10 Best Finder Alternatives for Mac in 2023

If you are a Mac user, you probably already have a bittersweet relationship with Mac Finder. It is an indeed powerful file manager and graphical user interface tool for Macintosh. But, despite being the default Apple program, it lacks many features. Plus, Apple hasn’t made any efforts to update Finder in a long time.   

However, luckily, there are some nice Finder alternatives for Mac available. It’s common knowledge that the macOS app market isn’t as developed as iOS, but our team dug a bit deeper and found the best 10 Mac Finder alternatives. So, don’t suffer from Finder syndrome anymore and get the below-mentioned tools today. 

10 Best Finder Alternatives for Mac in 2023 — Easy File Management

Finder’s biggest shortcoming is it doesn’t follow standard Apple policies. Also, its features are quite outdated for Macintosh software. Considering these problems, we have commutative this 10 Finder alternatives. So, when Finder fails to meet your needs, go get:

1. Pathfinder 10 

Software Rating: 4.8/5

Compatible Platform: macOS 

Free Trial: 30 days 

Price: $36/year 

The third-party Mac Finder alternative is the PathFinder by Cocoatech. The tool was released alongside MacOSX 10.0 with many additional features that resemble Norton Commander, Windows Explorer, and other popular file browsers. Some of the PathFinder features that you won’t find in Finder are — StuffIt compression, terminal, dual-pane browser, application launcher, and more. Plus, the PathFinder user interface is easy to navigate and manage. 

Dynamic Features 

• Send files to your other Apple gadgets using AirDrop integration. 
• Easily shareable menu with Mail, Notes, Messages, etc. 
• The application codes are redesigned to meet Big Sur requirements. 
• Runs fast on the latest macOS. 
• Complete Dropbox integration for easy file management. 
• FolderSync support, which is an exclusive Cocoatech folder comparison and synchronization tool. 

Pros 

• Extremely customizable. 
• Amazing dual-pane to preview two folders together. 
• Integration with various utilities, viewers, editors, and protocols. 
• Supports terminal shortcuts. 

Cons 

• Customer support is poor. 
• A bit buggy. 
• No new updates available. 

2. Commander One 

Software Rating: 4.7/5

Compatible Platform: MacOS 10.0 or higher 

Free Trial: Yes 

Price: $29/year 

Commander One is the free Finder alternative for Mac users. The app is fully compatible with Big Sur and offers resilient efficiency and stability to Mac devices. On top of it, Commander One is a full-fledged file manager with a dual-pane interface that helps you to open two files simultaneously. Besides that, it is an easy-to-use and powerful app that offers full control over your files and folders.

Dynamic Features 

• Sleek navigation and display system with an easy drag and drop menu. 
• Hidden files can be revealed with one click. 
• Facilities to open multiple folders in one tab. 
• It can support three view modes together — Full, Brief, and Thumbs. 
• Multiple search methods such as search using file contents, spotlight, and built-in search supporting Regex. 
• Configure hotkeys for frequent user operations. 
• Supports different folder formats like .ipa, .apk, .jar, .war, etc. 

Pros 

• Good to set keyboard shortcuts. 
• Option to queue long-running files. 
• Various extensive features. 
• Nice dual-pane view. 

Cons 

• The user interface is not intuitive. 
• Order tasks in a queue can’t be changed. 

3. Forklift 3

Software Rating: 4.7/5

Compatible Platform: macOS 

Free Trial: Yes

Price: $29.95/year

Forklift 3 is a highly advanced dual-pane file manager and transfer for Mac users. Its remote connectivity is very strong with SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, Amazon S3, Google Drive, and many more. Using an easy drag and drop menu, you can save a lot of time on connecting with different servers and files with this tool. Additionally, it is nicely integrated with Finder and can also sync two files with one click. Overall, it is a great tool that goes above and beyond Finder. 

Dynamic Features 

• Horizontal and vertical dual-pane for effective file management. 
• You can synchronize your favorites, synclets, and rename presets across multiple devices. 
• Easily organize your files and folders with different tags such as add, remove, edit, or filter. 
• Forklift can provide structure to your two identical folder structures. 
• You can quickly select using file names, extensions, or even tags. 

Pros 

• Heavily customizable. 
• Highly powerful FTP options. 
• Great sorting and grouping features. 
• Excellent in queuing operations. 

Cons 

• Cloud sync isn’t very reliable. 
• Not available on the App Store. 
• Slightly slow. 

4. Double Commander

Software Rating: 4.6/5

Compatible Platform: macOS, iOS, Android, Windows, Linux 

Free Trial: Yes

Price: Free 

Double Commander is a totally free and open-source alternative for Finder on all the leading platforms. This tool is inspired by the traditional Microsoft Windows framework and Total Commander, but Macintosh users can also use it. Double Commander has all the essential file manager features, including dual-pane, multiple file formats support, configuration button, full-text search, and many more. 

Dynamic Features 

• You can archive files to and from various formats like ZIP, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, LZMA, 7Z, etc. 
• Double Commander lets you compare and synchronize directories in both symmetrical and asymmetrical ways. 
• Tabbed navigation allows you to produce the same two panels simultaneously. 
• Users can also preview images in the thumbnail format. 
• Supports customizable keyboard shortcuts, bookmarks, brief or full files view. 

Pros 

• Free and open source. 
• Multiple platform support. 
• Editable source code. 

Cons 

• The UI is complex. 
• Only for developers. 
• More useful for Linux rather than Mac. 

5. Nimble Commander

Software Rating: 4.5/5

Compatible Platform: MacOS 10.15 or higher 

Free Trial: Yes 

Price: $24.99/year

Nimble Commander is a free as well as paid file manager designed to meet all Mac users’ needs. The program comes with a dual-pane, blazing performance, and remarkable user interface. Nimble Commander UI is clean and minimalist; that’s perfect for a new user. This software is a perfect amalgamation of traditional and modern file managers and can definitely give a run to Finder. 

Dynamic Features 

• Classic tabbed dual-pane with sleek UI and text-based variants. 
• Complete keyboard access to manage the files in the fastest manner. 
• Different files search and filter options based on name, size, or content. 
• Various customization options like colors, fonts, and so on. 
• Using a built-in attribute editor and file viewer, you can effortlessly manage your files. 
• Also, it supports powerful batch renaming, external tool integration, and different file formats. 

Pros 

• Offers queued operations. 
• Doesn’t shift focus. 
• Excellent batch renaming UI. 

Cons 

• No vertical scrollbar. 

6. Disk Order

Software Rating: 4.4/5

Compatible Platform: macOS 

Free Trial: No

Price: $29.95/year 

Disk Order is a feature-loaded dual-pane file manager for Macintosh. The software can easily transfer data, share documents via FTP, compress files, manage files and folders. Moreover, the structure and interface of the Disk Order are a lot better than Finder. You can customize icons and text sizes on this tool to personalize your user experience. 

Dynamic Features 

• You can transfer data using FTP quickly. 
• Disk Order can allow you to manage files within your iPod that’s connected to your Mac. 
• It can also help you batch rename documents. 
• Seamlessly experience in sorting files with attractive swap panels. 
• You can even handle archives like plain folders with the software. 

Pros 

• Easy to use. 
• Dozens of file management features. 
• Affordable rates. 
• Built-in FTP/SFTP client support. 
• Integrated batch renaming tool. 

Cons 

• No free version. 

7. XtraFinder

Software Rating: 4.4/5

Compatible Platform: MacOS 11.4 or higher 

Free Trial: Yes 

Price: $4.99

XtraFinder is yet another robust file manager for macOS that can overcome all Finder shortcomings. The best features of this tool are a simple toolbar menu, contextual menu, show hidden items, create a link, hide desktop, and more. Another remarkable feature is the ability to quickly copy and move files. It can also adjust the width of columns as per your requirements. Plus, it fully matches Apple’s policies in terms of customization. 

Dynamic Features 

• Beautiful tabbed and dual-pane file management interface. 
• You can access numerous functions from the menu command, including copy path, attributes, contents, move to, etc. 
• You can use commands to cut and paste files. 
• Allow you to copy and move files into the queue. 
• Can arrange folders on top of all the folders. 
• Automatically adjust the width of columns. 
• Using pretty labels and colors, you can enhance the appearance of your file manager tool. 

Pros 

• Offers useful toolbar items. 
• Supports old full-size color labels from OSX 10.9. 
• Custom hotkeys. 
• It can be opened with the terminal command. 

Cons 

• Doesn’t work well with the recent macOS versions. 

8. CRAX Commander

Software Rating: 4.2/5

Compatible Platform: MacOS 10.9 or higher 

Free Trial: No 

Price: $19.00

CRAX Commander is also a dual-panel file manager software for Mac with an interactive user interface. The program is integrated with Subversion and has built-in FTP, SFT, SMB alongside many other client support. CRAX Commander can also access and manage local as well as remote files. Overall, it is a fast and easy substitute for Finder. 

Dynamic Features 

• Fully customizable UI including fonts, actions, toolbar, etc. 
• You can open multiple tabs simultaneously on CRAX Commander. 
• Copying and moving files or folders in the background without blocking GUI operations. 
• Allow splitting and merging files with a click. 
• Dropbox integration lets you export and import app settings across your devices. 
• Multiple archive format support, including ZIP, RAR, GZIP, 7ZIP, and more. 
• Advanced search and multiple renaming tools are also offered. 

Pros 

• Easy to use. 
• Heavily customizable. 
• Good for advanced users. 

Cons 

• No free trial or version. 

9. Total Finder

Software Rating: 4.1/5

Compatible Platform: MacOS 10.15 or higher 

Free Trial: 14 days 

Price: $11.99

Unlike the other Finder replacements, Total Finder isn’t a single app. Instead, it is connected with Finder on Mac. The software offers chrome-style tabs and a dual-pane navigation system. However, this tool is more intuitive with the Windows interface as it offers cut-paste functions through the right-click menu. Additionally, Total Finder has a great Visor window that allows you to set global keyboard shortcuts. So, if you don’t want to completely let go of Finder yet, you can enhance its functionality with the Total Finder. 

Dynamic Features 

• The software can bring colors back into your life with labels. 
• Total Finder has added Chrome tabs in the Snow Leopard. 
• You can use keyboard shortcuts or drag and drop menu. 
• Dual-panel to open two documents side by side on one dashboard. 
• The Visor window has made everything just one click away from you. 

Pros 

• Colorful interface. 
• Excellent keyboard shortcuts management. 
• Simple to use and navigate. 

Cons 

• Often crashes. 
• Doesn’t support the latest macOS perfectly. 

10. DCommander

Software Rating: 4/5

Compatible Platform: MacOS 10.7 or higher 

Free Trial: No 

Price: $14.99

DCommander is the final Mac Finder alternative that we liked. It is also dual-panel software that offers you full control over the file management system. In addition, it is a user-friendly tool with numerous customization options. Also, the long list of hotkeys and command line navigation system makes DCommander an awesome file manager. So, if you are just starting with Mac OS and looking for a simple yet powerful solution, go get DCommander. 

Dynamic Features 

• Option to allow files and folders using the name, extensions, date, permissions, and kind. 
• Easily show hidden files and folders. 
• Multiple tabs support alongside full keyboard navigation control.  
• You can also use navigation keys. 
• Fully customizable interface including font type, style, color, and side. 
• Quick preview for the text, hex, and media files available with a viewing mode. 
• Ability to connect to external storage devices. 

Pros 

• User friendly. 
• Multiple file format support. 
• Easy to navigate. 

Cons 

• No terminal command support at the path. 

Let’s Sort your Files!

So, Mac users, when Finder gives you a headache, don’t worry and just download the best Finder alternatives from the list. As you have already checked, there are so many powerful and functional file manager tools available for Mac. So, there’s no need to stick with Finder. 

Once you explored the Finder replacement tool on your Mac, do share your experience with us. And, if you like this post, you just have to show your appreciation by liking and sharing it with your family and friends.