Rat Commander
rat-commander.com
What it is
Rat Commander is a free, two-panel terminal file manager for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It brings file browsing and media viewing together with editing, archives, Git, remote filesystems, and system tools. Panels can show files as lists, trees, thumbnail grids, or interactive 3D views, and can be split vertically or horizontally. The built-in viewer and editor support syntax highlighting, search and replace, Markdown, tables, images, and in-place hex editing. Git tools cover tasks including staging, commits, branches, diffs, and history. Remote connections over SFTP, SCP, FTP, and FTPS let users work with remote filesystems in a local-disk-like way. ZIP, TAR variants, 7z, and other archives can be browsed and edited; RAR is read-only. QR codes support sending and receiving files over a local network. Linux disk tools can mount, format, flash, and image disks and USB devices. On Windows, Drive Manager and Network Connections are unavailable. Rat Commander is written in Rust with Ratatui and is licensed under GNU GPL-2.0-only.
Spec sheet
- Product
- Rat Commander is a self-contained, two-panel terminal file manager written in Rust with Ratatui.Read 29 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Platforms
- The maker lists Linux, macOS, and Windows; its README notes that Windows lacks Drive Manager and Network Connections.Read 29 Sep 2026 · github.com
- Free plan
- YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Support
- The project links to GitHub Issues for reporting issues.Read 29 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- License
- The project is licensed under GNU General Public License version 2, GPL-2.0-only.Read 29 Sep 2026 · github.com
- Architecture
- It is written in Rust with Ratatui and is designed to provide its core features without external tools.Read 28 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Archive support
- YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Archives
- ZIP, TAR and several compressed TAR formats, 7z, and RAR archives can be browsed, with RAR read-only.Read 29 Sep 2026 · github.com
- Binary Tools
- Includes a hex editor, executable analysis, byte maps, and binary comparisonRead 27 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Certificate Inspection
- Inspects SSL/TLS certificate details, validity, expiration, and certificate chainsRead 27 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Company Affiliation
- The project states that it is not affiliated with SymantecRead 27 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Connection security
- For FTPS, certificates trusted by the system are accepted, while self-signed certificates are shown by SHA-256 and can be pinned after trust; SSH hosts can use known_hosts and SSH config settings.Read 28 Sep 2026 · github.com
- Core Capabilities
- File and media viewing, editing, hex editing, archives, Git, remote filesystems, disk and process managementRead 27 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Disk Management
- Linux disk tools can mount, format, flash, and image disks and USB devicesRead 27 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Documentation
- A full user manual is available from the repository and in the application through F1.Read 28 Sep 2026 · github.com
- Dual-pane layout
- YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Editor and viewer
- The built-in viewer and editor support syntax highlighting, search and replace, Markdown rendering, CSV/TSV tables, images, and in-place hex editing.Read 28 Sep 2026 · github.com
- Editor Features
- Includes syntax highlighting, block operations, search and replace, and media tag editingRead 27 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- File operations
- It supports file copy, move, delete, permissions, ownership, symlinks, and directory creation.Read 29 Sep 2026 · github.com
- File transfer
- Files can be sent to or received from a nearby phone or laptop over the local network using a QR code.Read 29 Sep 2026 · github.com
- Git
- Git features include status, diffs, staging, commits, branches, push and pull, and browsing repository history.Read 29 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Git Integration
- Supports Git status, commits, pushes, pulls, diffs, branches, history, and blameRead 27 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Implementation Stack
- Written in Rust with RatatuiRead 27 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Installation Requirement
- Nothing else is required to installRead 27 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- LAN transfer
- The application can serve files over a one-shot local HTTP server using a QR code, and receive files through a QR-opened page with a random URL token.Read 28 Sep 2026 · github.com
- Language Support
- Supports English, French, German, and user-added languagesRead 27 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Linux support
- YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Localization
- The interface has 18 built-in languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Hindi, Persian, and Arabic, with right-to-left support.Read 28 Sep 2026 · github.com
- macOS support
- YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Media and models
- It can display common image and audio formats and view STL and OBJ models inside the terminal.Read 29 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Media Support
- Views common image and audio formats with graphical or ASCII renderingRead 27 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Panels
- The file manager provides two panels with full, brief, details, tree, 3D, and thumbnail-grid views, plus vertical or horizontal splits and multi-file selection.Read 28 Sep 2026 · github.com
- Preview pane
- YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Process Management
- Provides process exploration, CPU load, battery information, and process terminationRead 27 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Product Type
- Two-panel terminal file managerRead 27 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- QR File Transfer
- Transfers files and directories to and from phones over the local network using QR codesRead 27 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Remote connections
- Remote filesystems support FTP, FTPS, SFTP, and SCP, and can be used alongside local and archive panels.Read 29 Sep 2026 · github.com
- Remote file access
- YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Remote Protocols
- Supports FTP, SFTP, and SCP servers as local-disk-like remote filesystemsRead 27 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Security detail
- For FTPS, system-trusted certificates are accepted and self-signed certificates are shown by SHA-256 and can be pinned after trust.Read 29 Sep 2026 · github.com
- System tools
- It includes process and disk explorers, while disk management and network monitoring are listed for Linux.Read 29 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Terminal Graphics
- Supports graphics, progress bars, and graphs at full resolution in compatible terminalsRead 27 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Thumbnail And 3D
- Provides thumbnail grids and interactive 3D views of file structures and modelsRead 27 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Viewer and editor
- Built-in viewer and editor support text, hex, syntax highlighting, Markdown, search and replace, and CSV/TSV tables.Read 29 Sep 2026 · github.com
- Windows limitation
- Windows support includes all features except Drive Manager and Network Connections.Read 28 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
- Windows support
- YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · rat-commander.com
Plans and prices
Rat Commander Free Self-contained terminal file manager; no paid tiers or usage limits stated Read 29 Sep 2026 · github.com
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Available for Linux, macOS, and Windows.
- Remote filesystems support SFTP, SCP, FTP, and FTPS.
- Includes Git tools and archive browsing.
- Has thumbnail grids and interactive 3D views.
Limits
- RAR archives are read-only.
- Windows excludes Drive Manager and Network Connections.
- Linux disk-management tools are platform-specific.
Who it suits
It suits terminal users who want file management, editing, Git, and remote access in one application across Linux, macOS, or Windows. Users relying on Windows Drive Manager or Network Connections should note those features are unavailable there.
Verdict
Rat Commander combines a broad file-management toolset with terminal-based navigation and system utilities. Its archive and platform limits are specific: RAR is read-only, and Windows omits two system tools.
Where Specifiction places it
- File managers#2 of 298.8
- Terminal File Managers#12 of 298.3