Rat Commander vs RTFM
Rat Commander
rat-commander.comRTFM
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Rat Commander | RTFM |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · File managers | 8.8 (#2) | 8.6 (#6) |
| Spec score · Terminal File Managers | 8.3 (#12) | 8.2 (#13) |
| Archive support | Yes | Yes |
| Dual-pane layout | Yes | Yes |
| File operations | It supports file copy, move, delete, permissions, ownership, symlinks, and directory creation. | It supports bulk file operations, pattern-based bulk rename, optional trash with restore, and undo for common operations. |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Installation Requirement | Nothing else is required to install | The README recommends installation with RubyGems and provides full-installation instructions for Ubuntu/Debian, Arch Linux, and macOS. |
| License | The project is licensed under GNU General Public License version 2, GPL-2.0-only. | The repository identifies the license as Unlicense and describes the software as public domain. |
| Linux support | Yes | Yes |
| macOS support | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | The maker lists Linux, macOS, and Windows; its README notes that Windows lacks Drive Manager and Network Connections. | The installation instructions list Ubuntu/Debian, Arch Linux derivatives, and macOS. |
| Preview pane | Yes | Yes |
| Product | Rat Commander is a self-contained, two-panel terminal file manager written in Rust with Ratatui. | RTFM is a feature-rich terminal file manager written in pure Ruby. |
| Remote file access | Yes | Yes |
| Support | The project links to GitHub Issues for reporting issues. | The maker invites bug reports and feature requests through the GitHub issues page and code contributions through pull requests. |
Plans
In their own words
Rat Commander
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.