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clifm vs Midnight Commander: catalog facts
clifm	Midnight Commander
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source under the GPL.
Linux, Command line	macOS, Linux, Command line
Works inside the shell prompt with no full-screen interface Plugin support	Works over any terminal, including a plain SSH session on a server Browses archives and remote filesystems as if they were local folders
Command-driven approach takes time to learn No visual panes, unlike ranger or nnn	Text interface with function-key bindings takes getting used to Windows needs Cygwin or WSL
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-2.0	License: GPL-3.0
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

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