Alternatives to xplr
Explore files with a configurable terminal interface. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
xplr
Explore files with a configurable terminal interface.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as xplr.
Yazi
A terminal file manager where nothing blocks: every read, preview and copy happens asynchronously.
Yazi is a fully asynchronous terminal file manager with image previews and Lua plugins, and it also runs on Windows, unlike xplr.
ranger
A console file manager with vi keybindings and a three-column view showing parent, current and preview.
ranger offers a three-column view with vi keys and Python configuration, though Python startup makes it slower and its development has slowed.
nnn
A terminal file manager of about 150 KB that starts instantly, uses under 4 MB of memory and needs almost no configuration.
nnn is a tiny BSD-licensed terminal manager with a large plugin repository, configured through environment variables and relying on plugins for previews.
superfile
A terminal file manager with a modern, colourful interface, built in Go with themes and plugin support.
superfile provides a themed, colourful terminal interface with fuzzy search and previews out of the box, and adds Windows builds that are not yet fully supported.
Midnight Commander
Two-panel file manager for the terminal, with an editor and remote access.
Midnight Commander replaces scriptable navigation with a classic two-panel layout, a built-in editor and remote filesystem browsing, using function-key bindings.
broot
Navigate large directory trees and find files in the terminal.
broot focuses on compact tree navigation and interactive search across large directories, runs on Windows too, and needs shell integration to change directories.
Joshuto
A ranger-like terminal file manager written in Rust with Miller-column navigation.
Joshuto is a Rust ranger-style terminal manager with Miller columns and optional fzf and zoxide integration on macOS and Linux.
Vifm
A terminal file manager with a curses interface and Vim-like keybindings.
Vifm uses Vim keybindings and commands for file management, offers Windows binaries, and is not open source unlike xplr.
Also worth comparing
These listings name xplr as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
clifm
A shell-like terminal file manager that works directly on the command line, without menus or panes.
xplr offers a configurable, scriptable terminal interface on macOS and Linux, with customization done by configuring the surrounding workflow.
felix
A terminal file manager written in Rust with Vim-like key bindings and file previews.
xplr is an MIT-licensed terminal file explorer focused on scriptable navigation and tool integration, requiring more configuration of the surrounding workflow.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Far Manager
A two-pane text-mode file manager and shell for Windows, extended by plugins for archives, FTP and network browsing.
Double Commander
A free dual-pane file manager in the Total Commander tradition, running on Linux and macOS too.
Walk
A minimal terminal file navigator that replaces cd and ls for browsing directories.
RnR
A command-line tool that batch renames files and directories using regular expressions.
