live Preview

    Spacedrive VS Midnight Commander

     
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    FileZilla icon
    FileZilla

    Open-source FTP solution offering FTP, FTPS, and SFTP support. FileZilla Pro expands protocol options to WebDAV, Amazon S3, and more with FileZilla Server for comprehensive file management.

    https://filezilla-project.org
    Learn More
  6. Dolphin File Manager icon

    Dolphin File Manager

     209 likes
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    Dolphin is a file manager for KDE focusing on usability. Has three view modes: Icon, Detail and it used to have Column View like in Finder (it is not available in current version due to problems with maintaibility). Supports FTP, SCP and other protocols. Highly configurable.

    76 Dolphin File Manager alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • KDE Plasma
    • Flathub
    Dolphin File Manager screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Split-screen view
    2.  Tree view
    3.  File preview
    4.  Built-in terminal emulation
    5. KDE Plasma icon  KDE Plasma integration
    6.  Network protocols
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  No Tracking
    10.  Batch Rename Files
    11.  No registration required
    12.  Portable

    Dolphin File Manager VS Midnight Commander

     
  7. GNOME Files icon

    GNOME Files

     216 likes
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    GNOME Files, formerly known as Nautilus, is the official file manager for the GNOME desktop, giving the user a simple way to navigate and manage its files.

    60 GNOME Files alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • GNOME
    • MacPorts
    • XQuartz
    GNOME Files screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Support for Themes
    3.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Tabbed interface
    2.  Favorites
    3.  Thumbnails
    4.  Dark Mode
    5.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    6.  Bookmarks
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Ad-free
    9.  No registration required
    10.  No Tracking
    11.  Built-in viewer
    12.  Batch Rename Files

    GNOME Files VS Midnight Commander

     
    Comments about GNOME Files as an Alternative to Midnight Commander
    Guest
    Negative Aug 27, 2018
    0

    not two-panelled, not console

    Midnight Commander Icon
    GNOME Files icon
    • GNOME Files is Free and Open SourceMidnight Commander is also Free and Open Source
    • GNOME Files is Lightweight and Privacy focusedMidnight Commander is not according to our users
  8. Thunar icon

    Thunar

     144 likes
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    Thunar is a modern file manager for the Xfce Desktop Environment. Thunar has been designed from the ground up to be fast and easy-to-use. Its user interface is clean, intuitive, and customizable. Thunar is fast and responsive with a good start up time and directory load time.

    85 Thunar alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Xfce
    • MacPorts
    • XQuartz
    Thunar screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Support for Keyboard Shortcuts
    2.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    3.  Custom Actions
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  No registration required
    6.  Live Preview
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Dark Mode
    9.  Batch Rename Files
    10.  File Tagging
    11.  Built-in viewer
    12.  Integrated Search

    Thunar VS Midnight Commander

     
    Comments about Thunar as an Alternative to Midnight Commander
    Guest
    Negative May 5, 2022
    0

    Thunar is NOT a file manager with two panels side by side, it has only one.

    Guest
    Negative Jan 19, 2017
    1

    Because it is for X, I need a clear console alternative. Like Norton Commander VS Far VS Dos Navigator.

    Midnight Commander Icon
    Thunar icon
    • Thunar is Free and Open SourceMidnight Commander is also Free and Open Source
    • Thunar is LightweightMidnight Commander is not according to our users
  10. Superfile icon

    Superfile

     24 likes
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    Pretty fancy and modern terminal file manager.

    39 Superfile alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • International

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Windows
    Superfile screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Support for Themes
    3.  Privacy focused
    4.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Terminal-based
    2.  Two panels
    3.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    4.  Dark Mode
    5.  No Tracking
    6.  Command line interface
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  No registration required
    9.  Ad-free
    10.  Support for Keyboard Shortcuts
    11.  Split-screen view
    12.  Support for Hotkeys

    Superfile VS Midnight Commander

     
  11. muCommander icon

    muCommander

     124 likes
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    muCommander is a lightweight, cross-platform file manager with a dual-pane interface. It runs on any operating system with Java support (Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, *BSD, Solaris...).

    104 muCommander alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • BSD
    • Java
    muCommander screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Dark Mode
    2.  No registration required
    3.  No Coding Required
    4.  Works Offline
    5.  Portable
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Dual Pane Support
    8.  Java based
    9.  SSH

    muCommander VS Midnight Commander

     

    • muCommander is the most popular Web-based alternative to Midnight Commander.

    • muCommander is Free and Open SourceMidnight Commander is also Free and Open Source
    • muCommander is LightweightMidnight Commander is not according to our users
  12. Krusader icon

    Krusader

     85 likes
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    Krusader is an advanced twin panel (commander style) file manager for KDE Plasma and other desktops in the *nix world.

    54 Krusader alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • XQuartz
    • KDE Plasma
    Krusader screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Dual Pane Support
    2.  Root explorer
    3.  Advanced searching
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Built-in viewer
    6.  Command line interface
    7.  No registration required
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  No Tracking
    10.  Batch Rename Files
    11.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    12.  Support for FTP

    Krusader VS Midnight Commander

     
  13. ranger icon

    ranger

     57 likes
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    Terminal file manager with VI key bindings. It provides a minimalistic and nice curses interface with a view on the directory hierarchy. The secondary task of ranger is to psychically guess which program you want to use for opening particular files.

    34 ranger alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Cygwin
    ranger screenshot 1

    ranger Features

    1.  Command line interface
    2.  Console-based
    3.  Multi Column View
    4.  Vim Key Mapping
    5.  Tui
    6.  Miller columns

    ranger VS Midnight Commander

     
  14. fman icon

    fman

     233 likes
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    The most modern dual-pane file manager. For Windows, Mac and Linux.

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Demonstration

    fman Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Plugin API
    3.  Dual Pane Support
    4.  Keyboard Shortcuts

    fman VS Midnight Commander

     
  15. PCMan File Manager icon

    PCMan File Manager

     58 likes
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    PCMan File Manager (PCManFM) is a file manager application, developed by Hong Jen Yee from Taiwan, which is meant to be a replacement for GNOME Files, Dolphin and Thunar. PCManFM is the standard file manager in LXDE, also developed by the same author in conjunction with other...

    45 PCMan File Manager alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • TW flagTaiwan

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • LXDE
    • GTK
    PCMan File Manager screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Tree view
    2.  Tabbed browsing

    PCMan File Manager VS Midnight Commander

     
12 of 52 Midnight Commander alternatives