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Midnight Commander VS Nemo

Compare Midnight Commander VS Nemo and see what are their differences

Midnight Commander logo Midnight Commander

GNU Midnight Commander is a visual file manager, licensed under GNU General Public License and...

Nemo logo Nemo

Nemo is the official file manager for the ...
  • Midnight Commander Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-29
  • Nemo Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-14

Midnight Commander features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Midnight Commander provides a text-based user interface that is relatively easy to navigate, unlike traditional command-line interfaces, which can be intimidating for new users.
  • Two-pane File Manager
    The dual-pane layout allows users to perform file operations such as moving and copying files between two locations effortlessly.
  • Built-in Editor
    Midnight Commander includes a built-in text editor (mcedit) that can be handy for quickly editing configuration files or scripts.
  • Connectivity Options
    It supports various network protocols like FTP, SFTP, and Samba, enabling users to manage files on remote systems as easily as on local drives.
  • Customizability
    Users can customize key bindings, color schemes, and panels to better suit their needs and workflow preferences.
  • Cross-Platform
    Midnight Commander is available on multiple operating systems, including Linux, macOS, and Windows, offering a consistent experience across platforms.
  • Search Capabilities
    Advanced search options make it easy to find files and text within files, which is useful for a variety of tasks, from coding to administration.

Possible disadvantages of Midnight Commander

  • Limited GUI Features
    Being a text-based application, it lacks some of the graphical features and mouse interactions available in graphical file managers.
  • Learning Curve
    While more user-friendly than the command line, it still requires some time to learn and get accustomed to the various key bindings and functionalities.
  • Dependency on Terminal
    As a terminal-based application, it requires a terminal emulator, which might not be as efficient or convenient as using a native graphical application for some users.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    For complex file management tasks, it may not offer the advanced features or plugins available in more robust file managers.
  • No Built-in Preview
    Unlike some graphical file managers, it doesn't provide a built-in preview of files (like images or PDFs), which can be a drawback for certain use cases.
  • Dependency on Configuration Files
    Customization often necessitates editing configuration files manually, which could be a deterrent for users who are not comfortable with text-based configurations.

Nemo features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Nemo features a clean and intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to navigate and manage their files.
  • Customization
    Nemo allows extensive customization through plugins and extensions, giving users the ability to tailor the file manager to their preferences.
  • Integration with Cinnamon
    Nemo is tightly integrated with the Cinnamon desktop environment, providing a seamless experience for Linux Mint users.
  • Performance
    Nemo is known for its fast performance and minimal resource usage, making it suitable for both low-end and high-end systems.
  • File Operations
    Nemo provides a range of robust file operations, including bulk renaming, advanced search features, and efficient handling of large directories.

Possible disadvantages of Nemo

  • Limited Cross-Desktop Compatibility
    Nemo is designed primarily for the Cinnamon desktop environment, which may lead to compatibility issues or lack of integration in other desktop environments.
  • Dependency on Cinnamon Components
    Nemo relies on several components of the Cinnamon desktop, making it less optimal for users who prefer a different desktop environment.
  • Less Frequent Updates
    Compared to some other file managers, Nemo receives updates and new features less frequently, which might limit its development pace.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While the basic interface is easy to use, mastering all of Nemo's advanced features and customizations may require some time and effort.
  • Potential Stability Issues
    New releases of Nemo sometimes come with bugs or stability issues that might not be immediately addressed.

Midnight Commander videos

EzeeLinux Show 18.15 | GNU Midnight Commander

More videos:

  • Review - 16 - Midnight Commander, Part 1 of 3
  • Review - Midnight Commander || Installation and short review || Ubuntu || Fedora

Nemo videos

Finding Nemo 3D movie review

More videos:

  • Review - Pixar Perfect Review #10 - Finding Nemo
  • Review - Finding Nemo - Disneycember

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Midnight Commander and Nemo)
File Manager
76 76%
24% 24
FTP Client
73 73%
27% 27
File Explorer
72 72%
28% 28
File Management
67 67%
33% 33

User comments

Share your experience with using Midnight Commander and Nemo. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Midnight Commander should be more popular than Nemo. It has been mentiond 28 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Midnight Commander mentions (28)

  • Emacs 2024 Changes
    Dired as a cross-platform file manager. I used to use Midnight Commander but I found it buggy in the end (on MacOS). Since investing time in learning dired it's good enough. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • OpenBSD Desktop
    Midnight Commander is a good TUI file manager. https://midnight-commander.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
  • Antonmedv/walk: Terminal file manager
    Was there something before https://midnight-commander.org/ or was that the OG? - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • How to move a directory to ../ if there is a directory with same name?
    Just use mc (midnight commander) it not only is a terminal based file manager but it will give you the command lines used to do so GNU MIDNIGHT COMMANDER. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • What's that email client doing here?
    Given that you can run shells in Emacs since those are text too, Emacs ends up becoming almost like a Lisp-powered tmux or mc. Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

Nemo mentions (8)

  • Is there another file manager that works well with Gnome?
    Nemo worked well with GNOME 3, not sure about GNOME 4x. It is based on a very old version of nautilus. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Using Nemo in Fedora 37
    For me is Nemo. Nemo is the file manager that Linux Mint maintains and uses by default in its desktop environment. It is a fork of Nautilus so is similar and migrating to it is painless. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • How its mtp implemented in nemo?
    I did some research about it and I find that nautilus uses a plugin called gvfs-mtp to get support mtp, so I think maybe that is the problem. I tried to read the code but I dont know to much of programming in C, then I ask myself how is that nemo handles mtp, and tried to search in the source code, I searched here https://github.com/linuxmint/nemo but couldn't find nothing so Im asking here because I dont know to... Source: over 2 years ago
  • What beautiful Linux apps deserve more "marketing attention" for lack of a better term?
    Nemo Cinnamon's file manager, I love how customizable it is, even if it looks worse than Nautilus :(. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Are there alternatives to dolphin?
    Nemo Cinnamon filemanager...afraid no clue how well it works in other DEs. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Midnight Commander and Nemo, you can also consider the following products

Double Commander - Double Commander is a cross-platform open source file manager with two panels side by side.

Thunar - Thunar is a modern file manager for the Xfce Desktop Environment.

Total Commander - A Shareware file manager for Windows® 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP/Vista/7, and Windows® 3.1.

Krusader - Krusader is an advanced twin panel (commander style) file manager for KDE and other desktops in the *nix world, similar to Midnight or Total Commander.‎Get your copy of the Krusader .

FreeCommander - FreeCommander is an easy-to-use alternative to the standard windows file manager. The program helps you with daily work in Windows. Here you can find all the necessary functions to manage your data stock.

Caja - Caja, the file manager for the MATE desktop