Double Commander vs FreeCommander (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Double Commander if

• Fits if you move files between folders all day
• Works for people who already know Total Commander keys

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you want something that looks like Finder or Explorer, since the layout is different
• Watch out: Linux builds come in GTK2, Qt5 and Qt6, and you pick one
• Skip it if you want paid support, as the site lists none
• Too light for cloud-drive browsing, as only remote connections are listed

Pick FreeCommander if

• Fits if you use Windows at home and want panes and tabs
• Works for people who sync or compare two folders

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you use it for work on the free build, as commercial use needs a paid 64-bit licence after a 30-day test
• Watch out: the free 32-bit build updates about once a year, the 64-bit one several times
• Watch out: prices are in euros, exclude VAT, and are sold through PayPro Global
• Skip it if you use a Mac or Linux, as it is Windows only

Double Commander

• The two-panel interface differs from Finder or Explorer and takes some learning.
• Linux builds come in GTK2, Qt5 and Qt6 variants, so users must pick one.
• The vendor site lists no paid support or paid edition.

FreeCommander

• Prices are in euros, excluding VAT, and the 64-bit license is sold through PayPro Global.
• Commercial use requires a paid 64-bit license after a 30-day test of the 32-bit version.
• Updates to the free 32-bit version come about once a year; the 64-bit version is updated several times a year.

Double Commander

Two-panel layout

Panels sit side by side or one above the other, with a tabbed interface and custom columns.

Archives as folders

Archives are handled like subdirectories. The site lists ZIP, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, LZMA, 7Z, RPM, CPIO, DEB, RAR and ZIPX.

Built-in viewer and editor

F3 opens a viewer for text, binary or hex, and F4 opens an internal text editor with syntax highlighting.

Plug-in support

Total Commander WCX, WDX, WFX and WLX plug-ins are supported.

Remote connections

FTP, FTPS, FTPES, SSH+SCP and SFTP are supported, with a multi-rename tool and full-text file search.

FreeCommander

Dual panels and tabs

Horizontal or vertical dual panels, an optional single panel, tabs and an optional tree view for each panel.

Archives

Built-in handling of ZIP files (read and write), nested archives, and plugins for RAR and 7z.

Compare and synchronize

Folder comparison, folder synchronization, duplicate search and MD5 and SHA checksums.

Multi rename and filters

Multi-rename tool and file filters that can use regular expressions.

64-bit extras

The 64-bit version adds a built-in PDF viewer, text search in PDF and Office files, SFTP and built-in color schemes.

Double Commander

• Free$0

  Free to download and use.

FreeCommander

• 32-bit€0

  Free for private use; commercial users need a 64-bit license after a 30-day test.

• One download€10

  one-time, private users only, excluding VAT

  One download link to the current 64-bit version, valid 7 days; no updates.

• One year€18

  for 12 months of 64-bit downloads, excluding VAT

  Download any 64-bit version for a year; versions you downloaded stay usable.

• Two years€28

  for 24 months of 64-bit downloads, excluding VAT

  Same as One year, for two years.

Double Commander

No public discounts listed.

FreeCommander

• Other savings

  Two-year license costs less per year

  The 64-bit Two years license is €28 against €18 for One year, so the second year costs €10 more.