File Explorer AlternativesOnly apps categorised as FTP Clients

The best FTP Client alternative to File Explorer is Total Commander, which is free. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to File Explorer and 14 are FTP Clients so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting FTP Client alternatives to File Explorer are Dolphin File Manager, GNOME Files, Directory Opus and ForkLift.

filter to find the best alternatives

File Explorer alternatives are mainly FTP Clients, but if you're looking for File Managers or File Search Utilities you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Open Source, Windows + Free, Windows, Windows + Open Source, Linux, Mac and Free. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to File Explorer.
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Alternatives list

  1. Total Commander icon
     918 likes

    A versatile file manager offering side-by-side dual-pane for intuitive navigation, powerful built-in FTP client, extensive archive format support, robust file comparison tool with editor, advanced multi-rename using regular expressions, and scalable customization options.

    187 Total Commander alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
     
  2. Usability-focused file manager for KDE desktops offering tabbed and dual-pane browsing, archive support, quick file renaming, filter-based searching, customizable icons, theme adaptation, preview modes, and extensibility with various service integrations.

    83 Dolphin File Manager alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • KDE Plasma
    • Flathub
     
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    3
  3. GNOME Files icon
     226 likes

    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.

    65 GNOME Files alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • GNOME
    • MacPorts
    • XQuartz
    • Linux Mobile
     
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    4
  4. Directory Opus icon
     228 likes

    Complete Explorer alternative with dual-pane navigation, folder tabs, batch renaming, built-in image and document viewer, portable device access, scriptable interface, archive and metadata support, robust search, color coding, sync tools, and high DPI compatibility.

    89 Directory Opus alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
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    2
  5. ForkLift icon
     104 likes

    Dual pane macOS file manager featuring SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, cloud drives, real-time activity view, folder sync, drag-and-drop file transfers, preview panel, multi-rename, batch operations, server connections, text editing, themes, and tagging for efficient workflows.

    121 ForkLift alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  6. Commander One icon
     73 likes

    Swift file manager for Mac that offers a dual-pane interface, multi-tab browsing & advanced search. The PRO Pack adds features like FTP client, cloud integration (Box, Amazon S3), compression & more, enhancing file management capabilities.

    97 Commander One alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
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    1
  7. Very powerfull two-panel interface commander. Unreal Commander has UNICODE support, Extended search of files, Multi-rename tool, Synchronization of directories, Support of archives ZIP, RAR, ACE, CAB, JAR, TAR, LHA, GZ, TGZ , Built-in FTP client, Folder tabs, Support of...

    77 Unreal Commander alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  8. File Manager, a powerful & easy-to-use file manager & file explorer with desktop-grade features, helps you handle ALL your files efficiently.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
     
  9. Just Manager icon
     15 likes

    Just Manager is a feature packed, versatile, multi-tabbed multi-pane file manager for the Windows operating system. It is available in both x86 and x64 versions. Despite its many features it is relatively small and efficient.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  10. EF Commander icon
     2 likes

    EF Commander is a file manager for the Windows 95/98/Me, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Window XP and Windows Vista desktop. If youve ever used and liked Norton Commander, youll like this dual-windowed program, which comes complete with bubble and online help.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  11. DCommander icon
     5 likes

    DCommander is a two-pane file manager that gives you full control over your computer's filesystem.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
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    1
12 of 14 File Explorer alternatives