Middle Manager vs pointer
Middle Manager
github.compointer
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Middle Manager | pointer |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · File managers | 7.3 (#25) | 8.5 (#8) |
| Spec score · Terminal File Managers | 7.5 (#25) | 8.3 (#11) |
| Archive support | No | Yes |
| Dual-pane layout | Yes | Yes |
| File operations | The file manager supports copy, move, rename, create directory, delete, archive, fuzzy file search, and content search. | It supports asynchronous copy and move operations and undo for delete, move, rename, copy, symlink, permissions, and bulk rename. |
| License | The project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. | The project is released under the Unlicense, described on the page as public domain. |
| Linux support | Yes | Yes |
| macOS support | Yes | Yes |
| Remote file access | Yes | Yes |
Plans
In their own words
Middle Manager
Middle Manager has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
pointer
Pointer is a free, open-source terminal file manager for Linux and macOS. It presents files in a two-pane layout with configurable width ratios and border styles, plus previews with syntax highlighting for more than 20 languages and inline image display through kitty, sixel, or w3m protocols. Archives including zip, tar, gz, bz2, xz, rar, and 7z can be browsed and edited as virtual directories. File operations include asynchronous copying and moving, undo for several actions, and deletion with a flag-then-purge process and default confirmation. Pointer supports SSH/SFTP remote browsing, filename and content search, extension or regex filters, bookmarks, tabs, and file-picker mode. JSON-manifest plugins bind external commands to keys. The README describes OpenAI integration and Claude-powered descriptions and sessions. Linux and macOS binaries are listed for x86_64 and aarch64.