Files

10 Best Free and Open Source non-GTK non-Qt File Managers

Being able to navigate your local filesystem is an important function of personal computing. File managers have come a long way since early directory editors like DIRED. While they aren’t cutting-edge technology, they are essential software to manage any computer.

File management consists of creating, opening, renaming, moving / copying, deleting and searching for files. But file managers also frequently offer other functionality.

In the field of desktop environments, there are two desktops that dominate the open source landscape: KDE and GNOME. They are smart, stable, and generally stay out of the way. These use the widget toolkits Qt and GTK respectively. And there are many excellent Qt and GTK file managers available.

There are also a wide range of graphical non-Qt and non-Gtk file managers available. This article examines 10 such file managers. The quality is remarkably good.

Here’s our verdict captured in a legendary LinuxLinks-style ratings chart. Only free and open source software is included.

Ratings chart

Click the links in the table below to learn more about each file manager.

Graphical File Managers (Non-Qt, Non-GTK)
SpacedriveFile manager powered by a virtual distributed filesystem
XfeMS-Explorer or Commander like file manager for X
muCommanderFile manager with a dual-pane interface
Cloud CommanderCloud file manager with console and editor
XplorerModern file explorer written in TypeScript
trolCommanderFork of muCommander
Sigma File ManagerQuickly evolving, modern file manager
TkDeskTcl/Tk-based file manager
System GFile manager with git support
WorkerFile manager in the style of Amiga’s DirOpus
Best Free and Open Source SoftwareRead our complete collection of recommended free and open source software. Our curated compilation covers all categories of software.

The software collection forms part of our series of informative articles for Linux enthusiasts. There are hundreds of in-depth reviews, open source alternatives to proprietary software from large corporations like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk.

There are also fun things to try, hardware, free programming books and tutorials, and much more.
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Tarek Hasan
Tarek Hasan
8 months ago

You forgot to add Xplorer to the list.

Richard V. A. Fry
Richard V. A. Fry
8 months ago

Your content always keeps me coming back for more!