Love it or hate it, Finder is the default file manager for macOS. But there are other choices out there, and this article offers reviews, screenshots and links to download 10 different alternatives.
Note: this was initially published back in 2006. It has been updated to be a bit more current for 2020. With that said, several of these are no longer available. However, the ones that remain have mostly been updated to include new features etc.
Did I miss your favourite file manager in this list? By all means please feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll update this list (come on – the windows commenters have suggested a lot!)
Name | Cost (USD) | Demo version available | Universal Binary | Stars (out of 5) | Detailed review |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Path Finder | $34.95 | yes (21 days) | yes | ***½ | here |
Disk Order | $22.57 | yes (30 days) | yes | *** | here |
FileBrowse | $25.00 | yes (30 days) | yes | **** | here |
FileRun | $??.?? | no | unknown | n/a | here |
3DOSX | free | n/a | no | ** | here |
RAGE Macintosh Explorer | $15.95 | yes | not yet, but works w/ Rosetta | **½ | here |
Xfolders | free | n/a | yes | **** | here |
muCommander | free | n/a | no | **** | here |
Liquifile | $9.90 | yes (30 days) | yes | **½ | here |
Xfile | $79.00 | no | no | * | here |
Path Finder
Homepage: https://cocoatech.com/
Features in a nutshell:
Thoughts:
Path Finder is by far the most “popular” alternative to Finder for OS X. It has many, many features that you won’t find in Finder (top of the list would be tabs, desktop icon changes and the ‘drop stack’). The Path Finder menu item/button is also a helpful feature (see image below).
It uses more system resources than most of the other File Managers outlined in this article, and isn’t above the occasional crash. It does share the same “3 view” option as Finder (list, columns, icons), but the addition of tabs helps make for a far less cluttered desktop.
Being the 2nd most expensive File Manager reviewed, it’s a good thing that there’s a 21 day fully-functional demo available.
Screenshots:
![]() lots of commands | ![]() column view with tabs |
![]() Path Finder menu icon | ![]() new desktop ‘right-click’ menu |
![]() Path Finder prefs | ![]() more Path finder prefs |
![]() changed desktop icons |
Disk Order
Requirements: OSX 10.3 and higher, there is an older version for 10.2 that won’t be updated and has fewer features
Download URL: NO LONGER AVAILABLE
Features in a nutshell:
Thoughts:
Disk Order is pretty nice. The built in FTP client is helpful, the built-in preview works well and mix of Mac native and Norton-Commander styles blend really well. Its biggest drawback is that Xfolders is very similar, but free.
Screenshots:
![]() Disk Order default view | ![]() Disk Order with FTP |
![]() Disk Order prefs | ![]() Disk Order nag screen |
![]() Disk Order Extras | ![]() Disk Order Commands |
![]() Disk Order (running a command) |
FileBrowse
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.4.0 and later
Download URL: NO LONGER AVAILABLE
Features in a nutshell:
Thoughts:
FileBrowse strikes me as a ‘love it or hate it’ File Manager. It’s quite different than the others in this list, as it has far fewer features. But… what it lacks in features, it makes up for by perfecting the the existing ones. Plus, at the (early) version of 1.0.2, who knows what the future may have in store.
Arguably the best ‘feature’ of FileBrowse is its unique, minimalist but elegant interface. FileBrowse can show thumbnails for many file types, not only for images. And folder icons even show the items inside, so you don’t have to open a folder to see its contents. Keyboard navigation within FileBrowse takes some getting used to. Previewing images at different sizes is a snap, and previewing multimedia (music, movies) is just as easy. Give it a try, but don’t blame me if you don’t like it.
Screenshots:
![]() FileBrowse is pretty | ![]() FileBrowse is pretty 2 |
![]() view the contents of folders | ![]() huge preview |
![]() play, preview or open media |
FileRun
Features in a nutshell: NO LONGER AVAILABLE
Thoughts:
I really only included this one because I’ve been watching this website for updates since Jan of 2006. It was supposed to be available for download in Feb of 2006, and still isn’t. It’s a shame, because it looks like it could be really great.
Screenshots:
![]() FileRun – doesn’t exist, but looks pretty | ![]() FileRun |
![]() FileRun again | ![]() FileRun LastOne |
3DOSX
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.1 or higher, and an OpenGL hardware accelerated video card (supporting OpenGL 1.2 or higher)
Download URL: NO LONGER AVAILABLE
Features in a nutshell:
Thoughts:
Barely worked for me. A neat concept that was either very poorly executed, or not at all intended for a MacBook Pro and/or Tiger.
Screenshots:
![]() 3DOSX is a neat concept | ![]() Too bad it doesn’t really work (for me) |
![]() 3DOSX prefs | ![]() 3DOSX apps view |
RAGE Macintosh Explorer
Requirements: OS X, OS 9
Download URL: https://www.ragesw.com/products/explorer/download/
NOTE: this app is no longer supported, although it does still exist.
Features in a nutshell:
Thoughts:
As the name suggests, Macintosh Explorer is what might happen if Finder and Windows Explorer had an ugly child. OK not ugly, but not very exciting either. At least it has tabs. It responded quite slowly compared to the other File Managers.
The Filter drawer was the best feature I found. It allows you to create and save filters so with one click you can find the files you’re looking for in a given folder.
Screenshots:
![]() Default Macintosh Explorer with preview | ![]() Default Macintosh Explorer |
![]() Macintosh Explorer prefs | ![]() Macintosh Explorer File list |
![]() Macintosh Explorer Filter drawer | ![]() Macintosh Explorer File Info |
Xfolders (now Commander One)
Download URL: https://mac.eltima.com/file-manager.html
Features in a nutshell:
Thoughts:
Xfolders is one of the three reviewed File Managers that I haven’t yet removed from my Mac. It’s very easy to navigate using just the Keyboard, and all mouse actions are exactly as you’d expect. If you’re a fan of the Norton Commander style of File Manager, you’ll appreciate the Xfolders layout (though maybe not as much as muCommander).
Compared to all of the other File Managers, Xfolders uses a very small amount of system resources (not as Commander One, it uses more). The ability to completely customize the Toolbar is a nice bonus.
Screenshots:
![]() Default Xfolders view | ![]() Xfolders Spotlight add-on |
![]() customize Xfolders toolbar | ![]() Xfolders new folder |
![]() Xfolders prefs |
muCommander
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.1 and up
Download URL: https://www.mucommander.com/#download
Features in a nutshell:
Thoughts:
muCommander is a Norton Commander-lovers dream come true for OS X. Also, being cross-platform, you can use this File Manager on multiple OS’s (if you’re that kind of person). Supporting FTP, SFTP and HTTP is great (HTTP is a very neat feature). Smallest system resource footprint of all the tested File Managers.
Screenshots:
![]() Default muCommander view | ![]() Use muCommander to download files via http |
![]() muCommander prefs | ![]() run a command |
![]() muCommander FTP/SFTP etc setup |
Liquifile
Requirements: OS 10.4 or higher
Download URL: http://www.liquefile.com/ (then click the download link)
Thoughts:
It’s neat. I guess. I won’t be using it any time soon, but I suppose there are folks out there who might adore this File Manager. Give it a try, it’s unique at least.
Screenshots:
![]() use the far right slider to adjust size | ![]() some file options |
![]() bubble size and location matters | ![]() folder view |
![]() Liquifile prefs |
Xfile
Requirements: OS X, I think.
Download URL: https://rixstep.com/4/0/buy/index.shtml
Features in a nutshell:
Thoughts:
Seriously, $95 for a single license and there’s no demo/trial? We’re supposed to decide if we want to buy this software based on just three screenshots? Get real. I’m not sure that it deserves even one star, but I like the idea of a 40 KB executable.
Screenshots:
![]() Xfile looks pretty nice | ![]() uh ok |
![]() delete stuff |
Xfolders has good unified look but perhaps carried too far. As for functionality it’s totally lame.
Is there anyway to get a hold of the demo to Xfile? Want a small replacement. This seems perfect! Even a very old version would be great!
Backdrop folders is definitely a step in the right direction. But i want something like icon view on the desktop. Backdrop folders is like contextual menus on steroids, but what i want is a “finder” that is indistinguishable from the desktop. Thanks for the tip though!
1. I have been using Pathfinder for the last 6+ months and find it [now] indispensable.
2. In the beginning of my trial of Pathfinder, I found that I just did not “get it”. It took me at least a month to really appreciate it.
3. I found that the 21-day demo clock behaves strangely. For me, it was about a 45-day demo and I still had time left.
KodeK,
Correct – the movie that shows the Liquifile features is in Italian.
Running any of those will just take up more ram on your system. Anyway, the best File browser is built write into OS X… No it’s not the Finder. Its the Terminal.
That’s a great list, Xfolders really deserves the 4 stars you gave it.
Your comment on Xfile is a bit unfair:
Seriously, $79 for a single license and theres no demo/trial?
For those 79 damn dollars you get a lot more than Xfile alone. Xfile is part of a much larger package. Some of it is great stuff.
That Liquifile is not in Italian :/
Then, After seeing all those … I should love my normal Finder … it is far better ..