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

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