Comparison

EmpiricCommander File Manager vs PlainScribe

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

PlainScribe

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Turn spoken thoughts into editable text. Record or import audio, transcribe it, optionally clean it up, then edit, copy, or share. EDIT WITH YOUR VOICE Tap Voice command and say what you want to do with your text, such as “Translate into English,” “Make this shorter,” or “Rewrite this more formally.” Tap Apply to update your draft. Undo lets you restore the previous text. Customize the voice-command prompt separately in Settings. RECORD LONGER Continue microphone recordings when your iPhone locks or you switch apps. Choose Standard audio quality for smaller files or High for a higher bitrate. Recordings stop safely before your transcription provider’s size or duration limit, with the audio retained until you choose Transcribe or Discard. FEATURES • One-tap recording and continued recording into the same draft • Import MP3, M4A, and WAV audio files • Send supported audio from apps such as Voice Memos • OpenAI GPT Transcribe or ElevenLabs Scribe v2 transcription • Optional Clean Up, Concise, AI Prompt, and custom transformations • Voice commands with an editable prompt and Undo • Edit, copy, and share your text • Multiple color themes YOUR LANGUAGE, YOUR PROMPTS Use Scribe in English, Polish, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Dutch. Built-in prompt instructions follow your app language. Any prompt you edit keeps your changes until you reset it. The AI Prompt option turns a spoken request into a structured prompt for an AI assistant. BRING YOUR OWN API KEY PlainScribe is free to download and use, with no ads, subscription, or PlainScribe account. Add your own OpenAI or ElevenLabs API key for transcription. Voice commands and optional text transformations also require an OpenAI API key. An internet connection is required for AI processing. Any usage charges are billed directly by the provider under its pricing and terms. Credentials are stored securely in your device’s Keychain. Audio is sent directly to the selected transcription provider. For voice commands, the transcribed command and current draft are sent to OpenAI; optional transformations send the new transcript and selected prompt. PlainScribe does not send your content through a separate PlainScribe server. Processing is subject to the selected providers’ terms and privacy policies.

Screenshots

EmpiricCommander File Manager4 screens
PlainScribe4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PlainScribe at none against EmpiricCommander File Manager's 1. EmpiricCommander File Manager's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 days) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads 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. EmpiricCommander File Manager sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PlainScribe asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

EmpiricCommander File Manager ships an update every 2 days, PlainScribe every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
EmpiricCommander File Manager versus PlainScribe: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmpiricCommander File ManagerPlainScribe
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBurlac MihailArtur Wronski

In-app purchases

1 purchases

EmpiricCommander File Manager

One-time1
  • EmpiricCommander Pro$49.99
None

PlainScribe

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is EmpiricCommander File Manager free?
EmpiricCommander File Manager is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PlainScribe free?
PlainScribe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do EmpiricCommander File Manager or PlainScribe have ads?
Neither EmpiricCommander File Manager nor PlainScribe shows ads.
Which is updated more often, EmpiricCommander File Manager or PlainScribe?
EmpiricCommander File Manager ships an update every 2 days, and PlainScribe every 5 days. Most recently, EmpiricCommander File Manager was updated on October 24, 2026 and PlainScribe on October 21, 2026.

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