Rat Commander is a free, two-panel file manager that runs in a terminal on Linux, macOS, and Windows. It combines file browsing with tools for editing, media viewing, archives, Git, remote filesystems, and system management. Panels can show full, brief, details, tree, 3D, or thumbnail-grid views, with vertical or horizontal splits. The built-in viewer and editor handle syntax highlighting, search and replace, Markdown, tables, images, and in-place hex editing. Git tools cover repository status, staging, commits, branches, diffs, and history. It can browse and edit ZIP, TAR variants, and 7z archives; RAR is read-only. Remote connections support SFTP, SCP, FTP, and FTPS, while QR codes support file transfers over a local network. Linux tools can mount, format, flash, and image disks and USB devices. Windows includes most features, but not Drive Manager or Network Connections. Rat Commander is written in Rust with Ratatui, and its project is licensed under GNU GPL-2.0-only.
Who it is for
It suits people who want file, archive, Git, and remote-server tools in a terminal interface across Linux, macOS, or Windows. Linux users who need disk-management tools should note that Windows does not include Drive Manager or Network Connections.
What is good
- Free plan with no paid tiers stated
- Available on Linux, macOS, and Windows
- Multiple panel layouts, including thumbnails and 3D
- Supports Git and four remote protocols
- Built-in editor includes syntax highlighting and hex editing
What to know first
- RAR archives are read-only
- Windows lacks Drive Manager and Network Connections
- Disk management tools are for Linux
Verdict
Rat Commander brings file management, editing, Git, archives, and remote access into a terminal-based, two-panel interface. Its platform-specific limits matter: RAR is read-only, and some system tools are Linux-only.
Rat Commander plans and pricing
All plansCompared on terminal file managers
- Free plan
- Yes
- Dual-pane layout
- Yes
- Linux support
- Yes
- macOS support
- Yes
- Windows support
- Yes
- Preview pane
- Yes
- Remote file access
- Yes
- Archive support
- Yes