pcmanfm-qt vs Vifm
When comparing pcmanfm-qt vs Vifm, the Slant community recommends Vifm for most people. In the question“What are the best file managers for UNIX-like systems?” Vifm is ranked 12th while pcmanfm-qt is ranked 36th. The most important reason people chose Vifm is:
Since it runs in a terminal, it may live within ssh sessions, tmux/screen sessions, etc.
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Pros
Pro Can open folder as root
PCManFM can open different folders as root, this way you don't have to use the terminal to move around files for which you need root permission.
Pro Simple
PCManFM is a very lightweight and simple file manager.
Pro Has a lot of features
... that only Dolphin, Krusader, Nemo & Nautilus has onboard -
but this one is a small footprint reliable friend.
Pro Allows you to stay in the terminal
Since it runs in a terminal, it may live within ssh sessions, tmux/screen sessions, etc.
Pro Nice Themes for a terminal app
Vifm has a lot of good themes that you can easily grab from the main site and use with the :colorscheme command.
Pro Great integration with vim
The vifm.vim plugin allows you to use vifm as a powerful filepicker for vim.
Pro Configurable
You can easily configure almost all aspects of vifm by just editing the dotfile which is pretty easy is you are comfortable with configuring apps.
Pro Default key mappings will be comfortable to vim users
Vifm uses vim-esque key mappings. Makes for extremely efficient and---perhaps more importantly---intuitive interactions. The key mappings can be changed.
Pro Dual pane
The dual pane nature of vifm makes copy paste and moving files from one folder to another super easy.
Cons
Con Some operations are slow
Because it tries to be as lightweight as possible and tries to use very little RAM. This can unfortunately lead to it being slow sometimes.
Con Useless for non-vi users
Even to quit one has to use ":q".
Con Very high learning curve for newbies
Con Can only be used in terminal
Vifm lacks a standalone GUI option.