---
title: "PaneStack vs ForkLift 4: the better Finder alternative for Mac - PaneStack"
description: "PaneStack vs ForkLift 4: up to 16 panes instead of 2, undo that survives a restart, PDF tools, and every future version for one payment from $4.99."
canonical: https://panestack.app/panestack-vs-forklift.html
---

# PaneStack vs ForkLift 4

Checked on 14 November 2026 against BinaryNights' website and store.

ForkLift 4 is a dual-pane file manager whose licence includes one or two years of updates. PaneStack gives you up to 16 panes, undo for everything, PDF tools and a Start screen, and every future version is included in one payment from $4.99.

## At a glance

| | PaneStack | ForkLift 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 once at launch, rising as copies sell to $29.99 | $19.95 (1 year of updates) or $34.95 (2 years); Family $29.95, Small Business $69.95 |
| Updates | Every future version, for every buyer | For the years bought |
| Panes | Up to 16 per window, split in any direction | 2 (dual pane), with tabs |
| Undo | Every copy, move, rename and trash, even after quitting | Not stated on its site |
| PDF tools | Combine, read text in scans, edit info, shrink | Preview |
| Start screen and Library by kind | Yes | Not listed on its site |
| Search in plain words | Yes, such as "pdfs from last week over 5 mb" | Search |
| Servers and cloud | WebDAV, Amazon S3, Cloudflare R2, SFTP (beta) | SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Rackspace, SMB, AFP, NFS |
| Sync | Compare and sync folders, undoable | Compare and sync |
| macOS | 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel | 14.6 or later |

## Why switch to PaneStack

- **Every future version, once.** ForkLift's price buys one or two years of updates. PaneStack includes every future version, from $4.99.
- **Eight times the panes.** Up to 16 floating panes in one window, against two.
- **Undo for everything.** Copies, moves, renames, Organize and even a whole folder sync can be undone, after a restart too.
- **Built for the files on your Mac.** Start, a Library by kind, folder sizes, a size map and search in plain words.
- **PDF tools included.** Combine PDFs and pictures in the order you choose, read text in scans, and edit titles and authors.
- **Servers when you need them.** WebDAV, Amazon S3, Cloudflare R2 and SFTP open in a pane, with share links and editing in place.

## Common questions

### Is PaneStack cheaper than ForkLift?

Yes, at launch: $4.99 once with every future version included, against $19.95 for one year of ForkLift updates.

### Does PaneStack have more panes than ForkLift?

Yes. PaneStack has up to 16 panes per window; ForkLift has two.

### Does PaneStack connect to servers?

Yes. WebDAV, Amazon S3, Cloudflare R2 and SFTP open in a pane beside your folders, with copy, move, previews, share links and editing in place.

[Get PaneStack](https://panestack.app/#pricing)

## Sources

[ForkLift](https://binarynights.com/) and the [ForkLift store](https://binarynights.com/store), as listed on 14 November 2026. Prices change, so check before you buy. See also [the best Finder alternatives for Mac](https://panestack.app/best-finder-alternatives-mac.html).