Best pointer Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from terminal file managers ranked against pointer on the same published basis.
- 1pointer vs FileManagerTUI
- 2pointer vs Newt
- 3pointer vs nnn
- 4pointer vs Rat Commander
- 5pointer vs Broot
- 6pointer vs Clifm
- 8pointer vs Runa
- 9pointer vs superfile
- 10pointer vs Zeta
- 11pointer vs far2l
- 12pointer vs FModel
- 13pointer vs Deepfence SecretScanner
- 14pointer vs xplr
- 15pointer vs elio
- 16pointer vs Termix
- 17pointer vs TUIFIManager
- 18pointer vs UnixTree
- 19pointer vs Vifm
- 20pointer vs Yazi
- 21pointer vs cfiles
pointer alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FileManagerTUI | 7.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 2 | Newt | 7.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 3 | nnn | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Android, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 4 | Rat Commander | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 5 | Broot | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 6 | Clifm | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Android, Linux, Mac |
| 8 | Runa | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 9 | superfile | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 10 | Zeta | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 11 | far2l | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac |
| 12 | FModel | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 13 | Deepfence SecretScanner | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 14 | xplr | 5.5 | No | — | Linux, Mac |
| 15 | elio | 5.4 | No | — | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 16 | Termix | 5.4 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 17 | TUIFIManager | 5.4 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android |
| 18 | UnixTree | 5.4 | No | — | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 19 | Vifm | 5.4 | No | — | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 20 | Yazi | 5.4 | No | — | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 21 | cfiles | 5.3 | No | — | Linux, Mac |
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Questions about pointer alternatives
What is the best alternative to pointer?
FileManagerTUI, number 1 in terminal file managers with a score of 7.9 out of 10. The others here: Newt, nnn, Rat Commander and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to pointer?
FileManagerTUI is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 12 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Is there an open-source alternative to pointer?
Yes: FileManagerTUI, Newt.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.