Midnight Commander vs ranger
Midnight Commander
midnight-commander.org
ranger
ranger.fmSide by side
| Figure | Midnight Commander | ranger |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · File Manager Software | 8.5 (#11) | 7.0 (#95) |
| Spec score · File managers | 8.1 (#16) | 6.9 (#29) |
| Spec score · Terminal File Managers | 8.1 (#17) | 7.0 (#28) |
| Batch rename | Yes | Yes |
| Dual-pane layout | Yes | Yes |
| File operations | It can copy, move, and delete files and directory trees, search for files, and execute commands in a subshell. | Ranger supports common file operations, including creating, copying, deleting, and changing permissions, as well as renaming multiple files at once. |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Installation | The project recommends system package managers and lists Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora/Red Hat, FreeBSD/OpenBSD, and macOS installation options. | The README describes installation through an operating system package manager, PyPI, pipx, or a source clone. |
| License | The project says it is released under the GNU General Public License and qualifies as Free Software. | The project repository identifies Ranger’s license as GNU General Public License Version 3. |
| Support | Project communication is primarily through mailing lists, with GitHub Discussions and an issue tracker also available. | The project lists an IRC channel, mailing list, GitHub issue tracker, and direct email as communication or support channels. |
Plans
In their own words
Midnight Commander
Midnight Commander is a full-screen file manager with a dual-pane text interface. It can copy, move, and delete files or directory trees, search for files, and run commands in a subshell. An internal viewer, editor, and diff viewer provide tools for inspecting and editing files within the program.
It runs in a regular console or an X Window terminal, and can also be used over SSH and in remote shells. Its virtual filesystem connects to FTP and shell-based remote filesystems; SFTP support depends on compilation with sftpfs. The tar filesystem provides read-only access to tar and compressed tar archives, and scripts can extend the virtual filesystem. Users can choose included skins or create their own.