muCommander

About muCommander

muCommander is a dual-pane file manager written in Java that runs on macOS, Windows and Linux. It copies, moves and batch renames files, and has tabs, bookmarks, configurable keyboard shortcuts, themes and a credentials manager.

A virtual filesystem lets it browse FTP, SFTP, SMB, NFS, HTTP, Amazon S3, Hadoop HDFS, Bonjour, Dropbox and Google Drive in the same panels as local folders. It can also browse ZIP, RAR, 7z, TAR and ISO archives and calculate checksums. It suits people who want one orthodox file manager on every operating system.

Details

Pricing

FreeFree and open source, with optional sponsorship through GitHub Sponsors.

License

Open source, license not stated

Developer

The muCommander contributors

Platforms

Windows, macOS, Linux

How it runs

Downloadable app

Account

Not required

Works offline

Yes

Best suited for

People who want the same dual-pane file manager on every desktop OS

Categories

File transfer, File managers

Last verified

September 23, 2026

Added

September 23, 2026

Provenance

Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.

Software that can replace muCommander for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.

• 

  Double Commander

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

  FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

  Double Commander also runs on Windows, macOS and Linux as a free open-source dual-pane manager, and it is not Java-based, though macOS builds are not notarised.

• 

  Total Commander

  The dual-pane Windows file manager people have been using since 1993, still updated, still shareware.

  PaidProprietaryWindows

  Total Commander is paid, closed source and Windows only, offering a refined keyboard workflow, SFTP, directory synchronisation and a large plugin ecosystem.

• 

  Krusader

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

  FreeOpen sourceLinux

  Krusader is a Linux twin-panel manager built on KDE libraries, adding directory synchronisation, file content comparison, batch renaming and copy queues.

• 

  Commander One

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

  FreemiumProprietarymacOS

  Commander One is a freemium macOS-only dual-pane manager with FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, S3 and cloud drives, running natively on Apple silicon and Intel.

• 

  ForkLift

  Dual-pane macOS file manager with built-in SFTP, S3 and WebDAV.

  PaidProprietarymacOS

  ForkLift is a paid macOS-only dual-pane manager where SFTP, S3 and WebDAV mount as panes, with folder synchronisation and comparison built in.

• 

  far2l

  A port of the Far Manager v2 dual-panel console file manager to Linux and macOS.

  FreeOpen sourcemacOSLinuxCommand line

  far2l replaces the graphical interface with the Far Manager console dual-panel layout on Linux and macOS, with no Windows build.

• 

  Midnight Commander

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

  FreeOpen sourcemacOSLinuxCommand line

  Midnight Commander moves the two-panel workflow into the terminal, working over SSH sessions and browsing archives and remote filesystems as local folders.

• 

  Sigma File Manager

  Modern file manager with tabs, dual-pane view, global search and media previews.

  FreeOpen sourceWindowsLinux

  Sigma File Manager is an open-source Electron app for Windows and Linux with tabs, dual-pane view, fast global search and media previews, maintained by one developer.

muCommander as an alternative

Listings that name muCommander as an alternative.

• 

  Air Explorer

  Desktop app for managing, transferring, syncing and encrypting files across many cloud storage accounts.

  FreemiumProprietaryWindowsmacOSCommand line

  muCommander is a free open-source dual-pane file manager for Windows, macOS and Linux that browses S3 and cloud storage, without built-in encryption or scheduled sync.

• 

  Cyberduck

  A server and cloud storage browser for Mac and Windows that speaks FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, SMB and every major object store.

  FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSCommand line

  muCommander is a free open-source dual-pane file manager with a graphical Linux build that browses FTP, SFTP, SMB, S3 and cloud storage.

• 

  Fileside

  A multi-pane file manager for Mac and Windows that saves folder layouts as project workspaces.

  PaidProprietaryWindowsmacOS

  muCommander is free and open source on Windows, macOS and Linux, with a dual-pane interface that browses remote and cloud storage and archives.

• 

  gFTP

  A free multithreaded GTK file transfer client for Linux and other Unix-like systems.

  FreeOpen sourceLinux

  muCommander is an open-source dual-pane file manager browsing FTP, SFTP, SMB, S3 and cloud storage on Linux, Windows and macOS, with a Java-based interface.

• 

  Marta

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

  FreeProprietarymacOS

  muCommander is an open-source Java dual-pane manager for macOS, Windows and Linux with remote and cloud storage support, and a less native interface.

• 

  Nimble Commander

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

  FreeOpen sourcemacOS

  muCommander is open source across macOS, Windows and Linux, browsing FTP, SFTP, SMB, S3 and cloud storage, though its Java interface feels less native.

• 

  Owlfiles

  A cross-platform file manager for local, network, NAS and cloud storage, formerly FE File Explorer.

  FreemiumProprietaryWindowsmacOSAndroidiOS

  muCommander is a free open-source dual-pane desktop file manager for FTP, SFTP, SMB, S3 and cloud storage, adding Linux support but dropping phone apps.

• 

  Path Finder

  Professional Finder replacement for macOS with dual panes and a drop stack.

  PaidProprietarymacOS

  muCommander is free, open source and cross-platform, browsing FTP, SFTP, SMB, S3 and cloud storage, though its Java interface feels less native.

• 

  QSpace

  A multi-pane file manager for macOS that works like Finder and connects to remote storage.

  PaidProprietarymacOS

  muCommander is free and open source on macOS, Windows and Linux, browsing FTP, SFTP, SMB, S3 and cloud storage in a Java interface.

• 

  SmartFTP

  A Windows client for FTP, FTPS, SFTP, WebDAV, SSH and cloud storage transfers.

  PaidProprietaryWindows

  muCommander is a free, open-source dual-pane file manager for Windows, macOS and Linux that browses FTP, SFTP, SMB, S3 and cloud storage alongside local files.

• 

  Spacedrive

  Cross-device file explorer built on a distributed virtual filesystem.

  FreeProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinux

  muCommander is open source rather than source-available and stable, offering a dual-pane manager on all three desktops with FTP, SFTP, SMB, S3 and cloud access, without peer-to-peer library sync.

• 

  Transmit

  A macOS file transfer client for FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, Amazon S3 and cloud storage services.

  PaidProprietarymacOS

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

• 

  WinSCP

  A Windows file manager for remote servers, covering SFTP, FTP, FTPS, SCP, S3 and WebDAV, with scripting built in.

  FreeOpen sourceWindows

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

Similar software

Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.

• 

  Cloud Commander

  A self-hosted, web-based dual-pane file manager with a built-in console and text editors.

  FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxWebSelf-hosted