pointer
7.3#8 in file managersFree planFree planLinuxmacOS
Visitpointer vs Rat Commander
Rat Commander
7.6#4 in file managersFree planFree planLinuxmacOSWindows
VisitWhat both publish
| Fact | pointer | Rat Commander |
|---|---|---|
| Archives | It browses and edits zip, tar, gz, bz2, xz, rar, and 7z archives as virtual directories. | ZIP, TAR and several compressed TAR formats, 7z, and RAR archives can be browsed, with RAR read-only. |
| Archive support | Yes | Yes |
| Dual-pane layout | Yes | Yes |
| File operations | It supports asynchronous copy and move operations and undo for delete, move, rename, copy, symlink, permissions, and bulk rename. | It supports file copy, move, delete, permissions, ownership, symlinks, and directory creation. |
| License | The project is released under the Unlicense, described on the page as public domain. | The project is licensed under GNU General Public License version 2, GPL-2.0-only. |
| Linux support | Yes | Yes |
| macOS support | Yes | Yes |
| Preview pane | Yes | Yes |
| Product | Pointer is a Rust terminal file manager and feature clone of RTFM. | Rat Commander is a self-contained, two-panel terminal file manager written in Rust with Ratatui. |
| Remote file access | Yes | Yes |
pointer plans
- PointerFree
Rat Commander plans
- Rat CommanderFree
Pick pointer if…
Pointer suits Linux or macOS users who want a terminal-based file manager with archive browsing, previews, and remote SSH/SFTP access. It may also fit users who want file picking or command plugins for other tools.
Pick Rat Commander if…
Rat Commander may suit terminal users who want file management alongside editing, Git, remote filesystems, and system utilities. It is available on Linux, macOS, and Windows, with some disk and network tools limited to Linux.