# Files vs File Manager & Documents

The clearest difference is rating: File Manager & Documents at 4.4 against Files's 2.9. File Manager & Documents also leads on update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 6 months). Files's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. File Manager & Documents sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Files asks for nothing beyond the download.

File Manager & Documents holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7.6K and 4.8K respectively.

Files ships an update every 6 months, File Manager & Documents every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Files | File Manager & Documents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.9 (7.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/files/id1232058109/reviews) | **[4.4 (4.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/file-manager-and-documents/id1478159954/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **7.6K** | 4.8K |
| Positive reviews | — | 52.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 4 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Subscription |
| Size | 5 MB | 88 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Apple Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) | [Giant Brains](https://appshunter.io/developer/1475947964) |

## What reviewers say

### Files

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/files/id1232058109)

Manage files from your device, cloud storage, or external drives in one place. Organize with tags, search, and access recent documents easily. Share files and connect to network drives.

**Highlights:** Access files from device, cloud, and external drives, Recents view with high-resolution thumbnails, Organize files with tags, Search and navigate folders, Connect to cloud services (Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.), Connect to file servers (SMB), Pin favorite folders

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Smooth performance
- 💡 Useful for storing and organizing files
- 🔒 Secure file storage

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🐛 Files disappearing or not saving properly
- 🐛 Unreliable sync with cloud services
- 🐛 Limited functionality compared to desktop file managers
- 🐛 Buggy PDF annotation and editing

**Reported bugs**

- Files app not showing any files after iOS 15 update
- Inability to delete downloaded files
- Keyboard glitches when editing documents
- Inconsistent behavior when transferring files to external storage

**Requested features**

- Add ability to view file extensions
- Improve search functionality
- Allow more customization of the interface
- Integrate better with other Apple apps and services
- Add support for more cloud storage providers


### File Manager & Documents

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/file-manager-and-documents/id1478159954)

Organize and manage your downloaded files and documents conveniently on your iPhone or iPad. Create folders, store files in the cloud to save space, and use the built-in browser for direct downloads. Sort files by various criteria for easy access.

**Highlights:** Manage downloads, Create folders, Cloud storage, Built-in browser, Direct downloads, Sort files

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Subscription | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 💡 Innovative features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🔒 Security and privacy concerns
- 💰 Expensive subscription model

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with newer iOS versions
- Download issues

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Improved file management capabilities
- Better integration with other apps


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Files free?

Files is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is File Manager & Documents free?

File Manager & Documents is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Files or File Manager & Documents?

File Manager & Documents is rated higher. Files averages 2.9 out of 5 from 7.6K ratings, while File Manager & Documents averages 4.4 from 4.8K ratings.

### Do Files or File Manager & Documents have ads?

Neither Files nor File Manager & Documents shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Files or File Manager & Documents?

Files ships an update every 6 months, and File Manager & Documents every 4 weeks. Most recently, Files was updated on October 25, 2026 and File Manager & Documents on October 25, 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.*