# Documents vs File Transfer

The clearest difference is ads: Documents at none against File Transfer's shown. Documents also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 9 months). File Transfer's advantage is review sentiment (79% vs 71%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Documents sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and File Transfer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Documents holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Documents has 635K ratings behind it against 164, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of Documents's written reviews are positive against 79% of File Transfer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Documents ships an update every 6 days, File Transfer every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Documents | File Transfer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (635K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/documents-file-manager/id364901807/reviews)** | [4.3 (164 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/file-transfer-save-videos-pic/id1583532706/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **635K** | 164 |
| Positive reviews | 70.6% of reviews | **79.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 9 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#72** | — |
| Size | 421 MB | 64 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Readdle Technologies Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/285035419) | [云云 唐](https://appshunter.io/developer/1443085254) |

## What reviewers say

### Documents

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

**Currently charting:** #72 Top Grossing · Productivity, #101 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

This app acts as a comprehensive file manager, PDF editor, and document viewer for your mobile devices. It allows you to organize local files, extract archives, edit and sign PDFs, and convert various file formats. You can also scan documents and transcribe audio/video.

**Highlights:** File management and organization, ZIP and RAR archive extraction, PDF editing, viewing, and conversion, Document signing and form filling, File conversion and compression, Built-in document scanner, Audio and video transcription

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Documents Plus | $9.99 | per month |
| Documents Plus | $9.99 | per month |
| Documents Plus | $9.99 | 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


### File Transfer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/file-transfer-save-videos-pic/id1583532706)

Easily share files, photos, and videos between mobile devices or between your phone and computer without an internet connection. Supports a wide range of file formats and compressed archives.

**Highlights:** Offline file transfer, Mobile-to-mobile sharing, Mobile-to-computer transfer, Supports various file formats, Handles compressed archives, MP3 and MP4 player

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Professional Version | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Documents free?

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

### Is File Transfer free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Documents or File Transfer?

Documents is rated higher. Documents averages 4.8 out of 5 from 635K ratings, while File Transfer averages 4.3 from 164 ratings.

### Do Documents or File Transfer have ads?

File Transfer shows ads; Documents does not.

### Which is updated more often, Documents or File Transfer?

Documents ships an update every 6 days, and File Transfer every 9 months. Most recently, Documents was updated on November 12, 2026 and File Transfer on November 3, 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.*