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Midnight Commander vs clifm: catalog facts
Midnight Commander	clifm
Free Free and open source under the GPL.	Free Free and open source.
macOS, Linux, Command line	Linux, Command line
Works over any terminal, including a plain SSH session on a server Browses archives and remote filesystems as if they were local folders	Works inside the shell prompt with no full-screen interface Plugin support
Text interface with function-key bindings takes getting used to Windows needs Cygwin or WSL	Command-driven approach takes time to learn No visual panes, unlike ranger or nnn
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-3.0	License: GPL-2.0
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 September 23, 2026

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