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viu vs mcat: catalog facts
viu	mcat
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
Native protocol support for iTerm and Kitty gives sharper image rendering than plain ASCII Written in Rust, so it is fast and has a small footprint	Views images, video, Markdown, PDF and Office files in one command Available through cargo, Homebrew, AUR, Nix and Scoop
Best image quality depends on using a terminal that supports its native protocols Command-line only, aimed at developers comfortable with a terminal	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.