15 Windows Explorer alternatives compared and reviewed
October 11th, 2006 by Ross McKillop |
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Windows Explorer, the default file manager for Microsoft Windows, hasn’t really changed all that much over the years. Below you’ll find reviews, screenshots and links to download 10 11 12 14 15 different alternatives.
If I haven’t included your favorite file manager (for Windows..) in this list, by all means please leave a comment below or feel free to contact me. I’d be more than happy to include it.
Update: I’ve done another 10 Windows Explorer reviews.
| Name | Cost | Trial? | Rating (x/5) |
| A43 | free | n/a | ***½ |
| Ac Browser Plus | $21.00 | yes | ** |
| CubicExplorer | free | n/a | *** |
| Directory Opus | AUD $85.00 | yes (30 days) | **** |
| ExplorerXP | free | n/a | *** |
| Far Manager | $25.00 | yes (40 days) | ***½ |
| FileMatrix | � 24.00 | yes | *** |
| freeCommander | free | n/a | ***½ |
| PowerDesk Pro/Standard | $39.95/free | n/a | **¾ |
| Servant Salamander (2.5) | $30 | yes (30 days) | **** |
| SpeedCommander | � 37.95 | yes (60 days) | *** |
| Total Commander | $34 | yes (30 days) | **** |
| XPlorer | free | n/a | ***½ |
| xplorer² | � 19.95 | yes (21 days) | *** |
| XYplorer | � 29.95 | yes (21 days) | **** |
A43
Requirements: Windows 2000, Windows XP
Download: http://www.primitus.us/a43/
Features:
Thoughts:
A43 took up about 18mb of RAM after using it for 5 minutes. It dropped down to 3mb of RAM after 15 seconds of not using it. Its response time was very quick while renaming, moving and copying files. The drag-and-drop zip/unzip and rar/unrar feature is pretty neat - if I made zip files often I would find this very helpful. Also, you can fit A43 on a floppy and take it with you to use on any PC (doesn’t require an installation). The built-in text editor was easy to use, as was ‘quick launch’ section. The ‘file filter’ feature (use wildcards to sort files) is well located and works exactly as you’d expect. Between the features and the price, this is a file manager that I won’t delete right away.
Screenshots:
 default view |
 easy unzipping |
 Tools list |
 bottom pane - quick launch |
 image preview |
Ac Browser Plus
Requirements: Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP
Download: http://www.konradp.com/products/acbplus/
Features:
Thoughts:
Lots of features, but the interface feels very “Windows 95″ at times. If it was free I would consider leaving it installed and maybe try it out for a while longer. Because some of the other file managers are as feature-rich (or more so) and have a more consistent (and at times much more attractive) interface, I can only give it two stars out of five.
Screenshots:
 easy to view detailed info |
 helpful scripts |
 purchase to change background |
 thumbnail view |
 extra navigation |
 ac browser plus options |
CubicExplorer
Requirements: Windows 95 (untested), 98, ME, NT (untested), 2000, XP, Vista (works, not supported yet)
Download: http://www.cubicreality.com/ce/download
Homepage: http://www.cubicreality.com/
Features:
Thoughts:
Here’s why I gave CubicExplorer 3 stars instead of 2 or 2½ - it has potential, and it’s free. Since it’s not even at version 1.0 yet (0.77a as of 10/13/06), it can only get better (right?). Unfortunately, the 0.77a has been around since March of this year, and the forum indicates that work on .80a started a while ago (but it’s still not out). With all of that said, the Quick View feature is something that I would use, frequently. Showing actual html code when an .html file is selected, rather than a ‘preview’ of the web page, is ideal for me. The built in text editor is excellent for stashing snipits of text, html, web page addresses etc, and allowing that text to be a tab is fantastic. While this version has too few features for me, I will certainly give the next one a try.
Screenshots:
 default view |
 CubicExplorer prefs |
 Text as a tab |
 Quick View files |
Directory Opus
Requirements: Windows 95/98/ME or NT4/2000/XP
Download: http://www.gpsoft.com.au/DScripts/Download.asp
Homepage: http://www.gpsoft.com.au/Index.html
Features:
Thoughts:
Directory Opus is a great File Manager. There are a lot of features and options, and nearly every aspect of this program is customizable. It really is an Explorer replacement, and it offers to do so during the installation - so when you open any folder, Directory Opus will launch. The built-in FTP client works exactly as you’d expect. The many different view options are easy to access and just “make sense”. While in use, Directory Opus took up 28MB of memory on my system. The instant that it’s minimized, its memory use dropped to 1MB. If I used Windows more often, I would gladly pay the $85.00 to purchase this software. In fact, the next time I have a day job that requires Windows use, I will.
Screenshots:
 quick ftp connect |
 contextual (and excellent) auto-help |
 thumbnail view |
 extra (audio) file info |
 nag screen |
 id3 editing |
 huge “file” list |
 replace Windows Explorer |
ExplorerXP
Requirements: Windows 2000, Windows XP
Download: http://www.explorerxp.com/index.html#download (scroll to the bottom)
Homepage: http://www.explorerxp.com/
Features:
Thoughts:
Pretty straight forward Explorer-like File Manager. While it doesn’t have as many features as many of the other reviewed file managers, it is free (for non-commercial use) and makes a great “first” upgrade for beginners. Anyone who has used Windows Explorer for more than 5 minutes will feel right at home using ExplorerXP.
Screenshots
 default view |
 two windows |
 ExplorerXP prefs |
 command list |
Far Manager
Requirements: Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000 or XP
Download: http://www.farmanager.com/download.php?l=en
Homepage: http://www.farmanager.com/index.php?l=en
Features:
Thoughts:
Far Manager is a pretty old-school File Manager. Mouse support is provided, but this is a File Manager for keyboard commandos. Very cool plugins add great extra features (FTP, email, Winamp control etc). I’m not sure that I’ll pay for this File Manager, but I will be using it until the 40 days is up before I decide.
Screenshots:
 Far Manager default view |
 execute a command in Far |
 select multiple files |
 built in text viewer |
 search in Far |
FileMatrix
Requirements: Windows 98, ME, NT4 SP6, 2000, XP or Vista
Homepage: http://www.gardenerofthoughts.org/ideas/filematrix/index.htm
Features:
Thoughts:
FileMatrix is quite unique among all of the other File Managers reviewed in this article. The interface is much different than the typical explorer-style manager. The use of “boards” and “containers” makes viewing and grouping files a snap. If you’re tired of the same-old-file-manager, give this one a try. And be sure to make use of the included Wizards and help files - they will really come in handy.
Screenshots:
 thumbnail view |
 right-click options |
 tools options |
 image converter |
 config and help wizard (very helpful!) |
 nag screen |
freeCommander
Requirements: Windows 95, 98, ME, NT (from version 4.0), 2000, XP, Vista (?)
Download: http://www.freecommander.com/fc_downl_en.htm
Homepage: http://www.freecommander.com/
Features:
Thoughts:
‘Easy access to system folders’ is one of the features that first jumped out at me. My immediate thought was “why isn’t that in all file managers?” I may have overlooked it in some of the others, so I certainly won’t say that this is the only one that has this feature. “Size of folders” (not enabled by default) does slow things down - as freeCommander calculates and displays the folder size. With that said, it’s very handy to try and figure out where your hard drive space has gone, and easy to get to when you need it. The image preview was a bit slow for me compared to most of the others. The screenshot feature allows you to chose between image types (bmp and jpg) and even adjust the quality. I think the biggest drawback to freeCommander is the lack of built in FTP support, and I suppose it’s not that big of a deal. This program, though free, is donation-worthy.
Screenshots:
 quick access to System Folders |
 freeCommander prefs |
 Extras menu |
 Quick access to Programs |
 default freeCommander view |
PowerDesk Pro/Standard
Requirements: Windows 98, ME, NT4, 2000, XP, or 2003
Download: http://www.shop.avanquest.com/usa/trial_form.php?pid=686
Homepage: http://www.v-com.com/product/PowerDesk_Pro_Home.html
Features:
Thoughts:
OK here’s my beef.. It’s not a bad File Manager at all. It’s very customizable, has all of the features you’d expect, but the ones you really want to try (add notes to files, ftp, sync folders) are only available in the Pro version (which there’s no trial for). The Standard version is free, but has a ‘nag’ bar that takes up too much screen real-estate. I would much rather a 10 day fully-functional demo version before I decide to lay down $40. Also, they added me to a mailing list when I specifically said I did not want to join (you must provide an email address to download the demo).
Screenshots:
 horizontal view |
 file filter |
 PowerDesk Standard options |
 Tools list |
 customize the toolbar |
Servant Salamander (2.5)
Requirements: Windows 95, 98, ME, NT 4, 2000, or XP
Download: http://www.altap.cz/download.html
Homepage: http://www.altap.cz/
Features:
This is a list of the main features for version 2.5 RC1. All details/features for v2.5 can be found here, and v2.0 here.
Thoughts:
At the suggestion of a number of commenters, I downloaded and installed Servant Salamander 2.5 RC1. It’s another Norton Commander-style inspired file manager, and a pretty great one at that. It has every feature you’d expect, and then some. The plug-ins allow for features that go above and beyond a file manager (screenshots, encrypt and decrypt, sftp/scp etc). The ability to set a ’skill level’ is a great idea. Executing commands is not only easy, but the command window doesn’t automatically close once the command has been executed! As it stands right now, I can’t pick a “winner” between Servant Salamander and Total Commander. I’m quite sure that it just comes down to personal preference. If Norton Commander-style file managers are your thing, I would strongly suggest you try both Total Commander and Servant Salamander, and decide for yourself which is best. If you’re on a limited budget, go for freeCommander. When the demo versions expire, I plan on buying either Total or Servant - I’ll update this after I decide.
Screenshots:
 default view |
 Servant Salamander plug-ins |
|
 Servant Salamander prefs |
 set a user level |
|
 map network drives |
 execute commands |
SpeedCommander
Requirements: Windows 95/98/98SE, Windows ME, Windows NT 4, Windows 2000, XP, 2003, Windows XP/2003 x64 Edition
Download: http://www.speedproject.de/enu/download.html
Homepage: http://www.speedproject.de/enu/speedcommander/index.html
Features:
Thoughts:
Lots of features (built in browser is cool) and very snappy response times. Macros are simple to use. Worth checking out, but the price is a bit steep. If I had an x64 version of Windows I would be anxious to try out this app.
Screenshots
 default view |
 View options |
 File options |
 Run a command |
 Preview files |
 Launch apps |
Total Commander
Requirements: Windows 95, 98, ME, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. 16bit version available for Win 3.1. Another for Windows CE and the Pocket PC.
Download: http://www.ghisler.com/download.htm
Homepage: http://www.ghisler.com/
Features:
Thoughts:
Having only used it for about 30 minutes total (so far), take these comments with a grain of salt. Total Commander appears to be the fastest file manager in terms of response times. I asked it to calculate the size of 14 folders (that contained a couple hundred files) and it immediatley gave me the answer. The hard drive didn’t clunk away trying to count files, it just happened. As the screenshots below demonstrate, Total Commander looks very old school (though there are many options to customize the look and feel). As the name implies, it’s styled after Norton Commander, and as you’d expect it can be completely controlled via the keyboard. At $34 USD I’m curious to compare it to Free Commander (see comments at the bottom). I reserve the right to bump this up to 4 stars after I look at Free Commander 
Screenshots:
 Total Commander prefs |
 default view |
 FTP view |
 customize the button bar |
 calculate file/folder sizes |
XPlorer
Requirements: Windows 95, 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP, 2003 or Vista
Download: http://guti.webcindario.com/static.php?page=XPlorer (scroll to download section)
Features:
Thoughts:
Arguably the most Windows Explorer-like of all the reviewed File Managers, XPlorer is certainly better than the default Windows Explorer. Here’s my only real complaint - when you delete a file, it remains ‘visible’ in the list of files until you refresh the screen. And you can only refresh by hitting F5 on your keyboard (no right-click, no Edit > Refresh etc). That one annoying ‘feature’ is enough for me not to use it (I replicated this problem on 3 different Windows XP machines). If that kind of thing doesn’t bother you, by all means check this one out because it’s not bad otherwise.
Screenshots:
 default view |
 right-click options |
 Xplorer options |
 File list |
xplorer²
Requirements: Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, 2003
Download: http://zabkat.com/x2down.htm
Homepage: http://zabkat.com
Features:
Throughts:
The ability to search for files everywhere, with Omni-Finder, is actually very cool/powerful. The built-in Help is very useful, as it explains all of the features (and how to use them) clearly, with illustrations. At first glance xplorer² appears fairly average, digging deeper shows it to be a powerful File Manager.
Screenshots:
 default view |
 preview window |
 Tools list |
 System navigation |
 Commands via a container |
XYplorer
Requirements: Windows 95, 98, NT, ME, 2000, XP or Vista
Download: http://www.xyplorer.com/download.htm
Homepage: http://www.xyplorer.com/index.htm/
Features:
Thoughts:
Wow. It only took a couple of minutes of looking around to see some features that I’d never seen before (drop text to file, ctrl+backspace breadcrumb) - and some that I’ve seen before but never this detailed (see the “Rename Special” screenshot below). If you click and hold the left mouse button on an image (in the Preview area) it enlarges until you release the mouse button. Very cool. XYplorer appears to have a slighly larger memory-footprint than Directory Opus (the only other Explorer-style file manager that I gave 4 stars), but it is less expensive.
Screenshots:
 default view |
 Rename special |
 hover info |
 Tools menu |
 XYplorer prefs |
 customize the Toolbar |
If you’re looking for even more, I’ve done another 10 Windows Explorer reviews/overviews.
155 Responses to “15 Windows Explorer alternatives compared and reviewed”
By Ken Holm on Oct 12, 2006 | Reply
Total Commander is a very nice package. You can do all navigation without touching your mouse. Very fast with nice, tight integrations.
http://www.ghisler.com/
By Ross on Oct 12, 2006 | Reply
Ken -
Downloading now, will add it to this list later this evening. Cheers -
Ross
By Cyber Zilla on Oct 12, 2006 | Reply
great roundup, good reviews. well laid out.
By neuralien on Oct 12, 2006 | Reply
you forgot to mention FreeCommander
http://www.freecommander.com/
it’s a free version of TotalCommander and very good
By Justin on Oct 12, 2006 | Reply
Not a bad “quick” review, although I was surprised to see ExplorerXP (which has clearly been abandoned long ago) and XPlorer (which appears to have also been abandoned) in the review. In my search for the holy grail of file managers almost two years ago I came across XYplorer (http://www.xyplorer.com). It is a VERY powerful file manager that is roughly half the cost of Directory Opus (which is a nice file manager), comes with a lifetime license (no cost to upgrade to future versions), and is constantly being improved upon. New features and bugfixes are released almost daily!
By Ross on Oct 12, 2006 | Reply
Justin,
Right now I’m checking out Total Commander, and after I update this w/ it I’ll download and install XY. Then FreeCommander.
By Tech Tips on Oct 12, 2006 | Reply
Thanks for the list. I am not sure I need an alternative to Explorer but this is always a hot topic. A43 btw is a great product on the Windows Ultimate Boot CD
By Ali Bolourian on Oct 12, 2006 | Reply
Thanks for the nice review. I might switch to Directory Opus after all. Currently I’m using Servant Salamander which is a great replacement too.
http://www.altap.cz/salam_en/index.html
By bdbr on Oct 12, 2006 | Reply
I keep trying different file managers, and I keep coming back to Servant Salamander. It starts up very fast and works great.
By Justin on Oct 12, 2006 | Reply
Ross,
Thanks for this great list, and thanks for taking a look at some other file managers! For XY, be sure to go into the “Beta Club” (the forums) and get the latest beta…the betas are rock solid and have more features than whatever is available as an “official” release.
By Lefty Mills on Oct 12, 2006 | Reply
According to the features listed above, Total Commander is the only one to have Direct access to Network Neighbourhood. This means that I have full access to all the folders and files of the other computers on my LAN.
As I have a 3 computer home network, I wouldn’t use anything else but Total Commander.
By Michael on Oct 12, 2006 | Reply
Another one well worth a look is Cubic Explorer (www.cubicreality.com). It has a tabbed interface and bookmarking facility. And the installer-free download functions well as a portable app.
By Ross on Oct 12, 2006 | Reply
I guess I know what I’m doing tomorrow. I added Total Commander and freeCommander this evening, tomorrow I’ll add XYplorer (beta), Servant Salamander, Cubic Explorer and maybe the non-beta of XY. Thanks to all for the feedback and suggestions!
Ross
By Ananda Sim on Oct 12, 2006 | Reply
Total Commander. Always better. Long test history. Long history of development since Windows 3.1. Robust in networked environment. Robust when it hits hardware / OS errors. Does FTP and has many plugins (many of them free). Has a portable option so it will be install-free on a USB stick. Fits on a floppy if you do not load plugins. Behaviour is “safe” - defaults never make you lose data or cause confusion (e.g. is it copy or is it move?). Does not suppress the right click context menu. Many shortcut keys and can be driven using keyboard instead of mouse. Author has been quick and responsive - this is randomly over many years. Many, many features which are not surfaced by the menus.
By James on Oct 12, 2006 | Reply
Total Commander. 5/5 Stars.
Give that baby time.
By Ross on Oct 12, 2006 | Reply
Ananda and James,
Between your comments and those over at Digg, it sounds like I really have to spend some more time w/ Total Commander. The number of folks who are so passionate about it makes me think that there’s a lot more to it. And everyone who does comment mentions that the author is really good about feedback and fixes, which is a huge plus.
By wovawi on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
Folderview, http://www.folderview.com is also nice!
By Ivan Minic on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
What a nice job you did with this
By Moa on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
Total commander is for me the best solution.
For sure, you can’t test it in 30 minutes, there is hundreds of possibles commands which may help you to save a lot of time, and many of them are not in the menu but you can add them with your own customized menu.
The tab function is really cool and help to save time.
Many plugins are available to open any archive (iso, img and all compressed files), plugin for sftp, etc…
If you look for big icons with picture preview go away. If you don’t want to spend your time managing your files, that’s the solution.
If there is one software to buy for windows, it’s Total Commander.
By francesco on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
total commander is the best!
By profreecommander on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
freecommander is by far the best one. Polish programmers kick ass
By Hui Zhou on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
No one is using 2xExplorer? (Try google “2xExplorer”)
By David Carta on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
Total Commander has so many features that it boggles the mind. On many occasions, I have e-mailed Christian Ghisler (the author) asking for a feature only to have him tell me that it had already been implemented.
Archive packer (or plug-in) supports every type of compressed fule I’ve come across.
Also, in addition to the extensive collection of plug-ins on the site, there is an independent site of TC plugins at:
http://www.totalcmd.net/
With these plug-ins you can do almost anything: sftp, database browsing, Linux drive support, ISO image support, formatted viewing of files (code, images, animations, etc), iPod connectivity, etc.
By glenneroo on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
the link for xplorer2 is wrong and there is a free lite version (non commercial use) >
http://zabkat.com/x2lite.htm
i bought total commander a few years ago, but gave up on it due to some annoyances that just drove me insane near the end. Then i found xplorer2 and its so much faster and does exactly what i want… a simple explorer replacement that looks nice right after install, doesnt need 500 plugins to make it “work”, very intuitive and similar to win Explorer, and doesn’t have strange cryptic hot-keys to do simple stuff. But i do admittedly miss the FTP that Total Commander afforded me.
so why did xplorer2 get only 3 stars even tho you listed no cons about it?
By lloyd on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
let me weigh in with another thumbs up for XYplorer. at one pt, i tried most of those others and they came up short, at least for me. not so xy. i love it!
the only thing all of them are missing (as far as i know) is a harddisk size analyzer such as idisk. with the addition of that, XY’d be the ginchiest.
By Keith on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
What a good list of Windows Explorer alternatives, guess what, I’m still going to stick to use MS Windows Explorer. Installing those applications may just wreck havoc to my system.
By daneel on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
how about blackbox for windows ?
By Chris on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
I liek this side. It`s well done and informative. Thank you for this!
I miss a thing that bugged me in Explorer always:
If you try to delete or copy a couple of files and one seems to be in use, there is only “abort” or “ok” and it doesn`t continue. So stupid. Yet I only know Directory is able just to continue (and I like the transfer info box) but it`s not free and only for this feature I don`t wanna spent AUD $85,00. So maybe you know wich of those is able to handle file copy/delete as it should!
Thank you
Chris
By Jaen on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
Total Commander… sure, the interface is ugly and not very intuitive, but as a power-user tool, it’s absolutely unreplaceable. Shows its best with age.
Having used various commanders for over 10 years now, Total Commander is my final choice.
By fistandoodle on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
Very nice list.
I personally use xplorer² at home and love it.
I especially love that its got tabs. Hit ctrl+insert and you get a new tab! And to go to a different directory, just click the name of the directory you want (say, you are at c:\documents and settings\username\application data\microsoft\internet explorer\ and you want to go back to application data, click on that subdirectory without having to hit the .. or “up” to bet you back there. Its the only app with it and I have become used to it).
At work I use A43, since its free (and not just for non commercial use).
An interesting new dual pane explorer replacement I just found is File Commander.
http://www.godlikesoft.de/
Quick access to regedit, scandisk, defrag. Picture, text, hex, html, audio preview options. Favorites menu. Compare directories/files, create screenshots, network monitor, compress, split, burn on CD, DOS window shortcut, Computer uptime, clock.
Original language is German, I believe, and some of the menu options and tooltips aren’t translated into English.
Great list, though. Thanks.
By eye2spy on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
You list should contain Servant Salmander. Its an excellent file manager feature wise. User it daily and can’t live without it.
By Eyeshag Knightly on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
I have personally used Total Commander (Windows Commander) since the 3.1 days and I can honestly say it is the one tool I have kept with me wherever I go in this industry. For the longest time I was even still carrying the disk that Christian sent me with my license. Even now as new plug-ins are developed, integrating the added functionality into my day by day usage requires nary an additional thought.
I have used Directory Opus and agree that it is feature rich and definitely a boon to those tethered to a mouse all day, but what was lost in simple, easy to learn keyboard combos far outweighed the bells and whistles that might be used only once or twice.
By Brian K on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
Another recommendation for Servant Salamander. I’d be absolutely lost without it.
By Dave Entwistle on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
Total Commander is the first thing I install on any fresh Windows installation (even before additional drivers); I’ve been using it for about 2 years now, and I still find new (useful!) features every now and then… Windows Explorer is a joke :§)
By Michael G on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
I see Servant Salamander already commented on a few times. I absolutely love it, myself. Haven’t used Windows Explorer for awhile now.
By Escu on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
I’m not sure why you’re using FAR Manager in 80×25 resolution. If you press Alt-F9, the window’ll stretch to cover the whole screen. Also, raster fonts suck. A TrueType one, like Lucida Console or Courier, looks much better and can benefit from ClearType on an LCD.
And here’s a bit of trivia: if you press Alt+F6 over a file, you can create an NTFS hardlink for it (or softlink for a folder), and I’m pretty sure no other file manager can do that.
There’s a lot more to FAR than meets the eye, and when you start scripting it with macros and adding plugins, you’ll never want to use anything else.
By Ken D on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
After reading a few reviews I skipped down to your review of Xplorer2. It’s the only one of these programs that I know well. Xplorer2 is a very deep program with very strong, unique features, none of which are mentioned. Your review of it is so cursory and devoid of information that would make the review useful that - I’m sorry - it harms your credibility for reviewing these programs.
However, thanks for pulling together this grouping and providing the links.
By Ross on Oct 13, 2006 | Reply
Ken,
Not to get too defensive, but if I listed all of the features for each of the file managers, this would be hundreds of pages long. The “features” part of each section is a copy/paste (with minor edits) from the respective developers webpage. If the features you love aren’t listed, suggest to the developer that they’re not marketing their product as well as they could be. Regardless, I’m glad you found this semi-useful.
Cheers,
Ross
By J Hallgren on Oct 14, 2006 | Reply
Found this site via a post on XYplorer forum…and for Chris, check out this thread about how XY handles locked files: here
By mister jason on Oct 14, 2006 | Reply
Your review dropped into my lap when I finally decided to take some time to search for an alternative to Explorer. I wasn’t happy with the couple I had found on my own.
Based on a look at your rundowns, I gave a few more a try and have settled on XYPlorer. It’s exactly what I wanted and more…but not *too* much more. I’ve managed to kill 4 other misc. single task apps with XYPlorer.
Thanks for the roundup, Ross…good work!
By Ross on Oct 14, 2006 | Reply
Heya Jason - thanks for the compliment!
Check out the XY forums if you haven’t already - I’ve been browsing around tonight and the folks over there are pretty helpful. Cheers,
Ross
By Luis Breda on Oct 14, 2006 | Reply
Total Commander: 6/5, or (n+1)/n in any scale. Period.
By Reuven on Oct 14, 2006 | Reply
How about Explorer Plus? http://www.gold-software.com/download7440.html
By Jonas on Oct 14, 2006 | Reply
All I want to add to Windows Explorer is the ability to copy files smarter, so that I get the option to replace files with the same name but with newer change-dates. So far, TotalCommander is the only one I’ve found that does this, but the UI is so hideous that I can’t bring myself to using it for anything else.
Isn’t there anything out there that just does this simple task?
By David Hucklesby on Oct 14, 2006 | Reply
What a great resource. Thanks!
I have been using Power Desk Pro for several years, but they moved their web site and I thought them defunct. My main reason for buying it is that it has “Outside-In” technology to view almost any type of file, even if the file type (extension) is missing or wrong in many cases.
Now I can upgrade. Yay!
By J Hallgren on Oct 15, 2006 | Reply
The one feature that I needed was the ability to search for files that were modified during a selected time of day, like the prior 15 minutes. I was directed to XYplorer via another forum back in Jan 2006, and have been hooked ever since! It has built-in ability to do this easily, and also allows one to show the age of files in list mode, so locating files that are more than, for example, 45 days old is a breeze!
I’ve been dealing with PC’s for many years and have never found a shareware developer who is as responsive to user feedback and needs as this author is! You’d sometimes think it was a team of developers but it’s not…he’s just that quick and talented!
By Ferry on Oct 16, 2006 | Reply
I’ve been using DirOpus since day 1, and I really mean day 1!, back when it was created for Amiga computers. Windows 3.1 wasn’t even released. I still use latest version for Amiga 68k (new version for PPC Amigas is near to completion) and a PPC version of DOpus4 everyday, as well as the PC/Windows version. Best file manager/Explorer replacement ever!
BTW, it can be used as Workbench (Explorer equivalent) replacement in Amiga too…
By Mark on Oct 16, 2006 | Reply
I was looking for a *group rename* function. e.g. all files of the group DSC###, rename in place to SomeProject_Date_###.
IrfanView does this for jpgs, but I can’t make any of these programs do this. I do this every week with hundreds of files.
By Justin` on Oct 16, 2006 | Reply
Seeing the Matrix up here, I had to point you to http://www.thedailywtf.com, where it was featured a couple months back. Definitely more than enough rope there to hang yourself:
http://thedailywtf.com/forums/thread/77174.aspx
By Ross on Oct 16, 2006 | Reply
I’m actually just making this post to test the “Notify me of followup comments via e-mail” feature that I just enabled.
For those interested, I’m also in the middle of using 3 ‘other’ file managers that were suggested here and via the contact form, I’m hoping that I can get the list up to 20 before I’m done. Thanks to everyone for the feedback and suggestions!
By Ross on Oct 16, 2006 | Reply
Just another follow-up test to see if the new WP plugin works.
By marc klink on Oct 17, 2006 | Reply
I use xplorer² and find it ok, but I still miss the days of DOS and XTree Pro Gold. There was none better! I really wonder why no one has made a replacement [and I don’t consider ZTree Bold a relacement]. The control-tag and alt-tag abilities were GREAT!
By NIck on Oct 17, 2006 | Reply
Good review.
I think Frigate is a file manager decent enough to be reviewed as well (2 panels view, integrated browser, dialer, text editor clock, skinnable) though i prefer Total Commander since it was Windows Commander. Replaced not only that lame Explorer, but a CD-burner, FTP client, registry, NT services and tasks management. Even wrote an article (in russian) about Total Commander. Used TC as a shell for some time - it lacks systray for this matter.
Jaen, comment 39:
Total Commander… sure, the interface is ugly
It is highly customizable so one can greately enhance TC’s appearance (background/file type colors, menus, icons, buttons…)
Moa, comment 29:
If you look for big icons with picture preview go away.
Or you may stay with TC and make those icons BIG and a thumbnail preview is great and clean (doesn’t leave trash files like Explorer and ACDSee thumbs.db)
Jonas, comment 60:
TotalCommander is the only one I’ve found that does this, but the UI is so hideous that I can’t bring myself to using it for anything else.
Ever tried to read help file? (press F1)
Mark, comment 68:
I was looking for a *group rename* function
Total Commander has an advanced group rename tool
(Ctrl+M)
By jbgoode on Oct 17, 2006 | Reply
Nice job dude but personally I’d recommend Win Commander, aka Total Commander as a different kind of App since it’s a super-tool for power users mostly, that does everything you’d expect from a file manager X100!
TC is a mini-OS to me! It doesn’t write one single registry entry in your system and is a spin-doctor with archives and FTP browsing!
If you’d bothered to look at its plugin support you’d see why this tool is unique! and no …I don’t work for
Christian Ghisler LOL!
By rekna on Oct 18, 2006 | Reply
Recently I found Turbo Navigator, freeware,i’ve use several of the freeware explorers mentioned above, but Turbo Navigator seems to ‘feel right’ for me…
By Neta Amit on Oct 18, 2006 | Reply
When I wanted to create a new directory/file and give it a Hebrew name XYPlorer (eval) did not accommodate. A43 & Dir Opus just did it…
–Neta
By Ian Anderson on Oct 18, 2006 | Reply
I’m always surprised at the reviews Xplorer2 receives. Also that the free (Lite) version never gets a mention. For me, the tree plus dual-pane view, coupled with tabbed browsing in each pane, fully navigable folder paths, as well as a per-tab folder history make it incredibly flexible for moving around the folder structure. Add in the choices for mouse- or keyboard-driven navigation, folder synchronisation, filters, bookmarks, text editor, preview pane… and I’ve never found a better freebie. Still, good to have a comparative review on a single page
By jeff on Oct 18, 2006 | Reply
I tried a bunch of the explorers listed here. I ended up purchasing xyplorer because it has a good set of features without being too complicated, and because the developer responded rapidly to my questions. He was even willing to quickly add a feature that I needed (although a second feature I requested was more complicated and so it’s been added to his queue).
Directory Opus, as you might be able to guess by the price, is easily the richest, most feature laden product. There’s a lot to learn and the price is high. On top of that, the license only allows you to install it on a single machine; I’ve got several machines at work and several machines at home (all of which are used only by me), so this would be a very expensive proposition (a more reasonable license in my opinion would be a per-user license, which would allow me to install it on all my machines).
I tried the free programs. I really wanted to like them but they just didn’t provide enough to make it worthwhile to switch from the Windows Explorer. There were different types of issues I ran into (antiquated user interfaces, buggy behavior, no developer support, etc.) across the different products but I won’t go into the details here. All I can say (and it pains me to say this) is that the free programs (in their current state) aren’t worth it.
– jeff
By Guti on Oct 18, 2006 | Reply
Regarding your problem about not autorefreshing the list after deleting a file in XPlorer
View -> Preferences -> General, and check on Automatic Refresh. Ot should solve your problem.
In fact, this setting is disabled by default, just to get faster response times.
By Guti on Oct 18, 2006 | Reply
As you have said, you can access the Refresh command by pressing F5, or if you prefer, by accessing:
View -> Refresh.
Hope these two clarification would make XPlorer more popular.
By bruce haack on Oct 18, 2006 | Reply
yo nice list
everybody knows that explorer is the lame..for so many reasons..no dual pane, bad interface to other drives, have to configure it to not complain about looking in system32 among other things, etc etc
i used to use turbo navigator all the time…is nice
the latest one i use is total commander with power pack
i think with the power pack u might rate it up to 5 star..is super sweet has so many great plugins (dvd burning, ext2 reading, builtin zip/rar/etc reading, buitlin, buitlin NFO reader (is so annoying with windows when it trys to open this file)
anyway
nice list and commentary
so many sites are so obsessed with just listing..
not to mention the repitive repetition of the same shit
ok
l3ft
By Donald Lessau on Oct 19, 2006 | Reply
Jonas, comment 60:
XYplorer has various means of copying items without putting you before a frustrating “overwrite or cancel” choice. Here are some:
Custom drag & drop context menu:
- Copy Here with Suffix Number
- Copy Here with Suffix Date Now
- Copy Here with Suffix Date Modified
Keyboard:
- Ctrl+S: Copy Here As… (= Save Here As…)
- Ctrl+D: Copy Here with Suffix Number
- Ctrl+Shift+D: Copy Here with Suffix Date Modified
The formats of “Suffix Number” (which is auto-incremented as necessary) and “Suffix Date” are individually configurable.
Another interesting option (and, AFAIK, unique among file managers) is copying (resp. moving) files to destinations that are not hardcoded but soft-specified using *date/time variables* (output format of course fully configurable). Which means: each time you do a copy to such a soft-destination a new target folder/path is created with a name derived from the time now.
See some examples for this here:
http://88.191.26.34/XYwiki/index.php/Move/Copy/Backup_To#Using_Date_Variables
–
Donald
By Donald Lessau on Oct 19, 2006 | Reply
Mark, comment 68:
… looking for a *group rename* function …
XYplorer “Batch Rename” (Shift+F2) does it easily. Examples:
http://88.191.26.34/XYwiki/index.php?title=Rename_Special#Batch_Rename…_.28Shift.2BF2.29
–
Donald
By a_t on Oct 20, 2006 | Reply
DirectoryOpus. Because it lets me work MY way, not authors way, like fe. TotalCommander.
By J Hallgren on Oct 20, 2006 | Reply
Neta, comment #80: About Hebrew language: I asked XYplorer author about this…reply was that it’s a limitation of the programming language that is used, so he’s unable to accomodate this.
By Ian Britten on Oct 20, 2006 | Reply
A couple of others to look at:
mtExplorer V1.1
All rights reserved. Copyright (C) 2006 Jack Ruffey. Please send comments to jackr at http://texplorer.com/.
mtExplorer is a minimalist multi-pane file explorer. I have tried quite a number of dual-pane and tabbed file explorers, but none of them could give me 4 to 6 mxplorer panes simultaneously in a single window.
EasyExplorer file manager:
Easy Explorer is a FREE file manager for Windows. Easy to use and packed with useful features. It is based on the first release of FileQuest, and is completely FREE. http://www.piquest.com/
Ian Britten
By D on Oct 21, 2006 | Reply
Please include Magellan Explorer
http://www.enriva.com/
and WinBrowser
http://www.winbrowser.com/
By Dreamer on Oct 25, 2006 | Reply
XPlorer2 3 starts???????
You should try it again.
The best
By o robinson on Oct 29, 2006 | Reply
I hate to sound a sour note, but one feature got real short shrift in this review: program thumbnail capabilities.
There is a real need for thumbnail capability in file manager programs, in large part because image and thumbnail programs are crappy file programs, lacking features like dual panes and explorer key navigation. Faststone is an egregious example of a good viewer but in which you can’t go up a directory with the keyboard but have to use the mouse.
Potential users need to know the following about thumbnail capabilities.
1. Can you turn off the display of file names to get more thumbnails on the screen? For image work, file names are usually superfluous to useless.
2. Does the program build a thumbnail data base to avoid rebuilding them every time you browse a directory?
3. If the program creates a data base is it one data base or one for each directory?
4. Can you quickly change the size of displayed thumbnails? Quickly, that is, without rebuilding a entire data base?
5. Does it use its own viewer or system defaults? I want to use my own viewer. I don’t need more viewers.
6. Can you set the size of the borders to zero to maximize the number of thumbnails on the screen at one time? Image users need to view as many images as possible at once. They want screen space used for thumbnails, not aesthetic white space. With the exception of Xplorer2, none of the file manager program authors I know of seems to understand this.
7. Does it draw the images on the screen as you scroll to them, so you get a annoying delay everything you key page down. Xplorer2 does this.
By o robinson on Oct 29, 2006 | Reply
One other question always needed to be asked about file manager programs: do they support the Windows system default colors?
I have known of some that hard coded some black text in to the program, rather than using the Windows text color. That results in unreadable black on black when using a black background Windows color scheme
By forum on Oct 30, 2006 | Reply
Hi, I enjoyed your review very much, thanks :o) The included screenshots are great to quickly preview the different programs.
After trying most of the _free_ Windows Explorer replacements listed here, 3 standed out for me : ExplorerXP, which has good features but also flaws and seems to be no longer updated ; CubicExplorer, which is pretty good but also unstable ; and Xplorer² Lite, which is nearly perfect (for my tastes) and that I’m now using instead of the Windows Explorer.
By Fernando on Nov 1, 2006 | Reply
AccelMan is a multi-window file manager incorporating a file viewer, GUI console, media player, and bookmarks manager. In AccelMan you are not restricted to an obsolete dual-pane file manager interface – you can open as many managers as you wish and freely organize your environment on the AccelMan desktop. AccelMan is a unique multipurpose application. You can use it as a regular file manager, ACDSee-style image viewer, bookmark management tool, play-list editor, media player, functional GUI console, multi-file processor, archiver with support of 15+ formats, PDF and MS Office documents manager, hexadecimal editor and a lot more besides in one seamless, ergonomic environment.
http://www.flexigensoft.com/accelman
By Henrik on Nov 6, 2006 | Reply
Your rating system is all wrong.
Total Commander should get 10 stars in this system
Been using it since it was the original Norton Commander. Still use the same colors as back then.
By Mark M Janecki on Nov 6, 2006 | Reply
Turbo Navigator free but site has gone away but still relatively easy to find
By NIck on Nov 6, 2006 | Reply
Henrik, comment 99:
Total Commander has nothing to do with Norton/Symantec, it was called Windows Commander. I agree it’s the best filemanager ever, and 7.0 beta with new features is released recently
By Amjad on Nov 15, 2006 | Reply
A valuable contribution by this comparative review of Windows File Managers. Also because it continues to develop.
Suggest the addition of AccelMan File manager (http://www.flexigensoft.com/accelman) to the review.
By Donald Lessau on Nov 26, 2006 | Reply
Little update on XYplorer:
The trial period has been extended to 30 days, and there’s an Xmas related price discount of 25% through December, so the license now costs only EUR 22.50 (USD 29.50, GBP 15.50)!
By Jan on Dec 1, 2006 | Reply
I was surprised to see that there is no file browser with undo/redo listed in its features. Accidentally deleting or moving files/folders could cause problems.
By Donald Lessau on Dec 3, 2006 | Reply
Undo/Redo is #2 on XYplorer’s development roadmap, right after Customizable Keyboard Shortcuts.
By Leland Whitlock on Jan 15, 2007 | Reply
You should also check out Gyula’s Navigator which you can find at http://www.wanari.com/. It free for personal or non-profit use, or $20 for 5 licenses. It’s another Norton Commander clone. As for the reviews I agree whole heartedly on Directory Opus it’s my favorite. Of course I’ve been using it since my Amiga days. I would not be without it. My only hope is eventually to get a fully portable version. For now XYplorer is my portable Explorer. Thanks for the great review.
By Hank Friedman on Jan 26, 2007 | Reply
Version 4 of File Commander, mentioned above, available at:
http://www.godlikesoft.de/
and supports 4 view panes, is free, and is very effective at working with multiple folders at once.
Don’t get version 5 yet, however, as it is still buggy and in development.
By A.Schubach on Jan 28, 2007 | Reply
what about http://www.idoswin.de/idosfree.htm
besides the nag-screen, worth looking on.
By WA__ on Feb 1, 2007 | Reply
Warm greetings! Thanks for all the information, a very nice and well done site! Cheers.
By fdb on Feb 5, 2007 | Reply
Again Total Commander kiss ass.
I think this is the only one in the list that doesnt need windows dll to achieve its goal. I mean It can work even on a broken windows.
In few words, no windows dependencies.
By o robinson on Feb 12, 2007 | Reply
I just downloaded and installed