Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Dolphin VS Nemo

Compare Dolphin VS Nemo and see what are their differences

Dolphin logo Dolphin

Official website of Dolphin, the GameCube and Wii emulator. Download the latest version (5. 0-5763) now or ask questions on our forums for help.

Nemo logo Nemo

Nemo is the official file manager for the ...
  • Dolphin Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-03-24
  • Nemo Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-14

Dolphin features and specs

  • User Interface
    Dolphin offers an intuitive and customizable user interface, making it easy for users to navigate through their files and directories.
  • Integration
    Seamless integration with KDE Plasma desktop environment, providing a consistent look and feel across different applications.
  • Performance
    Optimized for performance and speed, providing a fast and responsive file management experience even with large directories.
  • Features
    Rich set of features including split views, tabbed browsing, file previews, and extensive search capabilities.
  • Plugins
    Supports a wide range of plugins, allowing users to extend its functionality according to their needs.

Possible disadvantages of Dolphin

  • Platform Specific
    Best experienced on KDE Plasma; may not integrate as well with other desktop environments, potentially leading to inconsistent behavior.
  • Resource Usage
    Can be resource-intensive compared to some lightweight file managers, affecting performance on older hardware.
  • Learning Curve
    Comprehensive feature set may be overwhelming for new users, leading to a steeper learning curve.
  • Dependencies
    Reliant on KDE libraries, which may require additional installations on non-KDE systems, leading to potential bloat.

Nemo features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Nemo features a clean and intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to navigate and manage their files.
  • Customization
    Nemo allows extensive customization through plugins and extensions, giving users the ability to tailor the file manager to their preferences.
  • Integration with Cinnamon
    Nemo is tightly integrated with the Cinnamon desktop environment, providing a seamless experience for Linux Mint users.
  • Performance
    Nemo is known for its fast performance and minimal resource usage, making it suitable for both low-end and high-end systems.
  • File Operations
    Nemo provides a range of robust file operations, including bulk renaming, advanced search features, and efficient handling of large directories.

Possible disadvantages of Nemo

  • Limited Cross-Desktop Compatibility
    Nemo is designed primarily for the Cinnamon desktop environment, which may lead to compatibility issues or lack of integration in other desktop environments.
  • Dependency on Cinnamon Components
    Nemo relies on several components of the Cinnamon desktop, making it less optimal for users who prefer a different desktop environment.
  • Less Frequent Updates
    Compared to some other file managers, Nemo receives updates and new features less frequently, which might limit its development pace.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While the basic interface is easy to use, mastering all of Nemo's advanced features and customizations may require some time and effort.
  • Potential Stability Issues
    New releases of Nemo sometimes come with bugs or stability issues that might not be immediately addressed.

Analysis of Dolphin

Overall verdict

  • Dolphin is generally considered a good file manager, especially for users within the KDE desktop environment. Its balance of simplicity and extensive feature set makes it a preferred choice for those looking for a reliable and versatile file management solution on Linux systems.

Why this product is good

  • Dolphin is a robust and feature-rich file manager developed by the KDE community. It's praised for its intuitive interface, customization options, and support for a wide range of file operations. Users appreciate its split view, extensive keyboard shortcuts, and integration with KDE services, making it an efficient tool for both casual users and power users. The application supports network transparency and various protocols, enhancing its versatility. Dolphin's plug-in architecture allows for additional functionalities, which can be tailored to specific user needs.

Recommended for

    Dolphin is highly recommended for users who are already using KDE Plasma or those looking for a file manager that supports extensive customization and integration with KDE applications. It's ideal for users who require advanced features such as built-in terminal access, version control integration, and advanced search capabilities, or for anyone seeking a powerful and adaptable file management experience.

Dolphin videos

Dolphin "review" [Elite Dangerous]

More videos:

  • Review - Elite: Dangerous - First Impressions: Dolphin [Review]
  • Review - The Dolphin [Elite Dangerous]

Nemo videos

Finding Nemo 3D movie review

More videos:

  • Review - Pixar Perfect Review #10 - Finding Nemo
  • Review - Finding Nemo - Disneycember

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Dolphin and Nemo)
File Manager
48 48%
52% 52
FTP Client
40 40%
60% 60
Job Boards
100 100%
0% 0
File Management
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Dolphin and Nemo. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Dolphin should be more popular than Nemo. It has been mentiond 14 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Dolphin mentions (14)

  • Best file manager for videos ?
    KDE Dolphin has those features; the only issue is that it requires KDE Libs to install. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Dolphin
    Dolphin is an adaptable, lightweight file manager for navigating and managing your files and folders. Allows you to drag and drop files between views and perform quick actions like compressing, sharing and duplicating files via a right-click menu. Works seamlessly with Internet cloud services and other remote machines, and comes with an integrated terminal and powerful plugins to further enhance your workflow.... Source: about 2 years ago
  • Linux software list. Discussion and advice welcome!
    You should rename Dolphin on the list to either Dplphin Emulator or Dolphin-emu. "Dolphin" by itself is more commonly known as KDE's file browser app https://apps.kde.org/dolphin/ and is also a good app, highly recommending that one. Source: over 2 years ago
  • KIO S3 wont install
    Just trying to install it from the install link on https://apps.kde.org/dolphin. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Is there a way to make "Open Folder"/"Show in Filemanager" to open the filepath in terminal?
    How about Dolphin . You open it and get the terminal opened in the bottom by pressing F4. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

Nemo mentions (8)

  • Is there another file manager that works well with Gnome?
    Nemo worked well with GNOME 3, not sure about GNOME 4x. It is based on a very old version of nautilus. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Using Nemo in Fedora 37
    For me is Nemo. Nemo is the file manager that Linux Mint maintains and uses by default in its desktop environment. It is a fork of Nautilus so is similar and migrating to it is painless. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • How its mtp implemented in nemo?
    I did some research about it and I find that nautilus uses a plugin called gvfs-mtp to get support mtp, so I think maybe that is the problem. I tried to read the code but I dont know to much of programming in C, then I ask myself how is that nemo handles mtp, and tried to search in the source code, I searched here https://github.com/linuxmint/nemo but couldn't find nothing so Im asking here because I dont know to... Source: over 2 years ago
  • What beautiful Linux apps deserve more "marketing attention" for lack of a better term?
    Nemo Cinnamon's file manager, I love how customizable it is, even if it looks worse than Nautilus :(. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Are there alternatives to dolphin?
    Nemo Cinnamon filemanager...afraid no clue how well it works in other DEs. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Dolphin and Nemo, you can also consider the following products

Thunar - Thunar is a modern file manager for the Xfce Desktop Environment.

Midnight Commander - GNU Midnight Commander is a visual file manager, licensed under GNU General Public License and...

Caja - Caja, the file manager for the MATE desktop

Krusader - Krusader is an advanced twin panel (commander style) file manager for KDE and other desktops in the *nix world, similar to Midnight or Total Commander.‎Get your copy of the Krusader .

Vifm - Vifm is a ncurses based file manager with vi like keybindings.

Polo - Polo is a modern, dynamic and powerful file manager for Linux operating systems, written in Vala. It attempts to fold in several drive/devices management functions similar to Windows Explorer, and offers several innovative display layouts.