# File Managers vs ES file explorer

The clearest difference is rating: File Managers at 4.4 against ES file explorer's 1.8. File Managers also leads on review sentiment (20% vs 0%) and ratings volume (323 vs 10). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. File Managers sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days 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 Managers holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: File Managers has 323 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of File Managers's written reviews are positive against 0% of ES file explorer's.

File Managers ships an update every 11 days, ES file explorer every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | File Managers | ES file explorer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (323 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/file-managers/id1547415933/reviews)** | [1.8 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/es-file-explorer/id1620305556/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **323** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | **20.4% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 11 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 137 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Laxay Gajera](https://appshunter.io/developer/1534406445) | [alkesh dudhat](https://appshunter.io/developer/1599434938) |

## What reviewers say

### File Managers

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/file-managers/id1547415933)

Easily manage files and folders across your device, network storage, and cloud services. Supports common file operations, media management, and batch processing for efficient organization.

**Highlights:** Manage files and folders, Network and cloud storage integration, Search and share files, Batch operations, Media file management, File organization and sorting

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| File Manager Pro - Weekly | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| File Manager Pro - Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| File Manager Pro - Yearly | $12.99 | per year |
| File Manager - Remove Ads | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🔒 Safe and secured
- 🚀 Good functionality
- 👍 More than other apps for iOS

**What reviewers complain about**

-  anúncios Ads everywhere
- 😠 Irritating advertisements
- 👎 Unusable due to ads
- 🗑️ Waste of time and data
- 🚫 Non-functional

**Reported bugs**

- App closes every time you try to copy files
- App doesn't work like it's supposed to
- Unable to open anything, ads first
- App closes every time
- Can't exit ad

**Requested features**

- Remove ads for existing subscribers
- Allow users to open app without ads first time


### 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 Managers free?

File Managers 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 Managers or ES file explorer?

File Managers is rated higher. File Managers averages 4.4 out of 5 from 323 ratings, while ES file explorer averages 1.8 from 10 ratings.

### Do File Managers or ES file explorer have ads?

Both File Managers and ES file explorer show ads.

### Which is updated more often, File Managers or ES file explorer?

File Managers ships an update every 11 days, and ES file explorer every 2 weeks. Most recently, File Managers was updated on October 15, 2026 and ES file explorer on September 24, 2026.

---

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