Comparison

EmpiricCommander File Manager vs DBKit

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

Head to head
About

EmpiricCommander File Manager

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A real file manager for iPad - and for Mac and iPhone. Two panes side by side, drag between them, and move files where they belong without exporting or round-tripping through the Files app. PHOTOS OFF YOUR PHONE The Files app cannot see your photo library. EmpiricCommander can: browse your albums like folders and copy them to a USB-C drive, your NAS, SFTP, S3 - any destination, no account required. Originals are copied byte for byte with EXIF and location intact, a second run copies only what is new, and Free Up Space deletes a photo only after the copy has been read back and verified. THE WHOLE LOOP, NO MAC NEEDED Clone a repository over HTTPS or SSH, open a file in the built-in editor with syntax highlighting, stage your changes, commit, and push - on iPad and iPhone, without a separate terminal app. A commit log with a rendered branch and merge graph shows what happened, per-file diffs show exactly what changed, and merge conflicts are resolved in-app, per file. A REAL SSH TERMINAL An interactive shell to your server, from inside the file manager, on Mac, iPad and iPhone. iOS ships no ssh binary, so this is a full client implementation rather than a wrapper around a system tool. CONNECT TO WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE SMB network shares (your NAS, Mac, or Windows PC), SFTP with key authentication, S3 and S3-compatible storage, FTP, WebDAV, Azure Blob, Dropbox, and more - browsed, copied, and moved like local folders. Your connection list syncs across your devices through iCloud; passwords stay in the Keychain and are never uploaded. BUILT FOR REAL FILE WORK - Dual-pane on Mac and iPad, with a tab bar on iPhone. - Streaming transfers, including remote to remote, with progress that survives leaving the app. - Folder Sync in four modes, and Compare Folders with SHA-256 verification so you can prove a copy is byte-for-byte identical. - Batch rename with regex, numbering and dates, previewed before it runs. - Browse inside ZIP archives like folders; create ZIP and TAR/GZ; read password-protected archives. - Duplicate finder, disk-usage treemap, checksums, permissions editor. - Quick Look plus rich preview for CSV, JSON, Markdown, YAML, TOML and source code. - Full hardware-keyboard support on iPad: arrows, shift-selection, Tab, Esc, Return, Space. SHORTCUTS List, upload, download and sync folders on your saved servers from the Shortcuts app, without opening EmpiricCommander. Save a folder sync as a set and run it when the app launches or from a shortcut. ON-DEVICE AI Describe a batch rename in plain words, or summarize a document, using Apple Intelligence. It runs entirely on your device: no account, no API key, no per-use cost, and your filenames and file contents never leave the device. ONE PURCHASE, THREE PLATFORMS Buy once and use EmpiricCommander on your Mac, iPad and iPhone - one device of each type. Not a subscription. This major version and all of its updates are included. PRIVACY No tracking. Diagnostics are strictly opt-in.

About

DBKit

Features
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Connect to MySQL and PostgreSQL, or open local SQLite files on your iPhone or iPad. Write SQL, inspect tables, save reusable queries, and export results while away from your computer. DATABASES & CONNECTIONS • SQLite: Open local .sqlite and .db files, including when offline. • MySQL and PostgreSQL: Connect from your device to a database server you specify. A network connection and appropriate database permissions are required. • Database traffic does not require a DBKit relay server. EVERYDAY TOOLS • SQL editor with syntax highlighting and auto-completion. • Schema browser for columns, indexes, and foreign keys. • Searchable query history and named SQL snippets. • Table view of query results. • Result exports in CSV, TSV, JSON, SQL, and Markdown formats, ready to save or share. • Import SQL files or CSV data into a selected table. DATA & PRIVACY Connection passwords are stored in iOS Keychain. Execution history is stored locally, retains up to 500 recent entries, and can be deleted or cleared in the app. Remote queries and authentication information are sent to the database you specify. The developer does not collect your database contents. FREE & PRO Free use includes 3 executions per day on non-sample databases, resetting when the local date changes on your device. Sample databases are exempt. Upgrade to Pro to remove the daily execution limit. Subscription and lifetime purchase options, prices, and terms are shown on the in-app purchase screen. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://leotan1990.github.io/databases/AppStore/privacy_en.html

Screenshots

EmpiricCommander File Manager4 screens
DBKit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: EmpiricCommander File Manager at every 2 days against DBKit's every 3 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. EmpiricCommander File Manager sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and DBKit sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

EmpiricCommander File Manager ships an update every 2 days, DBKit every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
EmpiricCommander File Manager versus DBKit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmpiricCommander File ManagerDBKit
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB25 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperBurlac Mihailå§£č 黄

In-app purchases

1 purchases

EmpiricCommander File Manager

One-time1
  • EmpiricCommander Pro$49.99
3 purchases

DBKit

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$1.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$7.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Purchase$19.99

Questions

Is EmpiricCommander File Manager free?
EmpiricCommander File Manager is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DBKit free?
DBKit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do EmpiricCommander File Manager or DBKit have ads?
Neither EmpiricCommander File Manager nor DBKit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, EmpiricCommander File Manager or DBKit?
EmpiricCommander File Manager ships an update every 2 days, and DBKit every 3 weeks. Most recently, EmpiricCommander File Manager was updated on November 9, 2026 and DBKit on October 31, 2026.

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