# Documents vs FileMate

The clearest difference is ads: Documents at none against FileMate's shown. Documents also leads on ratings volume (626K vs 378) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). FileMate's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Documents sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and FileMate sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 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 378, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of Documents's written reviews are positive against 75% of FileMate's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Documents ships an update weekly, FileMate every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Documents | FileMate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (626K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/documents-file-manager/id364901807/reviews)** | [4.6 (378 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/filemate/id983467956/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **626K** | 378 |
| Positive reviews | 71.0% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#65** | — |
| Size | 431 MB | 94 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Readdle Technologies Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/285035419) | [JUNBO JIA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1893935666) |

## What reviewers say

### Documents

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

**Currently charting:** #65 Top Grossing · Productivity, #108 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


### FileMate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/filemate/id983467956)

This app is a powerful local file manager that allows you to browse, organize, and protect your documents, photos, and videos. It offers robust privacy features like file hiding and password protection, along with convenient file transfer and archive management.

**Highlights:** Local file management, Photo and video vault, File hiding and password protection, WiFi and iTunes file transfer, Archive and extract (7z, rar, zip), File search and marking, Customizable themes

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| All Access, Removing Ad | $3.99 | per month |
| All Access, Removing Ad | $34.99 | per year |
| Removing Ad | $9.99 | one-time |
| Theme, Folder and Night Mode | $9.99 | one-time |
| Passcode Lock | $9.99 | one-time |
| Super Hidden | $9.99 | one-time |
| All Features & Removing Ad | $149.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 All projects in one place
- 👍 Few ads, good folder app
- 👍 Good customization options
- 👍 Real-time video playback
- 👍 Easy to use and access

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Too many prompts
- 👎 Limited file viewers
- 👎 Videos don’t play audio
- 👎 Ads are annoying
- 👎 Full-screen ads

**Reported bugs**

- Videos don’t play audio
- Files can be accessed by other apps
- Videos play without sound
- MKV files not playable
- MP4 file play without sound

**Requested features**

- Provide multiple purchase options
- Add Face ID and Touch ID for hidden files
- Improve file viewer features (thumbnails, playlists, adjustments)
- Add folder locking to prevent accidental deletion
- Implement folder download from PC


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Documents free?

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

### Is FileMate free?

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

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

Documents is rated higher. Documents averages 4.8 out of 5 from 626K ratings, while FileMate averages 4.6 from 378 ratings.

### Do Documents or FileMate have ads?

FileMate shows ads; Documents does not.

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

Documents ships an update weekly, and FileMate every 2 weeks. Most recently, Documents was updated on September 25, 2026 and FileMate on September 20, 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.*