Alternatives to ForkLift
Dual-pane macOS file manager with built-in SFTP, S3 and WebDAV. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
ForkLift
Dual-pane macOS file manager with built-in SFTP, S3 and WebDAV.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as ForkLift.
Path Finder
Professional Finder replacement for macOS with dual panes and a drop stack.
Path Finder is another paid macOS dual-pane manager that adds a drop stack and a built-in terminal, though its listing does not mention SFTP, S3 or WebDAV.
Double Commander
A free dual-pane file manager in the Total Commander tradition, running on Linux and macOS too.
Double Commander is free and GPL-licensed, runs on macOS, Windows and Linux and includes FTP rather than S3 or WebDAV, but its macOS builds are not notarised.
Midnight Commander
Two-panel file manager for the terminal, with an editor and remote access.
Midnight Commander is a free, open-source two-panel terminal manager that browses remote filesystems as local folders, trading ForkLift's graphical interface for function-key bindings.
Spacedrive
Cross-device file explorer built on a distributed virtual filesystem.
Spacedrive is free, cross-platform and syncs libraries peer to peer between devices, but it is source-available, still pre-release and not a remote-protocol client.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
ranger
A console file manager with vi keybindings and a three-column view showing parent, current and preview.
Yazi
A terminal file manager where nothing blocks: every read, preview and copy happens asynchronously.
Directory Opus
Professional Windows file manager with tabs, dual pane, scripting and FTP.
