Comparison

Google Chrome vs Files

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

Head to head
About

Google Chrome

This web browser offers fast and secure internet access, integrating Google Search and Lens for quick information retrieval. It provides robust security features like enhanced protection and password management, and syncs your data across devices for seamless browsing.

Highlights
  • Fast and secure browsing
  • Google Search and Lens integration
  • Enhanced protection mode
  • Password manager
  • Cross-device sync
  • Tab groups
  • Autofill
Features
Read full description

Chrome helps you do what’s possible on the web. Download the fast, secure browser by Google. GET THE BEST OF GOOGLE IN CHROME • SEARCH WITH GOOGLE - Search and get answers on Google fast. Use your voice to search hands-free. • GOOGLE LENS - Search what you see on your screen or with your camera. • GOOGLE TRANSLATE - Explore the web in 130+ languages. Translate entire sites in one click. BROWSE WITH BEST-IN-CLASS SECURITY • ENHANCED PROTECTION MODE - Browse confidently with the highest level of Chrome’s security. • SAFETY CHECK - Get peace of mind with proactive safety alerts. • GOOGLE PASSWORD MANAGER - Securely generate and save passwords for fast sign-in, and get alerts if your passwords are at risk. ACCESS YOUR CHROME ACROSS DEVICES • SYNC ACROSS DEVICES - Save your things (like bookmarks, tabs, and passwords) and easily access them when you sign in to Chrome on your phone, computer or tablet. • TAB GROUPS - Create tab groups to stay organized across devices. • AUTOFILL - Save time typing by autofilling your saved payments, addresses and passwords. Feature availability varies by country and language. Compatibility varies. Check responses for accuracy.

About

Files

Manage files from your device, cloud storage, or external drives in one place. Organize with tags, search, and access recent documents easily. Share files and connect to network drives.

Highlights
  • Access files from device, cloud, and external drives
  • Recents view with high-resolution thumbnails
  • Organize files with tags
  • Search and navigate folders
  • Connect to cloud services (Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.)
  • Connect to file servers (SMB)
  • Pin favorite folders
Read full description

Access and organize your files no matter where they’re located — on your device, in the cloud, on an external drive or file server— with Files. The Recents view displays the files you’ve been working on lately in high-resolution thumbnails. Use the powerful Browse view to navigate folders, organize your files with tags, move files between folders, and search. Files also makes it easy to access iCloud Drive and third-party cloud storage services such as Dropbox, Box, and OneDrive. Features • Press the Files icon in the Dock or Home screen to quickly open a file from anywhere • Connect an external drive or SD card to your device to access the files • Connect to a file server at work or a home PC using SMB from Files • Use tags to organize files stored with different cloud providers and across different apps. • Pin your favorite folders in Browse view for quick access to the ones you use most. • Give people access to any file stored in iCloud Drive by sharing a link from the Files app • Drag and drop to select files and organize them into folders

Screenshots

Google Chrome4 screens
Files3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Google Chrome at 61% against Files's 14%. Google Chrome also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.9) and update cadence (weekly vs every 8 months). Files's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 25) and ads (none vs shown). On price 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

Both are free to download. Google Chrome sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Files asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Google Chrome holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Google Chrome has 4M ratings behind it against 7.4K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of Google Chrome's written reviews are positive against 14% of Files's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Google Chrome ships an update weekly, Files every 8 months. Both last shipped on October 15, 2026.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
Google Chrome versus Files: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGoogle ChromeFiles
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (4M ratings) — better2.9 (7.4K ratings)
Positive reviews61.0% of reviews — better14.0% of reviews
Number of ratings4M — better7.4K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 8 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#2 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS18.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size419 MB5 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperGoogleApple Inc.

Customer experience

Google Chrome

All ratings3,955,526 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral2.8%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews7,891 reviews
Positive61.0%
Neutral5.1%
Negative34.0%

Files

All ratings7,425 ratings
Positive41.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative49.1%
Written reviews2,538 reviews
Positive14.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative75.9%

User reviews

Google Chrome

From 4M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and efficient
  • 👍 Seamless syncing across devices
  • 🔒 Robust security features
  • 💡 Useful integration with other Google services

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Unreliable search results
  • 💤 Slow page loading
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns
  • 🤔 Counterintuitive UI changes

Files

From 7.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Smooth performance
  • 💡 Useful for storing and organizing files
  • 🔒 Secure file storage

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🐛 Files disappearing or not saving properly
  • 🐛 Unreliable sync with cloud services
  • 🐛 Limited functionality compared to desktop file managers
  • 🐛 Buggy PDF annotation and editing

Bugs and requests

Google Chrome

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Keyboard issues and lags
  • Inconsistent behavior when closing tabs
  • Unreliable bookmark syncing
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Customizable UI and layout options
  • Improved tab management and session recovery
  • Better support for extensions and add-ons
  • Enhanced password management and syncing

Files

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Files app not showing any files after iOS 15 update
  • Inability to delete downloaded files
  • Keyboard glitches when editing documents
  • Inconsistent behavior when transferring files to external storage

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to view file extensions
  • Improve search functionality
  • Allow more customization of the interface
  • Integrate better with other Apple apps and services
  • Add support for more cloud storage providers

In-app purchases

16 purchases

Google Chrome

Subscriptions16
  • 100 GB2 variants$1.991 Month
  • 100 GB1 Month trial2 variants$1.991 Month
  • 200 GB1 Month trial2 variants$2.991 Month
Show 13 more
  • 200 GB2 variants$2.991 Month
  • Google AI Plus (400 GB)$4.991 Month
  • Google AI Plus (2 TB)1 Month trial2 variants$9.991 Month
  • Google AI Plus (2 TB)$9.991 Month
  • 100 GB2 variants$19.991 Year
  • 100 GB1 Year trial$19.991 Year
  • 100 GB1 Month trial$19.991 Year
  • 5 TB$24.991 Month
  • 200 GB1 Year trial$29.991 Year
  • 2 TB1 Year trial$99.991 Year
  • 30 TB2 variants$149.991 Month
  • Google AI Ultra (30 TB)2 variants$249.991 Month
  • 5 TB$249.991 Year
None

Files

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Google Chrome free?
Google Chrome is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Files free?
Files is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Google Chrome or Files?
Google Chrome is rated higher. Google Chrome averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4M ratings, while Files averages 2.9 from 7.4K ratings.
Do Google Chrome or Files have ads?
Google Chrome shows ads; Files does not.
Which is updated more often, Google Chrome or Files?
Google Chrome ships an update weekly, and Files every 8 months. Most recently, Google Chrome was updated on October 15, 2026 and Files on October 15, 2026.

Other comparisons