# Phone Drive Pro vs ES file explorer

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Phone Drive Pro at 77% against ES file explorer's 0%. Phone Drive Pro also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.7) and ads (none vs shown). ES file explorer's advantage is price (Free vs $4.99). On update cadence, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

ES file explorer is free to download; Phone Drive Pro costs $4.99 up front. Phone Drive Pro sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and ES file explorer sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Phone Drive Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Phone Drive Pro has 2.3K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Phone Drive Pro's written reviews are positive against 0% of ES file explorer's.

Phone Drive Pro ships an update fortnightly, ES file explorer every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Phone Drive Pro | ES file explorer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phone-drive-pro-file-manager/id431033044/reviews)** | [1.7 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/es-file-explorer/id1620305556/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.3K** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | **77.4% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 131 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Eightythree Technology](https://appshunter.io/developer/431033047) | [alkesh dudhat](https://appshunter.io/developer/1599434938) |

## What reviewers say

### Phone Drive Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phone-drive-pro-file-manager/id431033044)

Transform your iOS device into a wireless flash drive. Effortlessly manage local and cloud files, stream media, and transfer data via WiFi from your computer. Includes a robust file manager, document viewer, and media player.

**Highlights:** Wireless flash drive functionality, Cloud storage integration, Multimedia streaming and playback, Comprehensive file management, Document viewing and editing, Secure passcode lock with biometrics

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Cloud Service Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Premium Cloud Service Yearly | $6.99 | per year |
| Reset Password | $1.99 | one-time |
| Premium Cloud Service Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy file transfer
- 🚀 Convenient file organization
- 🚀 Versatile file management
- 🚀 Useful for storing and accessing files
- 🚀 Excellent app for its purpose

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes after updates
- 🐛 Unreliable cloud integration and sync
- 🔒 Requires subscription for full functionality
- 🐛 Issues with file transfer and playback
- 🐛 Removal of useful features like EQ and browser

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on launch after updates
- Freezes when trying to transfer files
- Inability to access cloud storage
- Corrupted or missing files after sync
- Playback issues with audio and video files

**Requested features**

- Bring back EQ feature
- Improve cloud integration and sync
- Add more cloud storage options
- Enhance audio playback controls
- Improve file transfer speed and reliability


### ES file explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/es-file-explorer/id1620305556)

This app helps you organize and manage all files on your device. It allows you to view images, videos, audio, and documents, and sorts them into categories for easy access. Quickly find recently opened files and analyze your storage usage.

**Highlights:** Built-in viewers and players for various file types, Quick browsing by file type, downloads, recent, and large files, Storage usage analysis dashboard, Search photos by date, size, and creation/open dates, Multiple selection and sorting support

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Yearly Premium Access | $9.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Phone Drive Pro free?

Phone Drive Pro costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is ES file explorer free?

ES file explorer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Phone Drive Pro or ES file explorer?

Phone Drive Pro is rated higher. Phone Drive Pro averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.3K ratings, while ES file explorer averages 1.7 from 11 ratings.

### Do Phone Drive Pro or ES file explorer have ads?

ES file explorer shows ads; Phone Drive Pro does not.

### Which is updated more often, Phone Drive Pro or ES file explorer?

Phone Drive Pro ships an update fortnightly, and ES file explorer every 2 weeks. Most recently, Phone Drive Pro was updated on October 25, 2026 and ES file explorer on October 24, 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.*