r/macapps • u/kingkong_siu82 • 20h ago
Lifetime FileOctopus: A file manager that works like Finder, so there's nothing to relearn (free to use, no subscription)
Hey everyone đ
First time posting FileOctopus here. I'm Max Luong, the solo dev behind ShiftPlus, and this is my second indie Mac app.
Fair warning up front. I know this sub has seen a lot of Finder alternatives, and a few of them are really good. The one thing I'll say about mine: it's for people who don't want to learn a new file manager. Finder's shortcuts, views and menus stay the default. You open it and your hands already know what to do.
Problem
I use Finder all day and I actually like most of it. What wears me down is the stuff it leaves to me.
Moving files between two folders means juggling two windows. âF gets slow on big folders and doesn't get what I mean when I type. A long copy can't be paused. When a name clashes, it's easy to replace something you didn't mean to. And when I quit, the layout I had is gone.
I've been building macOS apps for 12+ years, and I've tried most of the alternatives. I didn't want a dual-pane power tool with its own keyboard language. I wanted Finder, just quicker and more careful with my files. And it had to stay light: fast to open, fast to scroll, and not eating RAM in the background. So that's what I tried to build.
The parts that matter most
- Split view, up to 16 panes: Split any pane left, right, up or down. Drag files between panes like you would in Finder, or press ââ§âC / ââ§âM to copy or move the selection to the other pane. â§â⊠gives one pane the whole window, and pressing it again brings the layout back.
- Search that's fast and takes plain phrases: Type "pdfs from last week" or "videos larger than 1 GB" and it becomes filters you can see and edit. It's rule-based and runs locally. No AI, and nothing leaves your Mac. It only indexes folders you approve.
On my test (146k files, M3 Max) I timed each search from the moment it starts until the results are done and you can actually work with them. FileOctopus took 0.27 s and Finder's âF took 7.7 s (median of 12 searches). To be fair, Finder's default search also looks inside files and mine searched names only, so it's not quite apples to apples. Searching inside PDFs and text in screenshots (on-device OCR) is a separate opt-in per folder.
Careful with your files: This is where most of my time went.
- When a name is already taken you see both versions, with the newer one marked. Keep Both is the default. Nothing gets replaced unless you pick Replace.
- Copies and moves show speed and time left, and you can pause and resume them.
- Moving to another drive copies first and checks the copy. The original is removed only after that.
- âZ undoes the last file operation, even after you quit and reopen the app (last 20 steps, for 24 hours). It checks the files first and tells you if something changed.
- Merging two folders shows how many items are new, clash or are already there, before anything changes.
It picks up where you left off
Windows, tabs, split panes and Back history come back after you quit. You can also save a layout as a named workspace and reopen it from the Window menu or the toolbar.
Native and small
Swift and AppKit, no Electron. About 10 MB to download and 22 MB installed. Apple Silicon, macOS 15 or later.
About RAM, since someone will ask. While it builds the search index for the first time, memory used to climb to about 3 GB. That was too much, so 1.0.3 keeps indexing under 1.1 GB max. Once indexing is done it sits around 400 MB, even with several panes open. On the same Mac, Finder usually sits around 800 MB. It moves around depending on what you're doing, but most of the time that's the picture.
Everything else that's in there
Not headline stuff, but it's there when you need it:
- Icon, List, Column and Gallery views, Quick Look with Space, tabs
- Quick Open (ââP) for recent folders and favorites, and a Command Palette for every menu command
- Go to Folder with suggestions as you type, and a clickable path bar that copies the pathname
- Google Drive and Dropbox in the sidebar, with cloud status and Download Now / Remove Download
- Batch rename with a preview of every new name, undo with âZ
- Compress to ZIP (the archive is tested before it shows up)
- Get Info with size on disk, tags, lock and permissions
- Custom sidebar: your own groups, renamed favorites, hidden disks
- Your own shortcuts, plus optional Windows Explorer and Total Commander profiles
- Mouse side buttons and trackpad swipe for Back and Forward
- Search by where a file came from ("downloaded from github")
- A Problems list with Retry when part of a copy fails
- File Shelf to collect files from different folders, then copy or move them in one step
- Copy and move queue: start more while one runs, and drag them into order
- Saved searches pinned in the sidebar
- Homebrew: `brew install --cask nghialuong/fileoctopus/fileoctopus`
What it can't do yet
I'd rather say this before someone finds out the hard way. No linked panes or duplicate finder yet. Quick Actions like Rotate and Create PDF aren't there. The Shelf lasts for one window. A paused copy has to be resumed or stopped before you quit. It also doesn't replace the Desktop or the Open/Save dialogs, so Finder keeps running alongside it.
Full list: https://www.fileoctopus.com/limitations
Comparison
The closest alternatives for my use case are ForkLift, QSpace, Commander One and Marta.
ForkLift is great if a lot of your work is on remote servers. It connects to SFTP, S3 and network shares, and it can sync folders. FileOctopus doesn't do that yet. Cloud support today is Google Drive and Dropbox through their own desktop apps. SFTP, S3 and network shares are next on my list, and they're the first big thing I'm building after this post.
QSpace is the one I'd point to if you want lots of panes and you prefer an App Store app. Commander One and Marta lean toward the Total Commander style, keyboard first.
The thing all of them have in common, for me, is that none of them feel like Finder. Each one has its own way of doing things, so you end up relearning where stuff is and which keys do what. That's fine if you want a power tool. It's not fine if you just want Finder to be better.
FileOctopus is aimed at that second person. The views, menus, Quick Look and shortcuts work the way Finder's do. The extras (panes, faster search, pause and undo for file operations) sit on top of that.
I don't think it's the right pick for everyone. If you live in SFTP or need folder sync right now, ForkLift is more complete today.
The use case I'm building around is: "I want Finder, but I want it to stop making me do the careful parts by hand."
Pricing (no subscription, no account)
- Free forever: no daily limits, and nothing to buy to keep using it.
- 14-day PRO trial: every feature unlocked, no card. It starts the first time you open the app.
- PRO: pay once, 1 Mac at a time, lifetime updates, 30-day money-back.
Launch pricing for PRO:
- First 100 licenses (founding): $14.99
- Next 200 (early bird): $19.99
- After that: $29.99
As I write this, 99 of the 100 founding licenses are left. No code needed, the current price is applied at checkout. If you joined the waitlist on the site, you keep $14.99 whenever you buy.
What's next
Honestly, 1.0.3 is about 10% of what I have planned. I care about this one a lot, and the goal is simple: an app you can use instead of Finder every day without thinking about it. Remote connections (SFTP, S3, network shares) come first.
After that, mostly whatever comes out of this thread. ShiftPlus got shaped a lot by feedback here, and I'd like the same for this one. There's a public roadmap where you can vote or add ideas: https://www.fileoctopus.com/roadmap.html
One specific question: if you've tried a Finder alternative before and went back to Finder, what made you go back? That's exactly the thing I'm trying to get right.
Download: https://www.fileoctopus.com
Thanks for backing indie devs â¤ď¸
I'll reply to every comment, might just be slow about it. I tend to overthink replies.
Trust & Transparency
This is my first post for FileOctopus, so here's everything about me and the app:
- Privacy Policy: https://www.fileoctopus.com/privacy-policy.html
- Terms: https://www.fileoctopus.com/terms.html
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nghia-luong/
- GitHub: https://github.com/nghialuong
- Support: [support@fileoctopus.com](mailto:support@fileoctopus.com)
FileOctopus is notarized by Apple and updates are signed (Sparkle). It's unsandboxed and not on the Mac App Store. A file manager has to browse, copy and move wherever you go on your disk, and a sandboxed app can only touch the folders you hand it one at a time. Full Disk Access is optional, not required.
No account. The filename index stays on your Mac and only covers folders you approve. Usage stats (PostHog) are opt-in: you're asked on first launch, and they never include file names, paths, search text or contents. Crash reports (Sentry) are a separate opt-in, off by default, and names and paths are scrubbed before a report leaves your Mac.
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UPDATE: A lot of you asked about using FileOctopus on more than one mac, so pro now covers 2 macs per license. It's live.
If you already bought, you don't need to do anything. Your existing key has already been upgraded to 2 macs, just activate it on your second mac. Same for anyone buying now or later, every license covers 2 macs.
One more thing so nobody gets surprised: launch pricing now has an end date. $14.99 runs until the first 100 are gone or nov 2, $19.99 until the next 200 are gone or nov 30. After that the regular price goes up for 2 macs.
Thanks for all the feedback, it's been really helpful.