Alternatives to far2l

A port of the Far Manager v2 dual-panel console file manager to Linux and macOS. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as far2l.

  • Midnight Commander

    Two-panel file manager for the terminal, with an editor and remote access.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOSLinuxCommand line

    Midnight Commander is a GPL-3.0 two-panel terminal manager for macOS and Linux with an editor and remote filesystems browsed like local folders, using function-key bindings.

  • Far Manager

    A two-pane text-mode file manager and shell for Windows, extended by plugins for archives, FTP and network browsing.

    FreeOpen sourceWindows

    Far Manager is the original Windows program far2l ports, open source under BSD-3-Clause, with x64 and ARM64 builds but no Linux or macOS version.

  • Double Commander

    A free dual-pane file manager in the Total Commander tradition, running on Linux and macOS too.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Double Commander replaces the console interface with a graphical dual-pane window on Windows, macOS and Linux, including FTP and a multi-rename tool.

  • Krusader

    A twin-panel commander-style file manager for KDE Plasma and other Linux and Unix desktops.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    Krusader is a graphical twin-panel Linux manager built on KDE libraries, with directory synchronisation, archive handling and SFTP transfers.

  • muCommander

    An open-source, cross-platform dual-pane file manager with remote filesystem, cloud storage and archive support.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    muCommander is an open-source Java dual-pane manager for Windows, macOS and Linux that browses FTP, SFTP, SMB, S3 and cloud storage.

  • Nimble Commander

    A free dual-pane file manager for macOS built around speed and keyboard navigation.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOS

    Nimble Commander is a free open-source graphical dual-pane manager for macOS only, with native look and keyboard-driven navigation.

Also worth comparing

These listings name far2l as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.

  • Commander One

    A dual-pane file manager for macOS with FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, cloud storage and archive support.

    FreemiumProprietarymacOS

    far2l brings the Far Manager dual-panel console interface to macOS and Linux, free and open source, with a keyboard-heavy text-mode workflow.

  • lf

    A fast terminal file manager in the ranger style, as a single binary with no runtime dependencies.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    far2l swaps lf's Miller columns for a Far Manager style dual-panel layout with plugins and themes, and it runs on Linux and macOS but not Windows.

  • Marta

    A native, extensible dual-pane file manager for macOS with archive support and a Lua plugin API.

    FreeProprietarymacOS

    far2l is an open-source console port of Far Manager for macOS and Linux, a keyboard-driven dual-panel manager running in the terminal.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.