# File Explorer & Player vs ES file explorer

The clearest difference is review sentiment: File Explorer & Player at 78% against ES file explorer's 0%. File Explorer & Player also leads on rating (4.6 vs 1.7) and ratings volume (124 vs 11). ES file explorer's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. File Explorer & Player sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and ES file explorer sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

File Explorer & Player holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: File Explorer & Player has 124 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of File Explorer & Player's written reviews are positive against 0% of ES file explorer's.

File Explorer & Player ships an update fortnightly, ES file explorer every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | File Explorer & Player | ES file explorer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (124 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/file-explorer-and-player/id1113281296/reviews)** | [1.7 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/es-file-explorer/id1620305556/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **124** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | **78.3% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 85 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Remote Sunrise LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/619088610) | [alkesh dudhat](https://appshunter.io/developer/1599434938) |

## 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


### ES file explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/es-file-explorer/id1620305556)

This app helps you organize and manage all files on your device. It allows you to view images, videos, audio, and documents, and sorts them into categories for easy access. Quickly find recently opened files and analyze your storage usage.

**Highlights:** Built-in viewers and players for various file types, Quick browsing by file type, downloads, recent, and large files, Storage usage analysis dashboard, Search photos by date, size, and creation/open dates, Multiple selection and sorting support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Yearly Premium Access | $9.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is File Explorer & Player free?

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

### Is ES file explorer free?

ES file explorer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, File Explorer & Player or ES file explorer?

File Explorer & Player is rated higher. File Explorer & Player averages 4.6 out of 5 from 124 ratings, while ES file explorer averages 1.7 from 11 ratings.

### Do File Explorer & Player or ES file explorer have ads?

Both File Explorer & Player and ES file explorer show ads.

### Which is updated more often, File Explorer & Player or ES file explorer?

File Explorer & Player ships an update fortnightly, and ES file explorer every 2 weeks. Most recently, File Explorer & Player was updated on October 26, 2026 and ES file explorer on October 24, 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.*