Comparison

Essimu vs Rclone GUI

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

Head to head
About

Essimu

Features
Read full description

Essimu is your gateway to connecting to loved ones back home at very affordable rates. Simply install the app, load credit and call home all day, every day!

About

Rclone GUI

Manage your personal cloud storage with this open-source iOS client for rclone. Connect to over 70 services, including encrypted file transfers, direct streaming, and seamless integration with Apple's Files app. A premium subscription is required for full functionality.

Highlights
  • Connects to 70+ cloud services
  • Encrypted file transfers
  • Direct video and audio streaming
  • iOS Files app integration
  • Smart photo syncing
  • Guided remote setup wizard
Features
Read full description

Rclone GUI is a native, open-source iOS client for rclone — the reference tool for managing your personal cloud storage. Connect Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Cloudflare R2, Storj, Wasabi, Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, pCloud, Mega, Box, Filen, Internxt, Drime, SFTP, WebDAV, and 70+ other services straight from your iPhone, with no middleman. PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED All Rclone GUI features (remote management, transfers, Files app integration, PhotoSync, crypt decryption, streaming, etc.) require a Premium subscription. • Free 7-day trial, then €1.99/month or €19.99/year • Auto-renewing, cancel anytime in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions • No feature is usable without an active subscription (beyond onboarding) CRYPT-FIRST ENCRYPTION (Premium) The whole interface is built around rclone "crypt" encryption: encrypted remotes are tagged with a purple lock, filenames are decrypted on the fly so you see the real tree, and file content is decrypted during playback without ever transiting in clear through a third-party server. The cryptographic core uses NaCl secretbox (XSalsa20-Poly1305), executed locally by rclone. iOS FILES INTEGRATION (Premium) A File Provider extension exposes every remote inside Apple's Files app, encrypted ones included. Open a PDF straight from Files, drag and drop documents between apps, and stream video or audio without downloading the full asset. SMART PHOTO SYNC (Premium) Automatically sync new photos and videos to the cloud of your choice. Adaptive throttling while you're using the app, background execution, clean resume after a network drop. GUIDED ADD-REMOTE WIZARD (Premium) A step-by-step wizard covers every rclone backend: per-backend forms, tutorials for OAuth providers (Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox), instant validation. "Where to get your credentials" panels and a remote picker (for crypt vaults, alias, union…) make setup even simpler. Import an existing rclone.conf in one tap, with automatic secret migration to the iOS Keychain. PRIVACY BY DESIGN - No analytics, no tracker, no third-party SDK - No backend server: the app talks directly to your cloud services - Face ID / Touch ID to lock the configuration - Configuration encrypted at rest (ChaCha20-Poly1305 + iOS Keychain) - OAuth tokens in the iOS Keychain, never in UserDefaults - Strict ATS, no network exception FEATURES (all included in the Premium subscription) - 70+ rclone backends supported - Parallel transfers, pause, resume, queue - Adaptive bandwidth throttling (cellular / Wi-Fi) - Video and audio streaming with range requests - Built-in QuickLook preview - Search, sort, filter in folders - Detailed transfer stats - Exportable local logs for debugging SUBSCRIPTION TERMS The Rclone GUI Premium subscription auto-renews at the end of each period (€1.99/month or €19.99/year). Renewal is billed to your Apple ID within 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal at any time in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy policy: https://vitalysrdt.github.io/rclone-gui-ios/privacy.html OPEN SOURCE Rclone GUI is fully open source: https://github.com/VitalysRDT/rclone-gui-ios This app is not affiliated with Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Dropbox or any other cloud provider. "rclone" is a trademark of Nick Craig-Wood (rclone author).

Screenshots

Essimu4 screens
Rclone GUI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Rclone GUI at every 4 days against Essimu's every 6 months. Essimu's advantage is iOS requirement (12.4 vs 26.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Essimu sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Rclone GUI sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Essimu ships an update every 6 months, Rclone GUI every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Essimu versus Rclone GUI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEssimuRclone GUI
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Subscription
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS12.4 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB134 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlex KisakyeVitalys ROUGETET--DE TROYANE

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Essimu

One-time3
  • Purchase 10 Credits$12.00
  • Purchase 20 Credits$25.00
  • Purchase 50 Credits$55.00
3 purchases

Rclone GUI

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Yearly$11.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Essimu free?
Essimu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Rclone GUI free?
Rclone GUI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Essimu or Rclone GUI have ads?
Neither Essimu nor Rclone GUI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Essimu or Rclone GUI?
Essimu ships an update every 6 months, and Rclone GUI every 4 days. Most recently, Essimu was updated on October 9, 2026 and Rclone GUI on October 18, 2026.

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