Comparison

FileBrowser vs Loader (Media Player)

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

Head to head
About

FileBrowser

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
Read full description

Use your iPad or iPhone to connect to your home computers, network drives and cloud storage. Easily upload/download/copy files and folders from one location to another, and browse your content using a variety of built-in viewers. *** FileBrowser remains the best option if you're looking for a file manager that supports a variety of external connections and also integrates deeply with iOS - Federico Viticci - MacStories *** *** FileBrowser's setup varies for every device, and the automatic wizards work super-well. Charlie Sorrel - Cult of Mac *** Ultra-fast browsing of your computers. Faster than Windows Explorer or Mac Finder and our users agree! GET ORGANIZED FileBrowser gives you everything you need to keep your files effortlessly organized: Move, edit, delete, rename, copy, zip and unzip. Download files from the web and paste them wherever you choose. MULTI-TABBED BROWSING Our FileBrowser suite of apps are the first file management apps to support multiple tabs. Connect to many of your locations at once and switch between them with ease. Use iPadOS split-screen mode to drag & drop between multiple windows. CONNECT TO Windows, Mac, Linux, Time Capsule, NAS drives, portable WiFi drives, SMB, Samba. Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, WebDAV, FTP and SFTP. Link to the same cloud storage with multiple accounts, if you have more than one Dropbox account, for example. EXTEND THE FILES APP FileBrowser allows you to access all your connections from the iOS Files app and other apps that use this as their document chooser, bringing network access to those apps. EDIT IN-PLACE No more copying of documents between apps. Launch an app to edit a network document in-place, such as Word or Pages or any of the Office and Mac suite. Changes are saved to the original document automatically. BLAZINGLY FAST Create bookmarks to your favorite locations & folders. Use a single tap to connect and browse to a favorite folder. PHOTO VIEWER Browse your photos wherever they are stored and display them on your TV or projector using AirPlay or Chromecast. Easily flick through holiday snaps or use the built-in slideshow feature. STREAM YOUR MOVIES / MUSIC Stream movie files or listen to music, both with AirPlay™ and Chromecast support. Use our built-in viewers or stream video to other apps. DOCUMENT VIEWER View Microsoft Office, Apple Pages, Numbers, KeyNote, PDF, text files, source code, HTML, and many more using the built-in viewers. ANNOTATE PDFS AND IMAGES Use the built-in annotation tools for PDFs and images, or use the iOS annotation tools to add notes, drawings or highlight text. SECURITY AND ENCRYPTION FileBrowser securely stores your passwords in the iOS keychain and uses iOS encryption features to protect your local content. Protect local files using a password, TouchID or FaceID. CONNECT ANYWHERE Connect to your Mac or PC when away from home. See our website for details: https://www.stratospherix.com/setupvpn TOO MANY FEATURES TO LIST FileBrowser has many features that we would like to tell you about. Check out our website. You'll be amazed! https://www.stratospherix.com/products/filebrowser FIRST CLASS SUPPORT User manuals and help are available at stratospherix.com/support with how-to articles and videos. You can also email us for fast, friendly support.

About

Loader (Media Player)

Manage and store documents on your phone with this efficient app. It allows easy sharing via iTunes file sharing and provides seamless playback of various media files directly within the application. Enjoy a world of entertainment on your device.

Highlights
  • Document management and storage
  • iTunes file sharing
  • Seamless media playback
  • Import various video/audio formats
  • File sharing capabilities
Features
Read full description

Discover a simple and efficient app for managing and storing documents on your phone. Easily share them via iTunes file sharing, and enjoy seamless playback of media files directly within the app. Import and play various video and audio formats with ease, unlocking a world of entertainment on your device. Please note that audiovisual files cannot be downloaded. Check out our Terms of Use for more information: https://privacy.loaderapp.info/terms

Screenshots

FileBrowser4 screens
Loader (Media Player)3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: FileBrowser at 82% against Loader (Media Player)'s 17%. FileBrowser also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 7). Loader (Media Player)'s advantage is price (Free vs $7.99) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 5 weeks). On device support and iOS requirement 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

Loader (Media Player) is free to download; FileBrowser costs $7.99 up front. Loader (Media Player) sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. FileBrowser asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

FileBrowser holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FileBrowser has 5.6K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of FileBrowser's written reviews are positive against 17% of Loader (Media Player)'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FileBrowser ships an update every 5 weeks, Loader (Media Player) every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and July 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
FileBrowser versus Loader (Media Player): the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFileBrowserLoader (Media Player)
Price$7.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (5.6K ratings) — better2.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews82.1% of reviews — better16.7% of reviews
Number of ratings5.6K — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB94 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStratospherix LtdJafrin Begum Chowdhury

Customer experience

FileBrowser

All ratings5,642 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews1,157 reviews
Positive82.1%
Neutral6.1%
Negative11.8%

Loader (Media Player)

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive16.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative83.3%

Bugs and requests

FileBrowser

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

Loader (Media Player)

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

FileBrowser

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

Loader (Media Player)

Subscriptions7
  • Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Plan 2 Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Quarterly$2.493 Months
Show 4 more
  • Plan 2 Quarterly$4.993 Months
  • Yearly$6.991 Year
  • Plan 2 Bi-annually$9.996 Months
  • Plan 2 Yearly$14.991 Year

Questions

Is FileBrowser free?
FileBrowser costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Loader (Media Player) free?
Loader (Media Player) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FileBrowser or Loader (Media Player)?
FileBrowser is rated higher. FileBrowser averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.6K ratings, while Loader (Media Player) averages 2.3 from 3 ratings.
Do FileBrowser or Loader (Media Player) have ads?
Loader (Media Player) shows ads; FileBrowser does not.
Which is updated more often, FileBrowser or Loader (Media Player)?
FileBrowser ships an update every 5 weeks, and Loader (Media Player) every 5 days. Most recently, FileBrowser was updated on September 25, 2026 and Loader (Media Player) on July 18, 2026.

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