Alternatives to Caja
The file manager of the MATE desktop, used to browse files and manage the desktop on Linux. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Caja
The file manager of the MATE desktop, used to browse files and manage the desktop on Linux.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Caja.
Nemo
Cinnamon's file manager, a Nautilus fork with more built-in options.
Nemo is the Cinnamon file manager with dual panes and an extension system, and on other desktops it pulls in extra dependencies.
GNOME Files
The default GNOME desktop file manager, also called Nautilus, for browsing local and network files.
GNOME Files is deliberately simpler with no dual-pane mode and is designed around the GNOME desktop instead of MATE.
Thunar
The lightweight default file manager of the Xfce desktop environment for Linux.
Thunar is the lighter Xfce file manager with a built-in bulk renamer and custom actions, but it is single pane with fewer advanced features.
PCManFM
A lightweight, tabbed GTK file manager from the LXDE desktop project for Linux.
PCManFM is a lightweight tabbed GTK file manager from LXDE with very low resource use, though it has fewer features and slow development.
PCManFM-Qt
A Qt-based file manager and desktop icon manager, the default file manager of the LXQt desktop.
PCManFM-Qt moves to the Qt toolkit as the LXQt file manager and desktop icon handler, and advanced features like dual panes are undocumented.
Xfe
A fast, lightweight file manager for X on Linux and Unix with Explorer- and Commander-style layouts.
Xfe is a desktop-independent lightweight file manager with four layouts including dual pane, but its interface is plainer than desktop-environment file managers.
Krusader
A twin-panel commander-style file manager for KDE Plasma and other Linux and Unix desktops.
Krusader switches to a two-pane commander layout with sync and SFTP, but it is built on KDE libraries and has a dense interface.
Pantheon Files
The file manager designed for elementary OS and its Pantheon desktop.
Pantheon Files is a minimal file manager designed for elementary OS, with Git status integration and fewer advanced features.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Caja as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
COSMIC Files
The Rust-based file manager of System76's COSMIC desktop environment for Linux.
Caja is the MATE desktop's file manager with an extension interface, best integrated with MATE rather than COSMIC.
Deepin File Manager
The default file manager of the Deepin desktop environment for Linux.
Caja is the MATE desktop file manager with an extension interface, best integrated with MATE rather than the Deepin desktop.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
