cfiles vs Clifm
cfiles
github.comClifm
github.comSide by side
| Figure | cfiles | Clifm |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Terminal File Managers | 8.4 (#8) | 8.5 (#4) |
| Spec score · File managers | 7.9 (#18) | 8.1 (#17) |
| File operations | The selection list supports copying, moving, renaming, moving files to trash, and removing selected files. | Features include bookmarks, search, file selection, tags, filters, previews, bulk renaming, archiving, trash, and file opening. |
| License | The software is licensed under the MIT License, which grants permission to use, copy, modify, publish, distribute, sublicense, and sell copies subject to its terms. | The project is licensed under GPL version 2 or later. |
| Linux support | Yes | Yes |
| macOS support | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | The README gives installation instructions for Arch Linux and macOS, and says other users can compile it with make and install with sudo make install. | The project lists Linux, Termux on Android, BSD variants, macOS, Solaris/Illumos, Haiku, and Cygwin/MinGW as supported environments. |
| Preview pane | Yes | Yes |
| Product | cfiles is a terminal file manager written in C with vim-like keybindings and the ncurses library. | Clifm is a shell-like, text-based terminal file manager that runs on the command line. |
Plans
In their own words
cfiles
cfiles is a free terminal file manager written in C with ncurses and vim-like keybindings. It targets a ranger-like interface while remaining lightweight, fast and minimal, and runs on Linux and macOS. Navigation uses h, j, k and l, with shortcuts for top, middle, bottom and page scrolling. The f and F keys search with fzf, while S opens a shell in the current directory. File selections can be copied, moved, renamed, sent to trash or removed. Preview support covers images, media information, archives and PDFs through external dependencies. Users can save bookmarks and run executable scripts from the configured cfiles directory. Dependencies include ncursesw, cp and mv, fzf, w3mimgdisplay or Überzug, mediainfo, atool and pdftoppm. Überzug cannot preview MP3 album art and has nonfunctional arrow-key scrolling; w3mimgdisplay previews may disappear after terminal resizing or workspace changes. Trash deletion requires a specific directory, and configuration falls back to $HOME/.config when XDG_CONFIG_HOME is unset.
Clifm
Clifm is an open-source file manager for people who prefer managing files through shell commands. It runs on the command line without a graphical or text user interface, so its workflow is based on commands rather than a conventional file-manager layout. File tools include bookmarks, search, selection, tags, filters, previews, bulk renaming, archiving, trash, and file opening. Shell features include tab completion with fzf integration, expansions, autosuggestions, syntax highlighting, aliases, and command history. Users can configure profiles, shortcuts, themes, prompts, custom commands, and plugins; a documented plugin can show Git status before each prompt. Clifm also supports remote file access and archives, but does not have a dual-pane view. It is listed for Android, Linux, and macOS, not Windows. Linux binary packages are available for most major distributions through the OpenSUSE Build System, and source installation instructions cover Linux and BSD. The project says it collects no data and makes no outside connections. Clifm is licensed under GPL version 2 or later and is free, with no paid plans stated.