# Double Commander review (2026): is it any good? > Free open-source dual-pane file manager inspired by Total Commander Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. Double Commander is a free, open-source file manager with two panels side by side or one above the other. It runs on Windows, Linux and macOS and supports Total Commander plug-in types. - **Category:** Desktop Utilities - **Made by:** Double Commander author - **Website:** https://doublecmd.sourceforge.io/ - **Runs on:** Windows, Linux, macOS - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you want something that looks like Finder or Explorer, since the layout is different. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Double Commander is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** Free; the source is released under the GPL-2.0 license. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | $0 | Free to download and use. | Read from https://doublecmd.sourceforge.io/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Double Commander before buying. ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Total Commander users who want a free option on Linux or macOS - People who prefer a two-panel layout and keyboard shortcuts ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 3.0 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Double Commander is a free two-pane file manager in the Total Commander mould, on Windows, Linux and Mac. The two-pane layout takes learning if you're used to Finder or Explorer. - **Value for money: A.** Free under GPL-2.0. It costs nothing, under the $1.45 mark the category's cheapest quarter is 60% of. - **Free plan and trial: A.** Free outright with no cap and no paid edition. - **Features: B.** Two panels, archives as folders, built-in viewer and editor, plug-ins and remote connections. No gap shown in a file manager's job. - **Ease of use: C.** No rating on record. The two-pane interface needs some learning, and Linux users must pick a GTK2, Qt5 or Qt6 build. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Windows, Linux and Mac, desktops only. No phone or web version. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Double Commander author's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among desktop utilities - Double Commander's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 154 of the 186 other desktop utilities we grade, and level with 27. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 107 of 186) and worst on ease of use (C, above 5). - Double Commander has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/utilities ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Double Commander is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 154 of the 186 other desktop utilities we grade. - You could make: File compression: an app builder makes this well. - You could not: A file manager working directly on your disk. - You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Open source, File management, File compression ## Alternatives - [Total Commander](https://toolgpa.com/tools/total-commander): Two-pane file manager for Windows with FTP and archive tools. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/double-commander-vs-total-commander) - [FreeCommander](https://toolgpa.com/tools/freecommander): Dual-pane Windows file manager, free 32-bit and paid 64-bit. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/double-commander-vs-freecommander) - [Commander One](https://toolgpa.com/tools/commander-one): Dual-panel file manager and FTP client for Mac. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/commander-one-vs-double-commander) - [muCommander](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mucommander): Open-source Java dual-pane file manager for Windows, macOS and Linux. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/double-commander-vs-mucommander) - [XYplorer](https://toolgpa.com/tools/xyplorer): Portable tabbed file manager for Windows with scripting. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/double-commander-vs-xyplorer) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://doublecmd.sourceforge.io/ - https://sourceforge.net/p/doublecmd/wiki/Download/ - https://github.com/doublecmd/doublecmd Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/double-commander Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).