# FE File Explorer vs Pi

The clearest difference is price: Pi at Free against FE File Explorer's $4.99. Pi also leads on review sentiment (88% vs 67%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks). FE File Explorer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and chart position (#30 vs unranked). On rating and ads there is nothing between them.

Pi is free to download; FE File Explorer costs $4.99 up front. Pi sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. FE File Explorer asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for FE File Explorer against 4.8 for Pi. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5.8K and 1.2K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of FE File Explorer's written reviews are positive against 88% of Pi's.

FE File Explorer ships an update every 5 weeks, Pi every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | FE File Explorer | Pi |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.7 (5.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fe-file-explorer/id499470113/reviews) | **[4.8 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pi-hole-remote/id1515445551/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.8K** | 1.2K |
| Positive reviews | 67.3% of reviews | **88.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#30** | — |
| Size | 103 MB | 85 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Skyjos Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/499470116) | [RocketScience IT](https://appshunter.io/developer/1502999561) |

## What reviewers say

### FE File Explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fe-file-explorer/id499470113)

**Currently charting:** #30 Top Paid · Utilities, #200 Top Paid (US App Store)

Manage files across your devices and cloud storage. Access and transfer documents, photos, and media from computers, NAS, and cloud services directly on your iPhone or iPad without downloading.

**Highlights:** Access network shares (SMB/CIFS), Connect to WebDAV, FTP, SFTP servers, Integrate with Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, Stream media from network/cloud, Transfer files between devices, Direct file management on remote storage

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent file management
- 🔒 Secure access to files
- 👍 Versatile connectivity options
- 👍 Seamless integration with iOS Files app
- 👍 Reliable performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
- 🐛 Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with password protection
- 🔋 High battery consumption during use

**Reported bugs**

- Video playback issues, including audio-video sync problems
- Inability to transfer files from local storage to external drives
- Unreliable SMB and FTP connectivity
- Recent update breaking existing functionality

**Requested features**

- Ability to password-protect individual folders
- Improved navigation for large file/folder lists
- Sync functionality between devices
- Chromecast support
- Integrated PDF annotation tools


### Pi

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pi-hole-remote/id1515445551)

Control your Pi-hole network ad blocker remotely. Quickly disable blocking, block specific services, and view real-time network statistics. Manage adlists, update gravity, and configure DNS/DHCP settings with ease.

**Highlights:** Disable/enable Pi-hole blocking, Block specific services, View real-time query logs, Add domains to whitelist/blacklist, Update gravity, Manage adlists, Configure DNS & DHCP settings

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly PHR+ | $0.99 | per month |
| PHR+ Yearly | $4.99 | per year |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $3.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $6.99 | one-time |
| PHR+ Lifetime | $11.99 | one-time |
| Huge Tip | $17.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Amazing app!!
- 🚀 Excellent app
- 🚀 Perfect for managing Pi-hole
- 🚀 Brilliant
- 🚀 Great app to keep an eye on things

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Disappointing
- 🔍 Pulled a bait-and-switch with paid features
- 🔍 Widget unreliable
- 🔍 Replaced block percentage with clients
- 🔍 Unusable if not upgraded to pihole v6

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when pressing certain options
- Unable to reach Pi Hole after configuration
- Statistics screen crashes the app
- Widgets not working
- Live Logs not working properly

**Requested features**

- Add and remove adlists from the internet
- DHCP management, like assign static IPs, change host names of devices
- Change other pihole settings, like upstream DNS servers
- A command line interface
- Group management, I.e. the ability to whitelist or blacklist certain domains only for certain groups of devices, and to be able to create new groups and edit which devices are in each group


## Frequently asked questions

### Is FE File Explorer free?

FE File Explorer costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Pi free?

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

### Which has better reviews, FE File Explorer or Pi?

Pi is rated higher. FE File Explorer averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.8K ratings, while Pi averages 4.8 from 1.2K ratings.

### Do FE File Explorer or Pi have ads?

Neither FE File Explorer nor Pi shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, FE File Explorer or Pi?

FE File Explorer ships an update every 5 weeks, and Pi every 2 weeks. Most recently, FE File Explorer was updated on October 20, 2026 and Pi on October 19, 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.*