# Xender vs Files

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Xender at 64% against Files's 14%. Xender also leads on rating (4.1 vs 2.9) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 6 months). Files's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Xender holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18K and 7.6K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Xender's written reviews are positive against 14% of Files's.

Xender ships an update every 5 weeks, Files every 6 months. Both last shipped on November 7, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Xender | Files |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (18K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xender-transfer-share-files/id898129576/reviews)** | [2.9 (7.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/files/id1232058109/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **18K** | 7.6K |
| Positive reviews | **64.1% of reviews** | 14.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#114** | — |
| Size | 97 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Xender Team](https://appshunter.io/developer/1687594344) | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) |

## What reviewers say

### Xender

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xender-transfer-share-files/id898129576)

**Currently charting:** #114 Top Free · Utilities (US App Store)

Instantly share files of any type between devices without needing an internet connection or USB cable. This app offers lightning-fast transfers for documents, photos, music, and videos across multiple platforms.

**Highlights:** Cross-platform file sharing, No internet or USB required, Extremely fast transfer speeds, Transfer documents, photos, videos, music, Built-in music player, Phone to computer transfer

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast file transfer
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Useful features like music player
- 🚀 Reliable app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔒 Privacy concerns
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 👎 Deteriorating service quality

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes
- Issues with file format compatibility
- Connectivity problems when transferring files
- Missing features after recent updates

**Requested features**

- Add subtitle download option
- Improve music player functionality
- Restore 'send to phone' option
- Implement login/logout feature
- Add dark mode and themes


### 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 Xender free?

Xender is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Files free?

Files is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Xender or Files?

Xender is rated higher. Xender averages 4.1 out of 5 from 18K ratings, while Files averages 2.9 from 7.6K ratings.

### Do Xender or Files have ads?

Xender shows ads; Files does not.

### Which is updated more often, Xender or Files?

Xender ships an update every 5 weeks, and Files every 6 months. Most recently, Xender was updated on November 7, 2026 and Files on November 7, 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.*