# Filen vs Balsio

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Balsio at 100% against Filen's 48%. Balsio also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.8) and monetization model (free vs freemium). Filen's advantage is ratings volume (126 vs 1). On price, update cadence, 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.

Balsio holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Filen has 126 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of Filen's written reviews are positive against 100% of Balsio's.

Filen ships an update fortnightly, Balsio weekly. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Filen | Balsio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (126 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/filen-cloud-storage/id1549224518/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balsio-work-chat/id6447080746/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **126** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 47.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 103 MB | 51 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Filen Cloud Dienste UG (haftungsbeschraenkt)](https://appshunter.io/developer/1549224520) | [Fyello Productivity SIA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1680258911) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Balsio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balsio-work-chat/id6447080746)

This app provides a dedicated space for work-related conversations, separating them from personal chats. It allows messaging via work email, collaboration within teams, and communication with external contacts like clients and partners. Users can also message WhatsApp contacts in supported regions.

**Highlights:** Separate work and personal messages, Message via work email, Team chat workspace, External communication with clients/partners, WhatsApp integration (EEA), Organize chats by project/client, Threaded replies and chat management

**Features:** Siri integration, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Filen free?

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

### Is Balsio free?

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

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

Balsio is rated higher. Filen averages 3.8 out of 5 from 126 ratings, while Balsio averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Filen or Balsio have ads?

Neither Filen nor Balsio shows ads.

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

Filen ships an update fortnightly, and Balsio weekly. Most recently, Filen was updated on November 3, 2026 and Balsio on November 3, 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.*