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Head-to-head · Terminal File Managers

Rat Commander vs far2l

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 8 checks side by side
Higher score Rat Commander #2 in Terminal File Managers 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 7 of 7 features Visit Rat Commander
far2l #6 in Terminal File Managers 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 7 features Visit far2l

Rat Commander leads on 1 check, far2l on 0, and 7 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 8 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreRat Commander · 9.2/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresRat Commander · 7 of 7

Rat Commander scores higher on our rubric for terminal file managers: 9.2 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #6.

Rat Commander offers windows support; far2l doesn't.

Rat Commander is the better fit for power users needing deep file operations. far2l is the better fit for linux and macOS users managing many remotes.

  • Rat Commander fits best

    Power users needing deep file operations

  • far2l fits best

    Linux and macOS users managing many remotes

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Side by side

Feature Rat Commander 9.2/10 Visit ↗ far2l 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.7
Ranking #2 in Terminal File Managers #6 in Terminal File Managers
Best for Power users needing deep file operations Linux and macOS users managing many remotes
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Desktop Self-hosted, Desktop
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Linux, macOS
Support Docs Community, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business
Features Rat Commander 7/7 · far2l 4/7
Dual-pane layout ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Linux support ✓ ✓
macOS support ✓ ✓
Windows support ✓ (best) —
Preview pane ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Remote file access ✓ ✓
Archive support ✓ ✓
Our review
Pros
  • Dual-pane workflows with vertical or horizontal splits
  • Remote filesystems, archives, Git, synchronization, and comparisons
  • Free, open-source packages for Linux, macOS, and Windows
  • Remote access covers SFTP, SCP, FTP, FTPS, SMB, NFS, WebDAV, and AWS S3
  • Plugins support archives, comparisons, viewing, editing, image viewing, and scripting
  • Offers terminal, wxWidgets, and SDL backends with open-source extensibility
Cons
  • Terminal-based workflows may not suit users who prefer graphical file managers
  • Linux disk management features are not listed for macOS or Windows
  • Its broad toolset may exceed the needs of users seeking basic file browsing
  • Verified platform support is limited to Linux and macOS
  • The project describes its beta version as unstable on master
  • Plugin-based configuration may require more setup than simpler file managers
Our verdict

Rat Commander is a terminal-based file manager for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It is designed for users who prefer keyboard-driven navigation and want file operations, viewing, editing, archives, remote filesystems, Git, and disk utilities…

Read the review →

far2l is an open-source file manager for Linux and macOS, designed for users who need more than local directory navigation. It combines terminal interfaces with graphical wxWidgets and SDL backends, while plugins extend its work across…

Read the review →
  1. Rat CommanderTerminal File Managers 9.2Free plan
  2. far2lTerminal File Managers 8.7Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Rat Commander — where it wins

    • Dual-pane workflows with vertical or horizontal splits
    • Remote filesystems, archives, Git, synchronization, and comparisons
    • Free, open-source packages for Linux, macOS, and Windows

    Where it doesn't

    • Terminal-based workflows may not suit users who prefer graphical file managers
    • Linux disk management features are not listed for macOS or Windows
    • Its broad toolset may exceed the needs of users seeking basic file browsing

  • far2l — where it wins

    • Remote access covers SFTP, SCP, FTP, FTPS, SMB, NFS, WebDAV, and AWS S3
    • Plugins support archives, comparisons, viewing, editing, image viewing, and scripting
    • Offers terminal, wxWidgets, and SDL backends with open-source extensibility

    Where it doesn't

    • Verified platform support is limited to Linux and macOS
    • The project describes its beta version as unstable on master
    • Plugin-based configuration may require more setup than simpler file managers

More comparisons

All terminal file managers comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update