Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Midnight Commander VS Cheapstack.dev

Compare Midnight Commander VS Cheapstack.dev and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Midnight Commander logo Midnight Commander

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

Cheapstack.dev logo Cheapstack.dev

Ship faster with affordable developer starter kits, boilerplates, and templates. $19โ€“$79 one-time, no subscriptions.
  • Midnight Commander Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-29
  • Cheapstack.dev HomePage
    HomePage //
    2026-07-30
  • Cheapstack.dev Products
    Products //
    2026-07-30
  • Cheapstack.dev Guides
    Guides //
    2026-07-30

Affordable developer starter kits and boilerplates built with Next.js 16.

Choose from 8 kits: SaaS Boilerplate ($59) with multi-tenancy, Stripe+Polar payments, and admin dashboard. SaaS Starter ($49) with auth, payments, and database. Admin Dashboard ($29), Landing Page Kit ($19), API Starter ($29), Component Pack ($24), Newsletter Template ($19), and AI Chatbot Starter ($39).

Or get all 8 in the Pro Bundle for $79. One-time payment, lifetime access, unlimited projects. Payments by Polar.sh (works in 130+ countries).

Midnight Commander

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

Cheapstack.dev

$ Details
paid $19 / One-off (Per Template Kit)
Platforms
Web Mac Windows Linux
Release Date
2026 July

Midnight Commander features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Midnight Commander provides a text-based user interface that is relatively easy to navigate, unlike traditional command-line interfaces, which can be intimidating for new users.
  • Two-pane File Manager
    The dual-pane layout allows users to perform file operations such as moving and copying files between two locations effortlessly.
  • Built-in Editor
    Midnight Commander includes a built-in text editor (mcedit) that can be handy for quickly editing configuration files or scripts.
  • Connectivity Options
    It supports various network protocols like FTP, SFTP, and Samba, enabling users to manage files on remote systems as easily as on local drives.
  • Customizability
    Users can customize key bindings, color schemes, and panels to better suit their needs and workflow preferences.
  • Cross-Platform
    Midnight Commander is available on multiple operating systems, including Linux, macOS, and Windows, offering a consistent experience across platforms.
  • Search Capabilities
    Advanced search options make it easy to find files and text within files, which is useful for a variety of tasks, from coding to administration.

Possible disadvantages of Midnight Commander

  • Limited GUI Features
    Being a text-based application, it lacks some of the graphical features and mouse interactions available in graphical file managers.
  • Learning Curve
    While more user-friendly than the command line, it still requires some time to learn and get accustomed to the various key bindings and functionalities.
  • Dependency on Terminal
    As a terminal-based application, it requires a terminal emulator, which might not be as efficient or convenient as using a native graphical application for some users.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    For complex file management tasks, it may not offer the advanced features or plugins available in more robust file managers.
  • No Built-in Preview
    Unlike some graphical file managers, it doesn't provide a built-in preview of files (like images or PDFs), which can be a drawback for certain use cases.
  • Dependency on Configuration Files
    Customization often necessitates editing configuration files manually, which could be a deterrent for users who are not comfortable with text-based configurations.

Cheapstack.dev features and specs

  • 8 starter kits
    Landing pages, SaaS, dashboard, API, components, newsletter, AI chat, full-stack
  • One-time payment
    Pay once, own forever. No subscriptions
  • Lifetime access
    All future updates included
  • Unlimited projects
    Use kits across unlimited commercial projects
  • Full source code
    Complete TypeScript codebase, nothing hidden
  • Email support
    Direct support from the builder

Analysis of Midnight Commander

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Midnight Commander is considered a good tool by many users, especially those who frequently work in command-line environments. Its efficiency and robustness make it a favorite among system administrators and developers.

Why this product is good

  • Midnight Commander is a popular and powerful file manager for Unix-like systems. It features a text user interface, making it suitable for command-line environments. It provides all essential file management functionalities, including copying, moving, renaming, and even supports accessing and browsing through FTP or SSH, making it versatile for various tasks.

Recommended for

    Midnight Commander is highly recommended for users who are comfortable working in command-line environments. It is particularly suitable for system administrators, developers, and power users who need a reliable and efficient file management tool with advanced features like remote file system browsing.

Midnight Commander videos

EzeeLinux Show 18.15 | GNU Midnight Commander

More videos:

  • Review - 16 - Midnight Commander, Part 1 of 3
  • Review - Midnight Commander || Installation and short review || Ubuntu || Fedora

Cheapstack.dev videos

No Cheapstack.dev videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Midnight Commander and Cheapstack.dev)
File Manager
100 100%
0% 0
SaaS
0 0%
100% 100
FTP Client
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Midnight Commander and Cheapstack.dev.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Cheapstack.dev's answer:

Next.js 16, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS v4, Drizzle ORM, NextAuth v5, Polar.sh, Stripe, and Playwright.

What makes your product unique?

Cheapstack.dev's answer:

One-time pricing starting at $19 with Polar.sh payments that work in 130+ countries, while competitors charge $199-$649 and require Stripe (46 countries only).

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Cheapstack.dev's answer:

Lower price (80% less than ShipFast/MakerKit), Polar.sh for global payments, all 8 kits available in a $79 bundle, and built with latest Next.js 16.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Cheapstack.dev's answer:

Indie developers and bootstrapped founders building SaaS products on a budget, especially those outside Stripe-supported countries.

What's the story behind your product?

Cheapstack.dev's answer:

Built by a solo developer who couldn't use most boilerplates because they required Stripe (unavailable in many countries). CheapStack solves this with Polar.sh payments.

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Midnight Commander seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 28 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.

Midnight Commander mentions (28)

  • Emacs 2024 Changes
    Dired as a cross-platform file manager. I used to use Midnight Commander but I found it buggy in the end (on MacOS). Since investing time in learning dired it's good enough. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • OpenBSD Desktop
    Midnight Commander is a good TUI file manager. https://midnight-commander.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Antonmedv/walk: Terminal file manager
    Was there something before https://midnight-commander.org/ or was that the OG? - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • How to move a directory to ../ if there is a directory with same name?
    Just use mc (midnight commander) it not only is a terminal based file manager but it will give you the command lines used to do so GNU MIDNIGHT COMMANDER. Source: about 3 years ago
  • What's that email client doing here?
    Given that you can run shells in Emacs since those are text too, Emacs ends up becoming almost like a Lisp-powered tmux or mc. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

Cheapstack.dev mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Cheapstack.dev yet. Tracking of Cheapstack.dev recommendations started around Jul 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Midnight Commander and Cheapstack.dev, you can also consider the following products

Double Commander - Double Commander is a cross-platform open source file manager with two panels side by side.

Suggested - Suggested is a feature request tracking tool, designed to make it easy for your customers to submit new ideas. It simplifies the process of managing all feedback in one place.

FreeCommander - FreeCommander is an easy-to-use alternative to the standard windows file manager. The program helps you with daily work in Windows. Here you can find all the necessary functions to manage your data stock.

supastarter - The boilerplate for your next web app built on top of Supabase and Next.js.

Total Commander - A Shareware file manager for Windowsยฎ 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP/Vista/7, and Windowsยฎ 3.1.

Laravel Spark - Spark provides the perfect starting point for your next big idea.