Comparison

FileBrowser vs Phone Drive Pro

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
Currently charting
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

Phone Drive Pro

Transform your iOS device into a wireless flash drive. Effortlessly manage local and cloud files, stream media, and transfer data via WiFi from your computer. Includes a robust file manager, document viewer, and media player.

Highlights
  • Wireless flash drive functionality
  • Cloud storage integration
  • Multimedia streaming and playback
  • Comprehensive file management
  • Document viewing and editing
  • Secure passcode lock with biometrics
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone or iPad into a wireless file drive. Phone Drive Pro helps you transfer files to your computer, organize documents and media, read PDFs and play music in one app. TRANSFER FILES OVER WI-FI Move files between Phone Drive Pro and your Mac or Windows PC over the same Wi-Fi network. Start the transfer feature in the app and open its address in your computer's web browser. Upload and download files without a USB cable or separate desktop app. ORGANIZE YOUR FILES Create folders for projects, work documents, photos and music. Copy, move, rename, delete and share files. ZIP related files together or unzip an archive you receive. Keep local files in Phone Drive Pro available for offline access. READ DOCUMENTS AND EDIT TEXT Open PDFs and preview supported Microsoft Office and iWork documents, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Pages, Numbers and Keynote files. View images, create text files and edit plain text or source code. ENJOY YOUR MUSIC AND VIDEOS Build playlists from your own audio files and listen with shuffle, repeat and background playback. Watch supported videos and stream compatible music or video from connected cloud storage. CONNECT CLOUD ACCOUNTS AND SERVERS Access supported Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, iCloud Drive and Yandex Disk accounts, plus FTP and WebDAV servers. Browse connected storage and move files between supported locations. Cloud connections require additional in-app purchases. PROTECT ACCESS TO THE APP Set a passcode and use Face ID or Touch ID on supported devices to restrict access to Phone Drive Pro. KEEP USEFUL FILES CLOSE Carry reference documents to a meeting, organize photos from your library or keep PDFs and music ready for a trip. Use your iPhone or iPad as a place to store, open and manage the files you need. Phone Drive Pro is the paid edition of Phone Drive. Optional cloud connections are sold separately through in-app purchases. For local Wi-Fi transfers, keep the app open and your device awake until the transfer finishes. Cloud services require an internet connection and a supported account. Learn more: https://sixbytes.io/products/phone-drive Privacy Policy: https://sixbytes.io/products/phone-drive/legal/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://sixbytes.io/products/phone-drive/legal/terms

Screenshots

FileBrowser4 screens
Phone Drive Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FileBrowser at none against Phone Drive Pro's 4. FileBrowser also leads on chart position (#151 vs unranked). Phone Drive Pro's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks) and price ($4.99 vs $7.99). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

FileBrowser costs $7.99 and Phone Drive Pro $4.99 up front. Phone Drive Pro sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. FileBrowser asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for FileBrowser against 4.7 for Phone Drive Pro. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5.7K and 2.3K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of FileBrowser's written reviews are positive against 77% of Phone Drive Pro's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FileBrowser ships an update every 5 weeks, Phone Drive Pro fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
FileBrowser versus Phone Drive Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFileBrowserPhone Drive Pro
Price$7.99$4.99 — better
Rating4.7 (5.7K ratings) — better4.7 (2.3K ratings)
Positive reviews82.1% of reviews — better77.4% of reviews
Number of ratings5.7K — better2.3K
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#151 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB131 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperStratospherix LtdEightythree Technology

Customer experience

FileBrowser

All ratings5,657 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews1,159 reviews
Positive82.1%
Neutral6.0%
Negative11.8%

Phone Drive Pro

All ratings2,265 ratings
Positive92.6%
Neutral2.4%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews1,598 reviews
Positive77.4%
Neutral6.2%
Negative16.4%

User reviews

FileBrowser

From 5.7K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Phone Drive Pro

From 2.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy file transfer
  • 🚀 Convenient file organization
  • 🚀 Versatile file management
  • 🚀 Useful for storing and accessing files
  • 🚀 Excellent app for its purpose

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes after updates
  • 🐛 Unreliable cloud integration and sync
  • 🔒 Requires subscription for full functionality
  • 🐛 Issues with file transfer and playback
  • 🐛 Removal of useful features like EQ and browser

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

Phone Drive Pro

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Crashes on launch after updates
  • Freezes when trying to transfer files
  • Inability to access cloud storage
  • Corrupted or missing files after sync
  • Playback issues with audio and video files
Show 1 more
  • Unreliable connection between devices

Requested features

7 requests
  • Bring back EQ feature
  • Improve cloud integration and sync
  • Add more cloud storage options
  • Enhance audio playback controls
  • Improve file transfer speed and reliability
Show 2 more
  • Restore removed features like browser
  • Provide better organization and navigation

In-app purchases

None

FileBrowser

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Phone Drive Pro

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Cloud Service Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Premium Cloud Service Yearly$6.991 Year
One-time2
  • Reset Password$1.99
  • Premium Cloud Service Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is FileBrowser free?
FileBrowser costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Phone Drive Pro free?
Phone Drive Pro costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, FileBrowser or Phone Drive Pro?
FileBrowser is rated higher. FileBrowser averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.7K ratings, while Phone Drive Pro averages 4.7 from 2.3K ratings.
Do FileBrowser or Phone Drive Pro have ads?
Neither FileBrowser nor Phone Drive Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FileBrowser or Phone Drive Pro?
FileBrowser ships an update every 5 weeks, and Phone Drive Pro fortnightly. Most recently, FileBrowser was updated on October 26, 2026 and Phone Drive Pro on October 26, 2026.

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