Compare software

Chafa vs mcat: catalog facts
Chafa	mcat
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.
macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
Renders animations as well as static images directly in the terminal Open source and actively used as a building block by other terminal tools	Views images, video, Markdown, PDF and Office files in one command Available through cargo, Homebrew, AUR, Nix and Scoop
Output quality depends heavily on the terminal emulator's color and font support No native Windows build listed	Output quality depends on the terminal's graphics support Command line only
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: MIT
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.