When comparing Amaze File Manager vs Total Commander, the Slant community recommends Amaze File Manager for most people. In the question“What are the best file explorers on Android?” Amaze File Manager is ranked 2nd while Total Commander is ranked 3rd. The most important reason people chose Amaze File Manager is:
Amaze File Manager is an opensource file manager.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Open source
Amaze File Manager is an opensource file manager.
Pro Material Design and fast operation
Amaze File Manager follows the Material Design guidelines as well as operates very fast.
Pro Built-in FTP server
That's an easy way to access your phone filesystem from another device. But be careful when using it on untrusted networks, because FTP protocol has encryption.
Pro Light and dark themes
Pro Light on resource consumption
This app has a very specific purpose - browsing and interacting with your files. It remains light (no incurred battery usage) and doesn't pollute your phone with new apps to open your files but instead uses your default applications for that.
Pro Built-in SMB client
Amaze File Manager can connect to SMB shares (AKA samba, AKA window shared folders).
Press the "+" button, then "Cloud connection", then "SMB Connection".
Pro Built-in root explorer
If your Android device is rooted, you can use this app to access system files.
Pro Great customer support
Support is available 24/7. Your emails will be answered within 24 hours.
Pro Plugins
Supports plugins for compression, file system, and file types.
Pro Can replace a lot of utility tools
There are a lot of built-in utility tools and plug-ins. There's multi-file renamer, verify file checksum to ensure download content integrity, sync directory tool, etc.
Pro Life-time license
Once purchased you can use it as long as you like and never have to pay again.
Pro Layout increases productivity
The dual-pane layout makes normal file operations (like move & copy) easy.
Pro Useful multiple advanced options
Show hidden files, show differences between directories, FTP connections, coding and decoding (MIME, l).
Pro Very customizable
Total Commander is extremely flexible, with plenty of customizable options such as changing the color scheme, customizing menus, and editing shortcuts.
Pro Works even when Windows is very unstable
Pro Productive
Even if you have not learned the keys from DOS NortonCommander, learning them now will make you more productive when dealing with files.
Pro Powerful file search
The file search has many features, like using regular expressions to find the file names or even inside the content of the files. It can filter by file size, date and others, or even find duplicate files.
Pro Compare files and show differences
Can compare and show text file differences (diff) line-by-line, even character-by-character. Very useful for programmers. Can compare binary files, telling if files have the same content or not.
Pro Batch-rename files and folders
Sometimes you want to rename a bunch of files for some reason.
Eg:
file1-useless info blah blah.mp8
file2-useless info blah blah.mp8
file3-useless info blah blah.mp8
file4-useless info blah blah.mp8
file5-useless info blah blah.mp8
At once you can remove the "-useless info blah blah" in all file names. Or you could change the "file" to "my_super_file" to all at once.
The possibilities are endless.
Pro Saves time
Pro Cloud plugin
Pro Customizable tabs
Allows renaming tabs and setting maximum tab text length, which is very convenient. You can also lock tabs in two modes: a) change dir not allowed and b) change dir allowed (but it would return to the original path once you browse another tab). It doesn't allow assigning different colors to each tab, though.
Pro On copy/move it can both avoid overwrite the destination file AND losing the copied file at the same time
Sometimes you need to copy/move a bunch of files to a folder that already has files. During the copy when Total Commander encounter files in the destination folder that has the same name of the copied files, it allows you to choose auto-rename the copied files or the destination files. It's beautiful.
Pro Convenient
Pro Free
Pro Easy for language translation
Pro Forget about the mouse
The total commander is convenient to use both with the mouse and exclusively using the keyboard.
But using only the keyboard gives it a big increase in the speed of work because you do not aim at your mouse. You need some time to get used to it, but it's really worth it.
Cons
Con Slow
Con SMB and SFTP fails
Failed to connect to server using either SMB or SFTP.
Con Cannot do file actions in ZIP packages
You have to extract all files from "package.zip' package to a new folder 'package' if you want to view a single file.
Con No networking tools
Sadly there are no networking tools built into Amaze File Manager.
Con Cannot display background colors for file names
While it can display different colors (even based on filters) for the text color of those file names, but not for the background color.
Con Very slow on loading network shares
Con Proprietary
Total Commander offers a free 30-day trial, after which the cost of the program is $44.
Con Classic Interface
Con Need to spend a lot of time for custom configuration
Need to spend a lot of time for custom configuration, many features of the steps are very cumbersome to reduce operating speed.