Alternatives to PCManFM-Qt
A Qt-based file manager and desktop icon manager, the default file manager of the LXQt desktop. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
PCManFM-Qt
A Qt-based file manager and desktop icon manager, the default file manager of the LXQt desktop.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as PCManFM-Qt.
PCManFM
A lightweight, tabbed GTK file manager from the LXDE desktop project for Linux.
PCManFM is the original GTK version from LXDE with very low resource use, though its development activity is slow.
Thunar
The lightweight default file manager of the Xfce desktop environment for Linux.
Thunar is Xfce's lightweight GTK manager with a built-in bulk renamer, custom actions and plugins for archives, shares and version control.
Krusader
A twin-panel commander-style file manager for KDE Plasma and other Linux and Unix desktops.
Krusader is a Qt and KDE-based twin-panel commander with synchronisation, archive handling and SFTP, with a denser interface and more dependencies.
Xfe
A fast, lightweight file manager for X on Linux and Unix with Explorer- and Commander-style layouts.
Xfe is a lightweight Linux manager with four layouts including dual-pane, plus built-in editor, image viewer and connections to SSH servers.
Nemo
Cinnamon's file manager, a Nautilus fork with more built-in options.
Nemo is Cinnamon's GTK file manager with dual panes and extensions, pulling in extra dependencies outside Cinnamon.
Caja
The file manager of the MATE desktop, used to browse files and manage the desktop on Linux.
Caja is MATE's file manager with an extension interface and desktop management, best integrated with MATE.
GNOME Files
The default GNOME desktop file manager, also called Nautilus, for browsing local and network files.
GNOME Files is GNOME's integrated manager with network browsing and plugins, deliberately simple and designed around GNOME.
Index
A multi-platform file manager from KDE's Maui project for Linux desktops and mobile devices.
Index is a KDE Maui file manager whose interface adapts to desktop and mobile screens, with fewer features than established managers.
Also worth comparing
These listings name PCManFM-Qt 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.
PCManFM-Qt is a light Qt file manager from LXQt that also works on its own outside that desktop.
Deepin File Manager
The default file manager of the Deepin desktop environment for Linux.
PCManFM-Qt is a light Qt file manager and desktop icon manager from LXQt that also works on its own on other Linux desktops.
Pantheon Files
The file manager designed for elementary OS and its Pantheon desktop.
PCManFM-Qt is a light Qt file manager from LXQt that also manages desktop icons and works on other Linux desktops.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Konqueror
KDE's combined web browser and file manager, using Qt WebEngine for pages.
Double Commander
A free dual-pane file manager in the Total Commander tradition, running on Linux and macOS too.
nnn
A terminal file manager of about 150 KB that starts instantly, uses under 4 MB of memory and needs almost no configuration.
