# Documents vs Owlfiles

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Documents at 626K against Owlfiles's 7.2K. Documents also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). Owlfiles's advantage is device support (5 vs 2). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Documents sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Owlfiles sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 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 626K ratings behind it against 7.2K, 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 65% of Owlfiles's.

Documents ships an update weekly, Owlfiles every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Documents | Owlfiles |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (626K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/documents-file-manager/id364901807/reviews)** | [4.6 (7.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/owlfiles-file-manager/id510282524/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **626K** | 7.2K |
| Positive reviews | **71.0% of reviews** | 65.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#65** | — |
| Size | 431 MB | 174 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Readdle Technologies Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/285035419) | [Skyjos Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/499470116) |

## What reviewers say

### Documents

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

**Currently charting:** #65 Top Grossing · Productivity, #112 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 (13)**

| 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 Plus | $59.99 | 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


### Owlfiles

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/owlfiles-file-manager/id510282524)

Access and manage files from local storage, network shares, and cloud services. Stream media, view documents, and transfer files seamlessly across devices. Offers advanced network tools and editing capabilities.

**Highlights:** Access SMB, NFS, WebDAV, FTP, SFTP, Connect to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, S3, Stream movies and music, View and manage documents, photos, Built-in FTP and HTTP servers, Nearby file transfer, Network tools (Ping, Port Scan)

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Owlfiles Pro Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Owlfiles Pro Yearly Promo | $9.99 | per year |
| Owlfiles Pro Yearly | $12.99 | per year |
| Owlfiles Pro Lifetime Promo | $23.99 | one-time |
| Owlfiles Pro Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Seamless file transfers
- 🎥 Good media playback support
- 🔒 Secure file management
- 💡 Useful network tools

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Limited free features
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🤔 Confusing navigation

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to open certain file types
- Sync issues with network shares
- Inconsistent video playback performance

**Requested features**

- Thumbnail preview for files
- Resume playback option for media
- Batch file rename and delete
- Better integration with cloud storage
- Chromecast/AirPlay support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Documents free?

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

### Is Owlfiles free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Documents or Owlfiles?

Documents is rated higher. Documents averages 4.8 out of 5 from 626K ratings, while Owlfiles averages 4.6 from 7.2K ratings.

### Do Documents or Owlfiles have ads?

Neither Documents nor Owlfiles shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Documents or Owlfiles?

Documents ships an update weekly, and Owlfiles every 4 weeks. Most recently, Documents was updated on September 25, 2026 and Owlfiles on September 22, 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.*