# Google Chrome vs Files

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.

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.

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.

Google Chrome ships an update weekly, Files every 8 months. Both last shipped on October 18, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Google Chrome | Files |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (4M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/google-chrome/id535886823/reviews)** | [2.9 (7.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/files/id1232058109/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4M** | 7.4K |
| Positive reviews | **61.0% of reviews** | 14.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 419 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Google](https://appshunter.io/developer/281956209) | [Apple Distribution International](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) |

## What reviewers say

### Google Chrome

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/google-chrome/id535886823)

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Free · Utilities, #57 Top Free (US App Store)

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:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 100 GB | $1.99 | per month |
| 100 GB | $1.99 | per month |
| 200 GB | $2.99 | per month |
| 200 GB | $2.99 | per month |
| Google AI Plus (400 GB) | $4.99 | per month |
| Google AI Plus (2 TB) | $9.99 | per month |
| Google AI Plus (2 TB) | $9.99 | per month |
| 100 GB | $19.99 | per year |
| 100 GB | $19.99 | per year |
| 100 GB | $19.99 | per year |
| 5 TB | $24.99 | per month |
| 200 GB | $29.99 | per year |
| 2 TB | $99.99 | per year |
| 30 TB | $149.99 | per month |
| Google AI Ultra (30 TB) | $249.99 | per month |
| 5 TB | $249.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### Files

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/files/id1232058109)

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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 18, 2026 and Files on October 18, 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.*