# Documents vs ES File Explorer

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Documents at 631K against ES File Explorer's 15K. Documents also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 weeks) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). ES File Explorer's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Documents sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and ES File Explorer sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Documents holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Documents has 631K ratings behind it against 15K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Documents's written reviews are positive against 64% of ES File Explorer's.

Documents ships an update every 6 days, ES File Explorer every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Documents | ES File Explorer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (631K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/documents-file-manager/id364901807/reviews)** | [4.6 (15K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/es-file-explorer/id1441621965/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **631K** | 15K |
| Positive reviews | **70.8% of reviews** | 63.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#76** | — |
| Size | 435 MB | 263 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Readdle Technologies Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/285035419) | [Beijing Xiaoxiong Bowang Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1435277197) |

## What reviewers say

### Documents

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/documents-file-manager/id364901807)

**Currently charting:** #76 Top Grossing · Productivity, #103 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

This app is a comprehensive file manager and document editor for mobile devices. It allows users to organize, edit, convert, and annotate various file types, including PDFs, Office documents, and audio/video files. It also features transcription, scanning, and cloud integration.

**Highlights:** Edit PDFs directly, Convert files to PDF, Organize files and folders, Transcribe audio and video, Scan documents, Play audio and video, Transfer files via Wi-Fi

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Documents Plus | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Documents Plus | $9.99 | per month |
| Documents Plus | $9.99 | per month |
| Documents Plus | $9.99 | per month |
| Documents Plus | $9.99 | per month |
| Documents Plus | $12.49 | per month |
| Documents VPN | $12.49 | per month |
| Documents VPN | $12.49 | per month |
| Documents Plus | $14.99 | per month |
| Documents Plus | $14.99 | per month |
| Documents Plus | $49.99 | per year |
| Documents VPN | $89.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💯 Excellent file management capabilities
- 🚀 Seamless integration with cloud services
- 📚 Versatile document viewer and editor
- 🎵 Reliable offline music player
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🔒 Concerns over in-app subscription model
- 🔍 Inconsistent search and file management functionality
- 🔋 High storage consumption
- 🤔 Confusing changes in recent updates

**Reported bugs**

- Disappearing downloaded files and folders
- Unreliable audio playback with skipping and pausing
- Inability to open certain file types after updates
- Syncing issues between local storage and cloud services

**Requested features**

- Customizable volume controls for audio playback
- Improved PDF annotation tools
- Option to expand/collapse all bookmarks in documents
- Ability to permanently delete files
- Faster file transfer and syncing between devices


### ES File Explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/es-file-explorer/id1441621965)

Manage local and network files with this comprehensive tool. It offers file transfer, compression, built-in media players, cloud storage integration, and editing capabilities for various document and code formats.

**Highlights:** File management and sorting, WiFi and face-to-face file transfer, ZIP, RAR, 7Z compression/decompression, Built-in audio/video player, Cloud storage aggregation, Remote service access (SMB, FTP, WebDAV), PDF and code editor

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ES Pro(1 month) | $6.99 | per month |
| ES Pro(1 month) | $6.99 | per month |
| ES Pro(1 year) | $29.99 | per year |
| ES Pro(1 year） | $29.99 | per year |
| ES remove ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| ES lifetime vip | $4.99 | one-time |
| ES lifetime vip | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful file management
- 📁 Extensive file format support
- 🔒 Secure folder access
- 🎵 Excellent built-in media player
- 🔗 Seamless network connectivity

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔍 Search functionality issues
- 🔇 Music playback problems
- 🔌 Connectivity issues with FTP/SFTP

**Reported bugs**

- Deleted all user files after update
- Unable to connect to SMB servers
- Video playback issues with certain file types
- Inconsistent behavior when using VPN

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Improved file compression tools
- More customization options
- Better integration with Apple ecosystem
- Enhanced audio/video playback controls


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Documents free?

Documents is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is ES File Explorer free?

ES File Explorer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Documents or ES File Explorer?

Documents is rated higher. Documents averages 4.8 out of 5 from 631K ratings, while ES File Explorer averages 4.6 from 15K ratings.

### Do Documents or ES File Explorer have ads?

Neither Documents nor ES File Explorer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Documents or ES File Explorer?

Documents ships an update every 6 days, and ES File Explorer every 3 weeks. Most recently, Documents was updated on October 16, 2026 and ES File Explorer on October 16, 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.*