# File Explorer & Player vs Colors

The clearest difference is price: File Explorer & Player at Free against Colors's $0.99. File Explorer & Player also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 19 months) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). Colors's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

File Explorer & Player is free to download; Colors costs $0.99 up front. File Explorer & Player sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Colors sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

File Explorer & Player ships an update fortnightly, Colors every 19 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and August 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | File Explorer & Player | Colors |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | **[4.6 (124 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/file-explorer-and-player/id1113281296/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **124** | — |
| Positive reviews | 78.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 19 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 85 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Remote Sunrise LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/619088610) | [Gerhard Lentschik](https://appshunter.io/developer/629988041) |

## What reviewers say

### File Explorer & Player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/file-explorer-and-player/id1113281296)

Access and stream files from your Mac wirelessly on your iPhone or iPad. View photos, documents, and play videos directly from your computer. Transfer files and even use your iOS device as a portable drive.

**Highlights:** Stream video from Mac, View photos and documents, Transfer files to iOS, Use iOS as a drive, Wireless Mac access

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Upgrade to Pro Version - 1M | $1.99 | per month |
| Upgrade to Pro Version | $9.99 | per year |
| Remove Ads | $19.99 | one-time |
| Upgrade to PRO | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and understand
- 🚀 Fast streaming of files
- 👍 Seamless connection across devices
- 👍 Works well on Apple devices (iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro)
- 💰 Inexpensive and good value

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Free version is limited/useless
- 🐛 Does not work for PC
- 🐛 No external access (from outside home network)
- 🐛 Paid version download issues reported
- 🐛 Lack of clear instructions for new features

**Reported bugs**

- Paid version download issues reported
- Free version does nothing
- Poor support response to feature inquiries

**Requested features**

- Add NAS support
- Enable external access (remote access from outside home network)
- Add Chinese language option
- Allow file renaming
- Improve PC compatibility


### Colors

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/colors/id1493352845)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Advertising | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is File Explorer & Player free?

File Explorer & Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Colors free?

Colors costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Do File Explorer & Player or Colors have ads?

File Explorer & Player shows ads; Colors does not.

### Which is updated more often, File Explorer & Player or Colors?

File Explorer & Player ships an update fortnightly, and Colors every 19 months. Most recently, File Explorer & Player was updated on October 26, 2026 and Colors on August 11, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*