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 |
Free vysor 2.0.9 download software at UpdateStar - Supported Products:GeForce 500 series:GTX 590, GTX 580, GTX 570, GTX 560 Ti, GTX 560, GTX 550 Ti, GT 545, GT 530, GT 520, 510GeForce 400 series:GTX 480, GTX 470, GTX 465, GTX 460 v2, GTX 460 SE v2, GTX 460 SE, GTX 460, GTS 450, GT 440, GT. Path Finder makes you a master of file management. Take full control over your file system. Save your time: compare and synchronize folders, view hidden files, use Dual Pane and full keyboard navigation to browse your file system. Work how you want: extreme customization allows you to access most tools in many different ways to suit your workflow.
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 |
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) |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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:
Airy pro 3 7 205 – video downloader video. 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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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