Side by side

Dolphin vs Midnight Commander

Both stand on file manager software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Dolphin

Free plan Open source LinuxWindows

Dolphin combines everyday file operations with multiple browsing views, remote file access, and an integrated terminal. Windows downloads are listed as testing builds, so that release detail is worth noting before choosing it.

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Midnight Commander

Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted

Midnight Commander combines file management and built-in viewing and editing tools in a text interface, with remote access options. Its read-only tar access and conditional SFTP support are worth considering alongside its volunteer support model.

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The facts

	Dolphin	Midnight Commander
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Yes	Not published
Runs on	Linux, Windows	Linux, Mac, Self-hosted
Lowest paid plan	Free or on request	Free or on request
Plans published	1	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	apps.kde.org	midnight-commander.org
On file manager software	#2 of 100	#6 of 100

Dolphin: what it does well

Free and open source under GPL-2.0-or-later
Tabs and split view support folder-to-folder work
Grid, detailed, and tree views
Remote cloud and machine files are supported
Integrated terminal runs commands in the current folder

What to know first

Windows installers are nightly builds for testing
Linux installation uses an app store or package manager

Midnight Commander: what it does well

Dual-pane interface for file management
Includes an internal viewer, editor, and diff viewer
Supports FTP and shell connections
Read-only access to tar archives
Free under the GNU General Public License

What to know first

SFTP requires compilation with sftpfs
Tar archive access is read-only
No commercial-grade support, service-level agreements, or warranties

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