Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Terminal File Managers

Rat Commander vs FileManagerTUI

  • 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
FileManagerTUI #3 in Terminal File Managers 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 6 of 7 features Visit FileManagerTUI

Rat Commander leads on 0 checks, FileManagerTUI on 0, and 8 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 9.0 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #3.

Rat Commander is the better fit for power users needing deep file operations. FileManagerTUI is the better fit for vim-oriented cross-platform file management.

  • Rat Commander fits best

    Power users needing deep file operations

  • FileManagerTUI fits best

    Vim-oriented cross-platform file management

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Rat Commander 9.2/10 Visit ↗ FileManagerTUI 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 9.0
Ranking #2 in Terminal File Managers #3 in Terminal File Managers
Best for Power users needing deep file operations Vim-oriented cross-platform file management
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Desktop Desktop
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Docs Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business
Features Rat Commander 7/7 · FileManagerTUI 6/7
Dual-pane layout ✓ ✓
Linux support ✓ ✓
macOS support ✓ ✓
Windows support ✓ ✓
Preview pane ✓ ✓
Remote file access ✓ ✓
Archive support ✓ (best) Not checked yet
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
  • Dual-pane previews with syntax highlighting and large-file support
  • Vim navigation, fuzzy finding, filtering, and batch operations
  • Embedded terminal, inline editor, and read-only AWS S3 browsing
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
  • AWS S3 access is limited to read-only bucket browsing
  • Its terminal interface may not suit users seeking graphical file management
  • Remote browsing is tied to AWS S3 and the AWS CLI
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 →

FileManagerTUI, presented in the repository as fm-tui, is a Rust-based terminal file manager for navigating and managing local files. It is aimed at users who prefer keyboard-driven workflows, particularly Vim-style navigation, while still…

Read the review →
  1. Rat CommanderTerminal File Managers 9.2Free plan
  2. FileManagerTUITerminal File Managers 9.0Free 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

  • FileManagerTUI — where it wins

    • Dual-pane previews with syntax highlighting and large-file support
    • Vim navigation, fuzzy finding, filtering, and batch operations
    • Embedded terminal, inline editor, and read-only AWS S3 browsing

    Where it doesn't

    • AWS S3 access is limited to read-only bucket browsing
    • Its terminal interface may not suit users seeking graphical file management
    • Remote browsing is tied to AWS S3 and the AWS CLI

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