Love Nimble Commander's orthodox file manager approach but want more features? Captain's Deck delivers everything Nimble Commander offers plus bidirectional terminal sync, a JavaScript plugin system, and a stunning Norton Commander retro theme.
Both are excellent dual-pane file managers for Mac. Here's how they compare.
| Feature | Captain's Deck | Nimble Commander |
|---|---|---|
| Dual-Pane Interface | Yes | Yes |
| Vim-Style Navigation (hjkl) | Full Support | Partial |
| Built-in Terminal | Bidirectional Sync | Basic |
| Norton Commander Theme | With CRT Effects | Yes |
| JavaScript Plugin System | Yes | No |
| SFTP/SSH Support | Yes | Yes |
| S3 Cloud Storage | Yes | No |
| Visual File Diff | Yes | Yes |
| Git Integration | Yes | No |
| Price | $19.99 | $24.99 |
Unlike Nimble Commander's basic terminal, Captain's Deck's terminal stays perfectly in sync with your file browser. Navigate in the browser, the terminal follows. Run cd in the terminal, the browser follows. True two-way integration.
Extend Captain's Deck with custom plugins written in JavaScript. Add context menu items, create custom file providers, automate workflows, or integrate with external services. Nimble Commander has no equivalent extensibility.
Connect to Amazon S3, DigitalOcean Spaces, Backblaze B2, and any S3-compatible storage. Browse cloud buckets like local folders. Captain's Deck supports cloud storage that Nimble Commander doesn't offer.
Both apps offer a retro theme, but Captain's Deck takes it further with authentic CRT scanlines, phosphor glow effects, and pixel-perfect DOS aesthetics. A true nostalgia trip for orthodox file manager enthusiasts.
Download the free 14-day trial. No credit card required. All features unlocked.