# File Viewer vs Bear Tools

The clearest difference is rating: Bear Tools at 5.0 against File Viewer's 3.4. Bear Tools also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Bear Tools holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 2 respectively.

File Viewer ships an update every 6 months, Bear Tools every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | File Viewer | Bear Tools |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.4 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/file-viewer/id495987613/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-tools/id1575110569/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 37.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 20 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sharpened Productions](https://appshunter.io/developer/410672596) | [Robert Thomas JR](https://appshunter.io/developer/1575110571) |

## What reviewers say

### File Viewer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/file-viewer/id495987613)

Easily open and view over 100 different file types, including documents, images, videos, and archives. Browse files stored on your device or in iCloud Drive. This app also identifies unknown files and displays detailed file information.

**Highlights:** Open 100+ file types, Browse device and iCloud Drive, Built-in readers for Office, PDF, and images, Extract compressed archives, Identify unknown files, View file information and metadata

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Bear Tools

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-tools/id1575110569)

This app offers a minimalist suite of tools for managing bills, rolling dice, and taking notes. It helps track expenses and schedule reminders on a calendar, useful for both everyday life and tabletop gaming.

**Highlights:** Bill tracking (income/expenses), Dice rolling (up to 200 sides), Note taking, Calendar view for bills and notes, At-a-glance summary dashboard

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is File Viewer free?

File Viewer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Bear Tools free?

Bear Tools is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, File Viewer or Bear Tools?

Bear Tools is rated higher. File Viewer averages 3.4 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Bear Tools averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do File Viewer or Bear Tools have ads?

Neither File Viewer nor Bear Tools shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, File Viewer or Bear Tools?

File Viewer ships an update every 6 months, and Bear Tools every 3 weeks. Most recently, File Viewer was updated on October 21, 2026 and Bear Tools on October 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.*