Navigate at the
speed of thought

Built for power users who demand the best. Every feature has been carefully designed to make file management faster, more efficient, and more enjoyable.

The essentials that set us apart

Dual-Pane Interface

See two folders at once. Copy files in one keystroke.

The classic orthodox file manager design that power users love. Side-by-side directory panels, F5 to copy, F6 to move, Tab to switch panes. No more dragging between Finder windows.

Bidirectional Terminal Sync

Your terminal follows your files. Your files follow your terminal.

Navigate in the file browser and the terminal cd's automatically. Run cd in the terminal and the file browser follows. Works with zsh, bash, and fish. Toggle with backtick (`). No competitor does this.

Cloud & Server Connections

Your servers, your cloud, your files. All in one place.

SFTP/SSH for any Linux/Unix server. FTP/FTPS for legacy support. Amazon S3 plus MinIO, DigitalOcean Spaces, Backblaze B2. Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive via native mounts.

Everything you need, nothing you don't

Keyboard-First Navigation

Vim-style hjkl keys and arrow keys work simultaneously. Quick type-to-filter, Cmd+G for path with Tab autocomplete. Navigate thousands of files without touching your mouse.

Powerful Search

Three modes: Spotlight for instant metadata search, Deep Search for content grep with regex, or Hybrid mode that combines both. Find any file, search inside any file.

Archive Browsing

Browse ZIP, 7z, and RAR archives like regular folders. Press Enter to "open" an archive, copy files out with standard operations. Includes .jar, .ipa, .apk support.

Visual Diff Viewer

Compare two files side-by-side with syntax highlighting. See additions, deletions, and modifications at a glance. Navigate between changes with keyboard shortcuts.

Admin Mode

Access protected system files using Apple's SMJobBless for secure privilege escalation. One-time authorization, then seamless access to /System, /Library, and more.

Plugin System

Extend with JavaScript plugins. Add custom context menu items, create new file providers, automate workflows. Sandboxed execution with granular permissions.

Git Integration

Full Git support built in. See file status badges (M/A/D/?/!) in the file list, color-coded by state. Stage, unstage, revert, and commit directly from the app.

Built for speed

1M+ Files

Lazy-loading table view handles massive directories without breaking a sweat.

100% Native

Swift + AppKit with C++ core. No Electron bloat. Instant launch, minimal memory.

Async Everything

All file operations run in background. UI never blocks. Cancel anytime.

Unlimited Tabs

Cmd+T for new tab, each with its own history. Click to switch, drag to reorder.

Quick Preview

Press Space to preview any file using macOS Quick Look. No app switching.

Full Undo/Redo

Cmd+Z works for copy, move, delete, rename. Complete operation history.

See how we stack up

Compare Captain's Deck with other popular macOS file managers.

Feature Captain's Deck Finder Path Finder ForkLift 4 Commander One Nimble Commander
Interface
Dual-Pane View Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Tabs Unlimited Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Dark Mode Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Retro/DOS Theme Norton Commander No No No No Yes
Split Orientation (H/V) Both N/A Both Both Both Both
Navigation & Keyboard
Vim-style Keys (hjkl) Yes No No No No Partial
Arrow Key Navigation Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Quick Type-to-Filter Yes Limited Yes Yes Yes Yes
Go To Path Dialog With autocomplete Basic Yes Yes Yes Yes
Terminal & CLI
Built-in Terminal Full PTY No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Terminal-Pane Sync Bidirectional N/A One-way One-way One-way One-way
Remote & Cloud Storage
SFTP/SSH Yes No Yes Yes Pro Yes
FTP/FTPS Yes Connect only Yes Yes Pro No
Amazon S3 Yes + MinIO, DO, B2 No No Yes Pro No
Google Drive Native mount Via app Yes Yes Pro No
Dropbox/OneDrive Native mount Via app Yes Yes Pro No
Archives
ZIP Browsing Yes Preview only Yes Yes Yes Yes
7z Support Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
RAR Support Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Search
Spotlight Search Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Content/Grep Search Yes + Regex No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Hybrid Search Mode Spotlight + Deep No No No No No
File Operations
Visual Diff Viewer Side-by-side No Yes Yes Yes Basic
Admin/Root Mode SMJobBless No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Undo/Redo Full history Limited Yes Yes Yes Yes
Quick Preview (Space) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Git Integration Full No No Yes No No
Technical
Native macOS App Swift + AppKit Yes Yes Yes Yes C++
Large Directory Support 1M+ files Good Good Good Good Excellent
Plugin System JavaScript No No No No No
Pricing
Price $19.99 Free $36 $29.95 Free / $29.99 $24.99
Free Trial 14 days N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes
One-time Purchase Yes N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes

Features in detail

Every feature has been carefully designed for power users who demand the best.

Orthodox File Manager

Inspired by Norton Commander and Midnight Commander. Two panes show different directories simultaneously. Copy and move files between them with a single keypress. Switch panes with Tab, operate on files with function keys.

Bidirectional Terminal Sync

The integrated terminal stays in sync with your file browser. Navigate in the GUI and the terminal follows. Run 'cd' in the terminal and the pane updates. OSC 7 escape sequences enable seamless integration with zsh and bash.

S3-Compatible Storage

Connect to Amazon S3, MinIO, DigitalOcean Spaces, Backblaze B2, and any S3-compatible storage. Browse buckets like local folders. Upload and download with progress tracking. Pre-configured for popular providers.

Hybrid Search

Combines Spotlight's speed with deep content search. First, instant results from the Spotlight index. Then, supplement with grep-style content search. Find files by name or search inside them with regex support.

Visual Diff Viewer

Compare two files side-by-side with syntax highlighting. See additions, deletions, and modifications at a glance. Navigate between changes with keyboard shortcuts. Perfect for code review and file comparison.

Admin Mode

Access system files with elevated privileges. Uses SMJobBless for secure privilege escalation. One-time authorization, then seamless access to protected directories. No sudo prompts cluttering your workflow.

Plugin System

Extend Captain's Deck with JavaScript plugins. Add custom context menu items, create new file providers, or automate workflows. Sandboxed execution with granular permissions. Build exactly what you need.

Norton Commander Theme

Nostalgic DOS blue interface with configurable retro effects. Optional scanlines, CRT curvature, and phosphor glow. Perfect DOS VGA fonts for authenticity. Take a trip back to the golden age of file management.

Git Integration

Comprehensive Git support built right in. See file status badges (M for modified, A for added, D for deleted, ? for untracked, ! for ignored) with color-coded highlighting. Branch name displayed in the header. Stage, unstage, revert files from the context menu. Open the Git Status Panel to see all changed files, stage all or unstage all with one click, and commit with a message. Double-click any file to see a visual diff against HEAD.

Ready to upgrade your workflow?

Try Captain's Deck free for 14 days. No credit card required.