# Starchive vs Filen

The clearest difference is rating: Starchive at 4.5 against Filen's 3.8. Starchive also leads on monetization model (free vs freemium) and review sentiment (59% vs 48%). Filen's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Starchive holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 182 and 126 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of Starchive's written reviews are positive against 48% of Filen's.

Starchive ships an update monthly, Filen fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Starchive | Filen |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (182 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starchive/id1480291489/reviews)** | [3.8 (126 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/filen-cloud-storage/id1549224518/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **182** | 126 |
| Positive reviews | **59.1% of reviews** | 47.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 21 MB | 103 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Digital Relab](https://appshunter.io/developer/1143270787) | [Filen Cloud Dienste UG (haftungsbeschraenkt)](https://appshunter.io/developer/1549224520) |

## What reviewers say

### Starchive

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starchive/id1480291489)

This cloud-based digital asset management solution helps businesses and creators preserve, organize, and access their files. It offers instant organization with auto-tags, curated collections, and secure cloud storage.

**Highlights:** Cloud digital asset management, Auto-tagging for organization, Curated collections, Easy file sharing, Fast browser uploads, Secure cloud storage

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Filen

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/filen-cloud-storage/id1549224518)

Securely store photos, videos, and documents with military-grade encryption. Access files on any device, share them easily, and enjoy features like offline access and encrypted notes. Offers a free tier with 10 GB storage.

**Highlights:** 10 GB free storage, Unlimited pro storage, Secure client-side encryption, Offline file access, Cross-device file access, Encrypted notes and chats, Automatic camera upload

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🔒 End-to-end encryption and privacy-focused design
- 💰 Affordable pricing with generous storage tiers
- 🌍 Open-source and transparent service
- 🚀 Fast upload/download speeds
- 👍 Clean and intuitive UI design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes during uploads
- 📸 Photo/video upload failures and inconsistencies
- 🔄 Auto-upload feature unreliable and incomplete
- ⚠️ Data loss issues in Notes feature
- 🔐 Thumbnail cache exposed in Files app (security concern)

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when uploading photos/videos
- Music pauses when app is minimized
- Photo upload stuck at specific file counts (e.g., 42 photos)
- Notes lose data during sync
- Note type conversion deletes text content

**Requested features**

- Video streaming/playback within app
- Read-only file mode option
- Back-sync feature (delete from phone, delete from cloud)
- Multi-select file upload capability
- iPad split-screen view support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Starchive free?

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

### Is Filen free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Starchive or Filen?

Starchive is rated higher. Starchive averages 4.5 out of 5 from 182 ratings, while Filen averages 3.8 from 126 ratings.

### Do Starchive or Filen have ads?

Neither Starchive nor Filen shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Starchive or Filen?

Starchive ships an update monthly, and Filen fortnightly. Most recently, Starchive was updated on October 23, 2026 and Filen on October 20, 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.*