# FileBrowser vs Files

The clearest difference is review sentiment: FileBrowser at 82% against Files's 14%. FileBrowser also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.9) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 8 months). Files's advantage is price (Free vs $7.99) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.6). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Files is free to download; FileBrowser costs $7.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

FileBrowser holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5.6K and 7.4K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of FileBrowser's written reviews are positive against 14% of Files's.

FileBrowser ships an update every 5 weeks, Files every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | FileBrowser | Files |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $7.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/filebrowser-documents-manager/id364738545/reviews)** | [2.9 (7.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/files/id1232058109/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 5.6K | **7.4K** |
| Positive reviews | **82.1% of reviews** | 14.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#166** | — |
| Size | 70 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Stratospherix Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/323133606) | [Apple Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) |

## What reviewers say

### FileBrowser

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/filebrowser-documents-manager/id364738545)

**Currently charting:** #166 Top Paid · Utilities (US App Store)

Access and manage files across your home computers, network drives, and cloud storage. Upload, download, copy, and edit documents directly from your device, with built-in viewers for various file types and streaming capabilities.

**Highlights:** Connect to computers, NAS, and cloud storage, Upload, download, copy, and move files, Multi-tabbed browsing and split-screen support, Edit documents in-place, Built-in viewers for documents, photos, and media, Stream movies and music with AirPlay/Chromecast, Annotate PDFs and images

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great file manager
- 🚀 Powerful and versatile
- 🔒 Secure access to files
- 💡 Excellent integration with iOS Files app
- 👍 Reliable and stable

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 SMB connection issues
- 🐛 Misleading directory caching
- 🐛 Video playback problems
- 🐛 Buggy UI changes
- 🐛 Inability to rename photos

**Reported bugs**

- Copy and paste functionality broken after update
- Inability to access iCloud files
- Crashes when accessing large files
- Thumbnails not generating properly

**Requested features**

- Add support for AV1 video codec
- Improve audio playback controls
- Implement a recycle bin/trash feature
- Add option to loop video playback
- Improve video scrubbing and seeking


### Files

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/files/id1232058109)

Manage files from your device, cloud storage, or external drives in one place. Organize with tags, search, and access recent documents easily. Share files and connect to network drives.

**Highlights:** Access files from device, cloud, and external drives, Recents view with high-resolution thumbnails, Organize files with tags, Search and navigate folders, Connect to cloud services (Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.), Connect to file servers (SMB), Pin favorite folders

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Smooth performance
- 💡 Useful for storing and organizing files
- 🔒 Secure file storage

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🐛 Files disappearing or not saving properly
- 🐛 Unreliable sync with cloud services
- 🐛 Limited functionality compared to desktop file managers
- 🐛 Buggy PDF annotation and editing

**Reported bugs**

- Files app not showing any files after iOS 15 update
- Inability to delete downloaded files
- Keyboard glitches when editing documents
- Inconsistent behavior when transferring files to external storage

**Requested features**

- Add ability to view file extensions
- Improve search functionality
- Allow more customization of the interface
- Integrate better with other Apple apps and services
- Add support for more cloud storage providers


## Frequently asked questions

### Is FileBrowser free?

FileBrowser costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Files free?

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

### Which has better reviews, FileBrowser or Files?

FileBrowser is rated higher. FileBrowser averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.6K ratings, while Files averages 2.9 from 7.4K ratings.

### Do FileBrowser or Files have ads?

Neither FileBrowser nor Files shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, FileBrowser or Files?

FileBrowser ships an update every 5 weeks, and Files every 8 months. Most recently, FileBrowser was updated on October 14, 2026 and Files on October 15, 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.*