# Owlfiles vs SmartJoin

The clearest difference is rating: Owlfiles at 4.6 against SmartJoin's 3.5. Owlfiles also leads on ratings volume (7.2K vs 2). SmartJoin's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and review sentiment (100% vs 65%). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Owlfiles sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. SmartJoin asks for nothing beyond the download.

Owlfiles holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Owlfiles has 7.2K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Owlfiles's written reviews are positive against 100% of SmartJoin's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Owlfiles ships an update every 4 weeks, SmartJoin every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Owlfiles | SmartJoin |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (7.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/owlfiles-file-manager/id510282524/reviews)** | [3.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartjoin/id1102859121/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7.2K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 65.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 160 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **9.3** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | [Skyjos Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/499470116) | [Alf Watt](https://appshunter.io/developer/546033584) |

## What reviewers say

### Owlfiles

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/owlfiles-file-manager/id510282524)

Access and manage files from local storage, network shares, and cloud services. Stream media, view documents, and transfer files seamlessly across devices. Offers advanced network tools and editing capabilities.

**Highlights:** Access SMB, NFS, WebDAV, FTP, SFTP, Connect to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, S3, Stream movies and music, View and manage documents, photos, Built-in FTP and HTTP servers, Nearby file transfer, Network tools (Ping, Port Scan)

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Owlfiles Pro Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Owlfiles Pro Yearly Promo | $9.99 | per year |
| Owlfiles Pro Yearly | $12.99 | per year |
| Owlfiles Pro Lifetime Promo | $23.99 | one-time |
| Owlfiles Pro Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Seamless file transfers
- 🎥 Good media playback support
- 🔒 Secure file management
- 💡 Useful network tools

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Limited free features
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🤔 Confusing navigation

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to open certain file types
- Sync issues with network shares
- Inconsistent video playback performance

**Requested features**

- Thumbnail preview for files
- Resume playback option for media
- Batch file rename and delete
- Better integration with cloud storage
- Chromecast/AirPlay support


### SmartJoin

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartjoin/id1102859121)

Easily connect to Wi-Fi networks by generating and scanning QR codes. Avoid manual searching and typing passwords. The app also supports scanning other QR codes, including URLs.

**Highlights:** Generate Wi-Fi QR codes, Scan Wi-Fi QR codes, Connect to Wi-Fi without password, Scan URL QR codes, Display custom QR codes, Customize QR code colors

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Owlfiles free?

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

### Is SmartJoin free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Owlfiles or SmartJoin?

Owlfiles is rated higher. Owlfiles averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7.2K ratings, while SmartJoin averages 3.5 from 2 ratings.

### Do Owlfiles or SmartJoin have ads?

Neither Owlfiles nor SmartJoin shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Owlfiles or SmartJoin?

Owlfiles ships an update every 4 weeks, and SmartJoin every 3 weeks. Most recently, Owlfiles was updated on October 29, 2026 and SmartJoin 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.*