Comparison

Wake vs File Explorer & Player [Pro]

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Wake

Remotely power on PCs, Macs, and servers with this networking tool. It supports Wake On Lan devices and provides a status indicator to show if machines are online or offline. Ideal for managing multiple computers or accessing them from afar.

Highlights
  • Remote PC, Mac, and server startup
  • Wake On Lan support
  • Machine status indicator
  • Automatic computer detection
  • Shake to wake functionality
Features
Read full description

Wake is a professional networking tool that lets you start up PCs, Macs and Servers remotely. Compatible with all 'Wake On Lan' capable devices, Wake even gives you a status indicator to tell you whether each machine is on or off. Features: * Wake button sends 'Wake On Lan' magic packet to start up a machine. * Works over wifi or cellular data network. * Status indicator glows to tell you whether each machine is on or off. * Automatically detects your computers for easy setup. * Shake'n'wake - shake the device to wake all computers! Typical Uses: * Start up a machine remotely, then use VNC or other remote access service to view files. * Monitor a list of business critical servers. * Start up a classroom full of PCs from your desk. For troubleshooting, go to davet.org/wake/support.html

About

File Explorer & Player [Pro]

Transform your iPhone or iPad into a wireless drive for your Mac, enabling you to stream videos, view photos, and access documents remotely. Transfer files, store content on your iOS device, and even mount it as a drive on your computer.

Highlights
  • Stream video from Mac
  • View photos and documents
  • Transfer files
  • Store files on iOS device
  • Mount iOS device as drive
  • Wireless Mac file access
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone or iPad into the wireless flash drive for your Mac. Have full access to your Mac files – use your iOS device to stream videos, view photos and documents, from anywhere within your home. AT A GLANCE - Stream any video directly from your Mac; - View photos or documents stored on your Mac; - Transfer files between your Mac and your iOS device; - Store anything on your iOS device and take it with you on the go; - Mount your iOS device as drive on your Mac or Windows machine using WebDAV; - Use the Personal Hotspot of your iOS device to control your Mac when you don’t have access to other networks. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS - Mac with macOS 10.10 or above and Helper app installed; - iPhone, iPad or iPod touch with iOS 11 or above; - Shared wireless network connection between your computer and iOS device. TERMS OF USE https://cherpake.com/tos Ratings are like gold for indie developers like me, please give the app a quick rating on the App Store.

Screenshots

Wake4 screens
File Explorer & Player [Pro]4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: File Explorer & Player [Pro] at 4.6 against Wake's 3.3. File Explorer & Player [Pro] also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (832 vs 4). Wake's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $9.99) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.0). On update cadence, ads and device support 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

Wake costs $0.99 and File Explorer & Player [Pro] $9.99 up front. Wake sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. File Explorer & Player [Pro] asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

File Explorer & Player [Pro] holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: File Explorer & Player [Pro] has 832 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Wake's written reviews are positive against 83% of File Explorer & Player [Pro]'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Wake ships an update monthly, File Explorer & Player [Pro] every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Wake versus File Explorer & Player [Pro]: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWakeFile Explorer & Player [Pro]
Price$0.99 — better$9.99
Rating3.3 (4 ratings)4.6 (832 ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.4% of reviews83.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4832 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS12.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB59 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDave ThompsonRemote Sunrise LTD

Customer experience

Wake

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews213 reviews
Positive62.4%
Neutral4.2%
Negative33.3%

File Explorer & Player [Pro]

All ratings832 ratings
Positive90.3%
Neutral4.0%
Negative5.8%
Written reviews220 reviews
Positive83.2%
Neutral4.1%
Negative12.7%

User reviews

Wake

From 4 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✅ Simple and intuitive interface
  • 🎯 Reliable wake-on-LAN functionality when properly configured
  • 🔧 Auto-detection feature for discovering devices on network
  • 💰 Free or affordable pricing
  • ⚡ Fast and effective once set up

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes when selecting IP address
  • ❌ Doesn't work over cellular/3G networks reliably
  • ⚠️ Limited to wired Ethernet connections, not WiFi
  • 📚 Poor documentation and unclear setup requirements
  • 🔌 Requires complex network configuration (port forwarding, static IPs)

File Explorer & Player [Pro]

From 832 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Invaluable app
  • 🚀 Fantastic app
  • 🚀 My go to app to access my media on my MacBook
  • 🚀 Super
  • 🚀 Fantastic File Explorer

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Meeds
  • 🐛 Reliable app, but annoying placement of subtitles button. Could benefit from a couple features.
  • 🐛 Connection
  • 🐛 Can't move files?

Bugs and requests

Wake

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App freezes when pressing '+' button
  • Crashes when selecting IP address
  • Auto-detection not finding devices consistently
  • Doesn't work on iPad 2
  • Buttons ('+' and edit) do nothing in some cases
Show 4 more
  • Persistent rating prompt notification
  • Device list appears empty despite devices on network
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
  • Help website unavailable

Requested features

11 requests
  • Support for WiFi-connected devices
  • Remote wake-on-LAN over cellular networks
  • Configurable port settings for multiple devices
  • Support for domain names instead of IP addresses
  • NetBIOS name display in device list
Show 6 more
  • Automatic setup wizard
  • Better support for modern network configurations
  • Wake-on-demand functionality like Snow Leopard
  • Support for Apple TV integration
  • Shake and wake function with device selection
  • Power status monitoring over remote connections

File Explorer & Player [Pro]

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Video playback buggy
  • Pause button starts videos over
  • Seized all connections

Requested features

5 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Advanced analytics dashboard
  • Ability to sync entire photo libraries directly to the computer
  • Ability to move and delete files from the app
  • Ability to rename files stored on the iPhone and Mac from the app

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Wake

One-time1
  • Medium/large network AddOn$0.99
None

File Explorer & Player [Pro]

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Wake free?
Wake costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is File Explorer & Player [Pro] free?
File Explorer & Player [Pro] costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Wake or File Explorer & Player [Pro]?
File Explorer & Player [Pro] is rated higher. Wake averages 3.3 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while File Explorer & Player [Pro] averages 4.6 from 832 ratings.
Do Wake or File Explorer & Player [Pro] have ads?
Neither Wake nor File Explorer & Player [Pro] shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Wake or File Explorer & Player [Pro]?
Wake ships an update monthly, and File Explorer & Player [Pro] every 2 weeks. Most recently, Wake was updated on September 23, 2026 and File Explorer & Player [Pro] on September 24, 2026.

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