vifm

Active

Founded: 2001
Developer: xaizek (individual developer)
Pricing: Free (open-source)
Open source: Yes
Platforms: Linux, BSD, Solaris, Windows, macOS

Indexes

File Managers

Overview

Vifm is a curses-based file manager that offers a Vim-like interface for navigating and managing files and directories in file systems. It supports dual-pane views, tabs, and vi keybindings, targeting users familiar with Vim or vi who prefer keyboard-driven, terminal-based file operations over graphical alternatives.²⁴⁸

Key Features

Vim-like keybindings - Provides vi(m)-style normal, visual, and command modes for file operations.
Dual-pane interface - Supports one or two-pane views within tabs for efficient file comparison and transfer.
Operation undoing/redoing - Allows undoing, redoing, and backgrounding of file operations.
Preview mode - Less-like preview with customizable viewers for files.
Advanced filtering - File filtering and batch renaming capabilities.
Scriptable configuration - Ability to script configurations for specific directories.
Trash support - Secure file deletion with trash functionality.
UTF-8 aware - Full support for UTF-8 encoding across platforms.

Pricing

Plan	Price	Includes
Community Edition	Free	Full feature set, source code access, community support.

Platforms & Requirements

Vifm runs on GNU/Linux, *BSD, Solaris, Windows, and Mac OS via terminal or curses-compatible environments; no specific minimum requirements listed beyond standard curses libraries. It is cross-platform and UTF-8 aware, with no notable platform-specific limitations mentioned.⁴

Integrations & Ecosystem

GitHub issues
SourceForge tracker
vifm-announce mailing list
Q&A site (q2a.vifm.info)
Email support (xaizek@posteo.net)
Vifm wiki
Custom viewers for previews

Alternatives

App	Difference
ranger	Python-based terminal file manager with similar vi keys but different scripting model.
midnight commander	Dual-pane manager with mouse support and function-key driven interface, less Vim-focused.
nnn	Ultra-lightweight terminal file manager emphasizing speed over extensive Vim emulation.
lf	Go-based file manager with vi keys, focusing on simplicity and extensibility via scripts.

Reputation

Vifm is regarded as a robust, keyboard-centric file manager ideal for Vim users in terminal environments, praised for its powerful features like dual panes, previews, and scripting. It maintains an active development presence via GitHub with recent releases (e.g., v0.14.3). Criticisms are minimal but may include a steep learning curve for non-Vim users due to its keyboard-heavy design.²⁴

Sources (10)