# Midnight Commander review, pricing and alternatives

Source: https://listme.name/software/midnight-commander
Website: https://midnight-commander.org/

Free dual-pane file manager for the terminal

Midnight Commander is a free, dual-pane file manager that runs in a text terminal on Linux, macOS and BSD systems. The project describes it as a visual, dual-pane file manager released under the GNU General Public License.

Midnight Commander is a full-screen, text-mode file manager with two panes, which the project describes as a visual dual-pane file manager. It is released under the GNU General Public License and qualifies as free software, according to the project's site.

The site lists installation through the system package manager on Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Red Hat, FreeBSD and OpenBSD, and through Homebrew or MacPorts on macOS. It suits people who work in a terminal and want two panels for copying and comparing files.

- Free and open source | Linux, macOS, Command line | open source (GPL)
- Price: Free GNU GPL software installed from package managers
- Checked: 2026-10-10

## Strengths

- Free GNU GPL software, per the project site
- Two panes for copying and comparing files

## Limits

- Text-mode interface with a learning curve
- No native desktop window

## Rankings

- #6 of 10 in [best File managers](https://listme.name/best/file-managers), score 86.0: A free dual-pane file manager that runs in a terminal on Linux, macOS and BSD under the GNU GPL. It is the only text-mode dual-pane tool in this list, and it has no native desktop window.

## Alternatives

- [Total Commander](https://listme.name/software/total-commander), score 92.0
- [Directory Opus](https://listme.name/software/directory-opus), score 90.5
- [Double Commander](https://listme.name/software/double-commander), score 89.5
- [Dolphin](https://listme.name/software/dolphin), score 88.0
- [XYplorer](https://listme.name/software/xyplorer), score 87.0
- [Files](https://listme.name/software/files-app), score 84.5
- [Nautilus](https://listme.name/software/nautilus), score 82.0
- [Nemo](https://listme.name/software/nemo), score 81.5