head to head · open source
superfile vs ranger
superfile has 23,303 GitHub stars, 856 forks, 269 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. ranger has 17,405 stars, 942 forks, 896 open issues and last shipped 11 days ago. superfile leads on adoption by 34% (23,303 vs 17,405 stars). superfile is written in Go under MIT; ranger is written in Python under GPL-3.0. superfile has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, ranger 5%. superfile was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (file-manager), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| superfile | ranger | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 23K | ★ 17K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Go | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-09 |
| Forks | ⑂ 856 | ⑂ 942 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick superfile if
- You weight community size — 23K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick ranger if
- You want the ranger feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and ranger fits your workflow better
About superfile
superfile is a modern terminal file manager, written in Go, that gives Linux, macOS and Windows users a full screen text user interface for browsing and managing files, aimed at developers and command line users who want more than typed shell commands.
read the full superfile overview →
About ranger
Ranger is a console file manager with VI key bindings, written in Python and released under the GNU General Public License version 3, for terminal users who want to browse, preview, and manipulate files without leaving a Unix shell.
read the full ranger overview →
More in Productivity & Utilities
Related comparisons
More File Management & Sync projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the File Management & Sync field.
Frequently asked questions
Is superfile or ranger more popular?
superfile has 23,303 GitHub stars and ranger has 17,405. superfile has the larger community by that measure.
Are superfile and ranger free?
Both are open source. superfile is licensed under MIT and ranger under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between superfile and ranger?
superfile is written in Go and ranger in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, superfile or ranger?
Choose superfile if you want the larger community (23,303 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose ranger if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.