Comparison

FileBrowser vs FE File Explorer

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

FE File Explorer

Manage files across your devices and cloud storage. Access and transfer documents, photos, and media from computers, NAS, and cloud services directly on your iPhone or iPad without downloading.

Highlights
  • Access network shares (SMB/CIFS)
  • Connect to WebDAV, FTP, SFTP servers
  • Integrate with Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box
  • Stream media from network/cloud
  • Transfer files between devices
  • Direct file management on remote storage
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

FE File Explorer is a file manager app on your iPhone and iPad. It can access not only local files, but also files on your computer, NAS and cloud storages. Transfer files among those locations. Stream movies and music to your iPhone/iPad. Directly view and manage documents, photos, files on your computer and cloud without downloading to your iPhone/iPad. FEATURES: * Access network shares on macOS, Windows, Linux, Time Capsule, NAS via SMB/CIFS protocol. * Access WebDAV Server, FTP Server and SFTP Server * Access cloud storages: Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box. * Automatically discover comptuers, NAS and servers when you setup new connections. * View, copy, move, rename and delete your files right on iPhone/iPad. * Stream movies and musics from network shares and cloud storages to iPhone/iPad. * AirPlay photos, musics and movies on Apple TV. * Sort and search files * Archive and unarchive files * Dark Mode * Multiple windows on iPad * Integrated with iOS Files app * Distribute configurations via MDM (Mobile Device Management). * Built-in FTP Server and HTTP Server * File Transfer: Copy files among servers, cloud storages, iPhone and iPad. Transfer files by drag and drop. Nearby file transfer: Directly transfer files between two nearby iOS devices. ===== CONTACT US ===== Email: support@skyjos.com Twitter: @SkyjosApps Facebook: @SkyjosApp

Screenshots

FileBrowser4 screens
FE File Explorer4 screens

Verdict

The call

FileBrowser and FE File Explorer both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 82% of FileBrowser's written reviews are positive against 67% of FE File Explorer's. FE File Explorer's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $7.99) and chart position (#45 vs unranked). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence 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 FE File Explorer $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

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 FE File Explorer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5.6K and 5.8K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of FileBrowser's written reviews are positive against 67% of FE File Explorer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
FileBrowser versus FE File Explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFileBrowserFE File Explorer
Price$7.99$4.99 — better
Rating4.7 (5.6K ratings)4.7 (5.8K ratings)
Positive reviews82.1% of reviews — better67.2% of reviews
Number of ratings5.6K5.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#45 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB103 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStratospherix LtdSkyjos Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

FileBrowser

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

FE File Explorer

All ratings5,779 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral2.6%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews512 reviews
Positive67.2%
Neutral9.4%
Negative23.4%

User reviews

FileBrowser

From 5.6K 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

FE File Explorer

From 5.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent file management
  • 🔒 Secure access to files
  • 👍 Versatile connectivity options
  • 👍 Seamless integration with iOS Files app
  • 👍 Reliable performance

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
  • 🐛 Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns with password protection
  • 🔋 High battery consumption during use

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

FE File Explorer

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Video playback issues, including audio-video sync problems
  • Inability to transfer files from local storage to external drives
  • Unreliable SMB and FTP connectivity
  • Recent update breaking existing functionality

Requested features

6 requests
  • Ability to password-protect individual folders
  • Improved navigation for large file/folder lists
  • Sync functionality between devices
  • Chromecast support
  • Integrated PDF annotation tools
Show 1 more
  • Ability to edit photos and videos within the app

In-app purchases

None

FileBrowser

No in-app purchases

None

FE File Explorer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is FileBrowser free?
FileBrowser costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is FE File Explorer free?
FE File Explorer costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, FileBrowser or FE File Explorer?
FileBrowser and FE File Explorer are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5.6K and 5.8K ratings respectively.
Do FileBrowser or FE File Explorer have ads?
Neither FileBrowser nor FE File Explorer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FileBrowser or FE File Explorer?
FileBrowser ships an update every 5 weeks, and FE File Explorer every 5 weeks. Most recently, FileBrowser was updated on September 24, 2026 and FE File Explorer on September 22, 2026.

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