Alternatives to EF Commander
A two-panel Windows file manager with an archiver, viewer, hex editor and FTP/SFTP client. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
EF Commander
A two-panel Windows file manager with an archiver, viewer, hex editor and FTP/SFTP client.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as EF Commander.
Total Commander
The dual-pane Windows file manager people have been using since 1993, still updated, still shareware.
Total Commander is also paid and Windows only, keeping archives, FTP and SFTP inside the manager while adding a large plugin ecosystem and scalable multi-rename.
Altap Salamander
A two-panel file manager for Windows with built-in viewers, archive support and FTP/SFTP clients.
Altap Salamander is free and offers FTP, FTPS, SCP and SFTP clients plus archives opened as folders, but its latest major version is several years old.
SpeedCommander
A dual-pane file manager for Windows with a viewer for 80+ formats, archives and FTP/SFTP.
SpeedCommander is a paid dual-pane Windows manager with FTP and SFTP, a viewer for over 80 formats and macros, with a 60-day trial.
Double Commander
A free dual-pane file manager in the Total Commander tradition, running on Linux and macOS too.
Double Commander is free and open source under GPL-2.0, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and includes FTP and a multi-rename tool.
Far Manager
A two-pane text-mode file manager and shell for Windows, extended by plugins for archives, FTP and network browsing.
Far Manager is free and open source under BSD-3-Clause, a text-mode two-pane manager using plugins for archives, FTP and network browsing.
Unreal Commander
A freeware two-panel file manager for Windows with archive support, an FTP client and plugins.
Unreal Commander is free rather than paid, with a two-panel layout, archive support and an FTP client, though it lacks SFTP in its listed features.
FreeCommander
Free dual-pane Windows file manager with tabs, search and archive handling.
FreeCommander is a free dual-pane Windows manager with archive handling, folder synchronisation and a portable mode, with a paid donor edition for extras.
Multi Commander
Free multi-tab, multi-pane Windows file manager aimed at power users.
Multi Commander is free for commercial use and focuses on multi-tab panes, scripting and user-defined commands rather than a hex editor.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Directory Opus
Professional Windows file manager with tabs, dual pane, scripting and FTP.
XYplorer
Tabbed Windows file manager with scripting, portable mode and deep search.
xplorer²
A paid tabbed dual-pane file manager for Windows that replaces File Explorer.
Q-Dir
Quad-pane Windows file manager that shows up to four folders at once.
Files
A file manager for Windows with tabs, columns, tags and dual panes, built the way Explorer should have been.
OneCommander
Modern Windows file manager with Miller columns, dual pane and previews.
