Comparison

RealVNC Viewer vs FileZen

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

Head to head
About

RealVNC Viewer

Access and control your Mac, Windows, or Linux computers remotely from any device. View your desktop, use your keyboard and mouse, and manage files securely with end-to-end encryption. Sync connections across all your devices for seamless access.

Highlights
  • Instant remote access to computers
  • Control mouse and keyboard remotely
  • End-to-end session encryption
  • Cloud service for easy connection
  • Backup and sync connections
  • Virtual keyboard with advanced keys
  • Bluetooth keyboard support
Features
Read full description

RealVNC® Viewer from RealVNC® gives you instant remote access to your Mac, Windows and Linux computers from anywhere in the world. You can view your computer's desktop, and control its mouse and keyboard as though you were sitting down in front of it. Download RealVNC Connect to each computer you want to control. Then sign in to RealVNC Viewer on your device using your RealVNC account credentials. You'll see your computers automatically appear; simply tap to connect. RealVNC Connect password-protects each computer out-of-the-box. You may need to enter the same user name and password you use to log in to your computer. All sessions are then encrypted end-to-end. During a session, your device's touch screen serves as a trackpad to give you precise control. Drag your finger to move the remote mouse cursor and tap anywhere to left-click (other gestures such as right-click and scroll are explained in-app). As the original inventors of VNC remote access technology, we're confident you'll love what RealVNC Viewer has to offer. If you're still not convinced, check out our reviews! ===Key features=== - Connect with ease via our cloud service to computers running RealVNC Connect. - Backup and sync your connections between all your devices by signing in to RealVNC Viewer on each one. - A scrolling bar above the virtual keyboard includes advanced keys such as Command/Windows. - Support for Bluetooth keyboards. ===Contact=== We’d love to hear from you: iphone-support@realvnc.com twitter.com/RealVNC facebook.com/realvnc Better still, leave us a review!   ===Terms of Use=== https://static.realvnc.com/media/documents/RealVNCServicesTCs.pdf ===Trademarks=== RealVNC and VNC are trademarks of RealVNC Limited and are protected by trademark registrations and/or pending trademark applications in the European Union, United States of America and other jurisdictions. Protected by UK patents 2481870, 2479756; US patent 8760366; EU patent 2652951.

About

FileZen

Organize, view, transfer, and edit files from local storage and multiple cloud services. Offers advanced PDF tools, compressed file management, and encrypted containers for secure access.

Highlights
  • Multi-protocol cloud access
  • File and text comparison
  • PDF editing and processing
  • Compressed file management
  • Encrypted containers
  • Media playback
Features
Read full description

FileZen — Free All-in-One File Management Tool FileZen is an iOS file management app designed for high-frequency file handling, helping you organize, view, transfer, and use files more efficiently on your iPhone. Whether it's local documents, external directories, or content from remote servers like Box, OneDrive, AList, WebDAV, SFTP, SMB (with additional protocol support via AList and OpenList servers, e.g., Baidu Cloud, Aliyun Drive, Tianyi Cloud, and other mainstream cloud services), you can access and manage everything in a single app, reducing the need to switch between multiple tools. Key Features & Highlights Multi-Protocol Cloud Access: Connect to Box, OneDrive, AList, WebDAV, SFTP, SMB, and expand to more cloud services through server extensions. File & Text Comparison: Compare text files or entire folders in a Git-like diff mode, with customizable parameters to easily spot changes. PDF Editing & Processing: Create multi-image PDFs, merge/split PDFs, convert PDFs to images, convert text to PDF, insert images/text pages, annotate, and sign PDFs. Compressed File Management: Preview and edit ZIP files, add or delete contents, create encrypted ZIPs, and extract files. Encrypted Containers: Create or load encrypted containers; preview images, videos, audio, and text files directly by entering a password without downloading or decrypting. Supports file editing. File Preview: Comprehensive support for text, images, video, audio, PDF, compressed files, and various document formats. Media Playback: HDR video and Dolby audio preview (device dependent), audio playback, and playlist management. Efficient File Operations: Quickly upload, download, copy, move, rename, delete, or create new folders. Collaboration & Upload: Supports LAN-based Web uploads, enabling fast file transfer across multiple devices. Download & Task Management: Unified download center to track task progress in real-time. Additional Tools: Built-in utilities continuously updated, expanding the app’s capabilities. Use Cases Ideal for users needing cross-device file organization, remote storage access, media playback, document viewing, and light editing. FileZen focuses not only on "opening files" but also on "managing them efficiently," delivering a complete, stable, and productive mobile file workflow experience. Privacy Policy: https://toutoumu.github.io/filezenweb Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

RealVNC Viewer4 screens
FileZen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RealVNC Viewer at none against FileZen's 4. RealVNC Viewer also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (15K vs 2). FileZen's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 72%). On price 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. FileZen sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. RealVNC Viewer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

FileZen holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RealVNC Viewer has 15K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of RealVNC Viewer's written reviews are positive against 100% of FileZen's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RealVNC Viewer ships an update every 2 months, FileZen every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
RealVNC Viewer versus FileZen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRealVNC ViewerFileZen
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (15K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings15K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB111 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRealVNC斌 刘

Customer experience

RealVNC Viewer

All ratings15,340 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral2.0%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews1,525 reviews
Positive72.3%
Neutral7.1%
Negative20.7%

FileZen

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

RealVNC Viewer

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Cursor and screen synchronization issues
  • Incompatibility with certain macOS and iOS versions
  • Frequent disconnections and login problems
  • Keyboard input not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for audio streaming
  • Improve clipboard and file transfer functionality
  • Provide better multi-monitor support
  • Allow customization of keyboard and mouse controls
  • Implement a true touch-based interface

FileZen

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

RealVNC Viewer

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

FileZen

Subscriptions3
  • Premium Weekly Access$0.997 Days
  • Premium Monthly Access$1.991 Month
  • Premium Annual Access$7.991 Year
One-time1
  • FileZen Pro Lifetime$8.99

Questions

Is RealVNC Viewer free?
RealVNC Viewer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is FileZen free?
FileZen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, RealVNC Viewer or FileZen?
FileZen is rated higher. RealVNC Viewer averages 4.8 out of 5 from 15K ratings, while FileZen averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do RealVNC Viewer or FileZen have ads?
FileZen shows ads; RealVNC Viewer does not.
Which is updated more often, RealVNC Viewer or FileZen?
RealVNC Viewer ships an update every 2 months, and FileZen every 5 days. Most recently, RealVNC Viewer was updated on November 3, 2026 and FileZen on October 31, 2026.

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