zoxide
Focus: terminal and navigation. Shares command line and shell with fzf. Rated 4.7 (fzf: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit
Desktop App
fzf
A fast command-line fuzzy finder for files, history and almost anything else.
Rating
4.8 / 5
Pricing
Free
Difficulty
Intermediate
Works on
macOS, Windows, Linux
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is fzf?
fzf is a free, open-source fuzzy finder for the terminal. Type a few letters and it instantly filters any list, from files and folders to command history, Git branches and processes. It plugs into Bash, Zsh, Fish, Vim and Neovim with handy shortcuts, so finding things takes seconds instead of minutes.
Third-party open-source projects. We are not affiliated with their authors; repositories are provided as-is by their maintainers. Review each project's license, code and security before installing. See our Disclaimer.
Pros: what fzf does well
- Extremely fast, even on huge lists
- Works with your shell and editor
- Free and open source
Cons: where it falls short
- Command line only
- Best features need some setup
Who fzf is for
Developers who spend time in the terminal and want to find files and commands instantly.
Who can skip it
Anyone who never uses the command line.
fzf alternatives
Not sold on fzf? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
bat
Focus: file viewer and developer tool. Shares command line and open source with fzf. Rated 4.7 (fzf: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
fish shell
Focus: terminal and autocomplete. Shares shell and command line with fzf. Rated 4.6 (fzf: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.6Visit
Nushell
Focus: data pipelines. Shares shell and command line with fzf. Rated 4.6 (fzf: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
scrcpy
Focus: android, screen mirroring and phone control. Shares open source and github with fzf. Adds Android. Rated 4.7 (fzf: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.7Visit
navi
Focus: terminal, cli and cheatsheet. Shares fuzzy finder and open source with fzf. Same 4.8 rating.
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
Free alternatives to fzf
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
ripgrep
Focus: search tool and developer tool. Shares command line and open source with fzf. Same 4.8 rating.
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
Atuin
Focus: shell history, terminal and sync. Shares command line and open source with fzf. Rated 4.7 (fzf: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit
BentoPDF
Focus: pdf tools, merge pdf and privacy. Shares open source and github with fzf. A web app, not a desktop app. Adds Web. Rated 4.7 (fzf: 4.8).
Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.7Visit
fd
Focus: file search and developer tool. Shares command line and open source with fzf. Rated 4.7 (fzf: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
htop
Focus: process viewer, system monitor and terminal. Shares command line and open source with fzf. Rated 4.7 (fzf: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit
OCRmyPDF
Focus: ocr and scanned pdf. Shares command line and open source with fzf. Rated 4.7 (fzf: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
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