Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to I made an ls alternative for my personal use

blazing fast `ls` replacement with superpowers. Contribute to chaqchase/lla development by creating an account on GitHub.

This is a command-line tool that provides an alternative to the standard "ls" directory listing command. The developer created it for their own use to improve how files and folders are displayed in the terminal. It's… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. I made an ls alternative for my personal use launched in 2024; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1
Lq – Alternative to Ls▲17
Tool for displaying items in directories using different modes - madprops/lq
2019 · github.com · its alternatives →
2
tere – A Faster Alternative to cd+ls▲378
Hi HN! I wrote a small program to browse folders in the terminal. The main inspiration was type-ahead search in GUI file managers. There exist several programs that are similar (see the listing in the README), but none of them do it quite the way I like, and often they have a very complex UI and a ton of features. I tried to make something that is obvious how to use and gets out of your way. (I also wanted an excuse to learn Rust.) Let me know what you think!
2022 · github.com · its alternatives →
3
Facad – A colorful directory listing tool for the command line▲147
Facad is about functionality, not just aesthetics. Key features: - Intuitive file type representation - Smart sorting (directories first, then by extension) - Four-column layout for quick directory analysis It evolved from this alias: alias ls='ls -A -F --group-directories-first --sort=extension --color=always' Facad takes this concept further, offering more flexibility and visual clarity.
2024 · github.com · its alternatives →
4
Elles – A nicer /bin/ls▲57
A nicer /bin/ls. Contribute to arp242/elles development by creating an account on GitHub.
2024 · github.com · its alternatives →
5
Notational `ls` - Never get lost in code again (hour long hack)▲29
Hey folks, I just wanted to share a quick script I threw together called notational ls. One of the big problems of any code base (or any filesystem) is that it's hard to tell what's what - folder and file names often trade brevity for clarity. So I thought about a version of `ls` that works like this: > nls web: Where python web server files are stored ad_hoc: One time scripts ios: Our IOS code images Adding descriptions is really easy too: > nls images Images SHARED between both ios and web web: Where python web server files are stored ad_hoc: One time scripts ios: Our IOS code…
2011 · github.com · its alternatives →
6
Nav – A terminal navigator for interactive `ls` workflows▲75
Hi Everyone, I built a tool for interactive navigation in the terminal that is intended to replace the all-too-familiar cycle of `ls` to view a directory, followed by `cd`, then `ls`, and repeat. nav is a terminal filesystem explorer built for interactive `ls` workflows. The key features I wanted to enable are interactivity and search without feeling like I'm using anything other than `ls`. nav supports common `ls` options/flags, as well as tab completion, and might expand its support for less common options in the future. These options exist as both CLI flags and interactive toggles.…
2023 · github.com · its alternatives →
7
Yet another memory system for LLMs▲165
Built this for my LLM workflows - needed searchable, persistent memory that wouldn't blow up storage costs. I also wanted to use it locally for my research. It's a content-addressed storage system with block-level deduplication (saves 30-40% on typical codebases). I have integrated the CLI tool into most of my workflows in Zed, Claude Code, and Cursor, and I provide the prompt I'm currently using in the repo. The project is in C++ and the build system is rough around the edges but is tested on macOS and Ubuntu 24.04.
2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
8
Lstr – A modern, interactive tree command written in Rust▲227
Hi HN, (First time poster!) I'm the author of `lstr`. I've always loved the classic Linux `tree` command for its simplicity, but I often found myself wanting more modern features like interactivity and Git integration. So, I decided to build my own version in Rust with a philosophy of being fast, minimalist, and interactive. It was also an excuse to help learn more about Rust\! Here's a quick look at the interactive mode: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bgreenwell/lstr/main/asset... I've just released v0.2.0 with some features I think this community might find…
2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
9EA
Exa, a replacement for ls written in Rust▲132
2015 · bsago.me · its alternatives →
10
Lsvine: `tree -L 2` with less empty screen space▲31
`tree -L 2` with less empty screen space. Contribute to autofitcloud/lsvine development by creating an account on GitHub.
2020 · github.com · its alternatives →
11
A shell-native cd-compatible directory jumper using power-law frecency▲26
I have used this tool privately since 2011 to manage directory jumping. While it is conceptually similar to tools like z or zoxide, the underlying ranking model is different. It uses a power-law convolution with the time series of cd actions to calculate a history-aware "frecency" metric instead of the standard heuristic counters and multipliers. This approach moves away from point-estimates for recency. Most tools look only at the timestamp of the last visit, which can allow a "one-off" burst of activity to clobber long-term habits. By convolving a configurable history window (typically the…
Mar 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
12
Llm2sh – Translate plain-language requests into shell commands▲67
This is my take on the common "use llms to generate shell commands" utility. Emphasis is placed on good CLI UX, simplicity, and flexibility. `llm2sh` supports multiple LLM providers and lets LLMs generate multi-command sequences to handle complex tasks. There is also limited support for commands requiring `sudo` and other basic input. I recommend using Groq llama3-70b for day-to-day use. The ultra-low latency is a game-changer - its near-instant responses helps `llm2sh` integrate seamlessly into day-to-day tasks without breaking you out of the 'zone'. For more advanced tasks, swapping to…
2024 · github.com · its alternatives →
13
Chmod Command Calculator▲116
Easiest way to generate file or directory permissions
2017 · chmodcommand.com · its alternatives →
14CD
Compressed directories on Linux▲70
2017 · excamera.com · its alternatives →
15HA
Hucksh – A shell with a very good memory▲93
In the deep mists of time (circa 2012), I was playing with the Go standard library, and saw how easy it was to stand up a webserver that let you navigate a remote file system, and I thought it was pretty neat. I took a look at my shell history and a frequent pattern of commands was "cd, ls, cd, ls, ...". And I thought "I love my keyboard, but you know, point and click might be nice in this context." And then I thought, "It'd be even cooler if you could run commands there." Skip forward several years, a few earlier implementations, a name change, and now there's Hucksh(ell), a bash-like shell…
2023 · its alternatives →
16
Fdir – Faster Node.js glob alternative▲48
⚡ The fastest directory crawler & globbing library for NodeJS. Crawls 1m files in < 1s - thecodrr/fdir
2020 · github.com · its alternatives →
17
Mkdirs▲58
Launch profitable directory in minutes without any cost
2024 · mkdirs.com · its alternatives →
18
18KB ls alternative in no_std rust and Libc▲23
crates.io serves as a central registry for sharing crates, which are packages or libraries written in Rust that you can use to enhance your projects
Jul 2026 · crates.io · its alternatives →
19
Get lists of files in a directory that contains a large number of files▲53
you can get a list of files in a directory that contains a large number of files - catatsuy/lls
2021 · github.com · its alternatives →
20
Goto – A Linux shell 'cd' replacement tool▲26
Linux Shell 'cd' replacement tool. cd on steroids, with fuzzy file finder and a directory bookmark saver. - ankitvad/goto
2015 · github.com · its alternatives →
21
Llama – Terminal File Manager▲48
Terminal file manager. Contribute to antonmedv/walk development by creating an account on GitHub.
2022 · github.com · its alternatives →
22
Useful Bash tool: Smart directories navigator▲9
Bash smart directories navigation. Contribute to abdulbadii/smart-directories-navigation development by creating an account on GitHub.
2023 · github.com · its alternatives →
23
Use local LLMs to organize your files▲6
Hi everyone, Just wanted to share a use case where local LLMs are genuinely helpful for daily workflows: file organization. I've been working on a C++ desktop app called AI File Sorter – it uses local LLMs via `llama.cpp` to help organize messy folders like `Downloads` or `Desktop`. Not sort files into folders solely based on extension or filename patterns, but based on what each file actually is supposed to do or does. Basically: what would normally take me a great deal of time for dragging and sorting can now be done in a few. It's cross-platform (Windows/macOS/Linux), and fully…
2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
24FO
File-over-App Directory▲7
Hi all! I’ve been into the “file-over-app” philosophy lately. The idea of using products through files you can control, in formats that are easy to read and retrieve. I built this directory (https://fileoverapp.latitude.so/) to organize tools following the same principles. The cool thing is most of them are open-source and you can even filter by that. Now I'm looking for more stuff. If you’re aware of similar software, you can contribute and submit a product. I’d love to hear your recommendations!
2024 · fileoverapp.latitude.so · its alternatives →

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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →