Comparison

Filen vs Sync with Files

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Filen

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
Read full description

Filen is everything you need for storing your photos, videos and documents secure and encrypted in the cloud. Get 10 GB storage for free when you create an account. Features: - Get 10 GB when you create an account - Get unlimited storage with our pro offerings - Easily share files with family, friends and colleagues, even if they are not Filen users - Military grade client sided AES 256 bit encryption, your files truly belong to you - only you - Make files available offline for easy access wherever, whenever - Stream and preview your photos, documents, images and audio files straight from the cloud - Access your files on every device - Encrypted notes - Encrypted chats - Clean, easy to use interface for easy file management - Dark mode available for those who work at night or just love the darker look! - Automatic camera upload - Share target - Files app integration Terms of service: https://filen.io/terms Privacy policy: https://filen.io/privacy

About

Sync with Files

Read full description

Sync for Files synchronizes your phone’s photo library, including the albums and folder hierarchy, to the Files app (On My iPhone, USB drives, NAS devices, and Shared folders). For users who like to organize their photos into folders and albums, Sync offers many advantages over saving your photos and videos to the Files app and manually recreating your folder structure within the Files app. - Sync automatically creates folders and albums you have created in your phone’s photo library in the Files app. - Saves the video component of Live Photos. - Saves the edited versions of photos and videos. - Mirror or back up your photo library. - Synchronize your entire photo library or only certain folders and albums. In summary, each time you run Sync, it will make sure any changes to your phone’s photo library are updated in the Files app, overwriting, renaming, saving, and deleting items from the Files app if needed. Sync will also NEVER delete any photos from your phone. Sync performs a ONE-WAY sync only, making a folder in the Files app match your photo library. Any changes made in the Files app will not be synced to your phone, rather, the changes made in the Files will simply be overwritten the next time you run Sync. Free Plan The free plan is limited to syncing up to 3 top-level folders and albums and up to 200 photos. Premium Plan Our affordable premium plan removes all restrictions and unlocks access to all future features. Subscription Pricing and Terms - Annual or monthly subscription billing will start immediately after you subscribe and will auto-renew each year or month. - Subscriptions will automatically renew unless canceled at least one day before the renewal date within 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. You can manage and cancel your subscription by going to your account settings in the App Store. - Subscriptions are non-refundable, so please choose this option carefully. - Please refer to the In-App Purchases section for pricing. Terms of Use — https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula Privacy Policy — https://sync.photosplus.app/privacy.php

Screenshots

Filen4 screens
Sync with Files4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sync with Files at 5.0 against Filen's 3.8. Sync with Files also leads on iOS requirement (16.6 vs 26.0). Filen's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (126 vs 1). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Sync with Files sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Filen asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sync with Files 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Filen ships an update fortnightly, Sync with Files every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Filen versus Sync with Files: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFilenSync with Files
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (126 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews47.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings126 — better1
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.016.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size103 MB17 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperFilen Cloud Dienste UG (haftungsbeschraenkt)Pixegram, LLC

Bugs and requests

Filen

Reported bugs

18 issues
  • 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
Show 13 more
  • Video thumbnails not displaying correctly
  • Cannot open audio files in app
  • App stuck on opening screen
  • Login credentials not working on iOS despite working elsewhere
  • Upload progress not visible in latest update
  • File upload stalls at 'finishing' stage
  • Camera upload fails with VPN enabled
  • Rich text editor loses data on sync
  • Share public link toggle does nothing
  • Media not found error when uploading images
  • App unable to load albums page
  • Password reset link not sending
  • Automatic account deletion after inactivity

Requested features

12 requests
  • 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
Show 7 more
  • Shared folder system like Dropbox/Google Drive
  • Album-to-folder mapping for camera uploads
  • iOS Files app integration/mounting
  • Audio file playback within app
  • Dark mode following system settings
  • Magnetic link download support
  • Better gallery navigation and filtering

Sync with Files

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Filen

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Sync with Files

Subscriptions2
  • Subscription$2.991 Month
  • Subscription$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Filen free?
Filen is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sync with Files free?
Sync with Files is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Filen or Sync with Files?
Sync with Files is rated higher. Filen averages 3.8 out of 5 from 126 ratings, while Sync with Files averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Filen or Sync with Files have ads?
Neither Filen nor Sync with Files shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Filen or Sync with Files?
Filen ships an update fortnightly, and Sync with Files every 2 months. Most recently, Filen was updated on October 20, 2026 and Sync with Files on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons