No matter whether your phone has a file manager or not, you can use some of these apps to improve your managing game. There are nine apps listed below, each of which has something different to offer. They all have one thing in common, though, they’re excellent at managing files. All of these apps are free to download and check out, though some of them include in-app purchases. Do note that these apps are not listed in a specific order.
Top 10 Best File Manager Android Apps 2022
Below is a quick overview of the top 10 best File Manager Android apps for 2022, including any download and in-app purchase costs.
Top 10 Best File Manager Android Apps 2022 Downloads
Below is a little more information on each app, and a direct link for easy downloading. All download links go to the app’s Google Play Store listing. Users are always recommended to download apps from Google Play or an authorized app store.
Solid Explorer
Price: Free to downloadIn-app purchases: $0.99-$3.99Size: 9MBGoogle Play rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars
Solid Explorer is the go-to file manager for many people. There are many reasons why that is. This file manager has been around for quite some time now, and it has been quite consistent. It was one of the first file manager apps to introduce a dual-panel layout, and it also has one of the best UIs out there… it has been that way for a long time. On top of all that, this app is filled with features, it basically offers any feature you may want / need in a file manager app. The dual-pane layout is still at the forefront of this app, and it makes managing files much easier. The app comes with strong AES encryption, while it has a great storage analyzer as well. You can manage your external storage hardware by using this app, while the app has support for major network protocols. You can also easily connect it to your cloud storage of choice, and it serves as a root explorer as well. We’ve only scratched the surface here. Download Solid Explorer
ASTRO File Manager
Price: Free to downloadIn-app purchases: NoSize: Varies with deviceGoogle Play rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars
ASTRO File Manager is yet another excellent file manager. This app comes with a really nice-looking UI as well, though it looks considerably different than Solid Explorer. On top of that, this app also comes with many features that may interest you. This app comes with all the basics you may expect, such as move, copy, share, and rename options for your files. It’s much more than that, though. This app serves as a cloud storage backup as well, while it also serves as an app cleaner. You can manage your SD cards by using this app, and the same goes for USB sticks that you connect to the device. This app also comes with a really nice image gallery built in, so that you can check out your images as you would in a regular gallery app. This is one of the most popular file manager apps for a reason. Download ASTRO File Manager
Files by Google
Price: Free to downloadIn-app purchases: NoSize: Varies with deviceGoogle Play rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
If you really value simplicity, and you’re an avid Google ecosystem user at that, this is the app for you. Files by Google is Google’s very own file manager. Truth be said, it doesn’t offer nearly as many features as Solid Explorer does, for example, but it’ll suit a lot of people, that’s for sure. Files by Google covers all the basics, and that’s more than most people will ever need out of a smartphone file manager app. You’ll find all the basic functionality here, including renaming, copying, and moving files. On top of that, this app also comes with integration for cloud storage services, which has become a necessity these days. Files by Google can boost your phone performance by removing junk and temporary files as well. Smart recommendations are also included here, while the app’s UI looks rather nice. Download Files by Google
X-plore File Manager
Price: Free to downloadIn-app purchases: $1.70-$17.00Size: 8MBGoogle Play rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
X-plore File Manager is considerably different than other apps on this list, mainly due to its UI. Its UI may seem quite dated, and sure, compared to today’s design layouts, it sure does. This app is highly-functional despite that, though. It may not be the best idea for a smartphone to have such a UI, but this works for X-plore. Many people still use this app for a good reason, despite the way it looks. This app delivers a dual-pane tree view to your phone’s display. Even though it doesn’t look the most modern, it’s highly-functional to use a file manager this way. This app serves as a root explorer, has support for cloud storage, and pretty much everything you can imagine. X-plore has pretty much every file manager feature built-in, anything you can imagine, more or less. On top of that, it offers a really good encryption. Download X-plore File Manager
Total Commander
Price: Free to downloadIn-app purchases: NoSize: 2MBGoogle Play rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
Total Commander is arguably the best root file manager app. This app comes with no ads, and much like X-plore, its UI isn’t the most modern. Total Commander’s UI is much closer to modern-type UIs, though, compare to X-plore. This file manager is packed with features, just like X-plore and Solid Explorer. It comes with all the basics, while you can also control ZIP and Rar files. It has a built-in text editor, and also a search function. Total Commander has support for FTP and SFTP clients, via a plugin, and the same goes for WebDAV and LAN access. It has a dual-pane view, and a built-in media player that can stream directly from LAN, WebDAV, and cloud plugins. There are plugins available for cloud services, and much more. For every advanced feature, there is a plugin, basically, so you don’t have to download unnecessary software if you don’t need the functionality. Download Total Commander
Xiaomi File Manager
Price: Free to downloadIn-app purchases: NoSize: 16MBGoogle Play rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Xiaomi has created its very own file explorer, for its smartphones. Well, that file explorer is available on the Google Play Store, and is not limited to the company’s devices. The thing is, this file explorer is excellent. It’s a great alternative to Solid Explorer and ASTRO. It offers a modern-looking UI, while it’s not lacking in functionality either. This is also one of the highest-rated file manager apps in the Play Store. This app will not only serve you as a file manager, but it also acts as a storage cleaner as well. It can clean junk and temporary files from your phone storage in a blink of an eye. It can also compress / decompress ZIP/RAR archives without a problem. General in-app search function is available, while Mi Drop is also built-in here, in case you need such functionality. So, essentially, it looks great, plus it’s highly-functional. Download Xiaomi File Manager
RS File Manager
Price: Free to downloadIn-app purchases: $0.99-$49.99Size: 18MBGoogle Play rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
RS File Manager is easily one of the best-looking apps on the list. The UI on this phone is quite modern, and it makes the app a joy to use. This app is not all about the UI, though, not at all. It’s actually quite functional in general, and packaged with features. This app serves as a regular file manager, and a root explorer as well, in case you need such functionality. All the basics are here. Thea pp comes with support for cloud access, while you can manage your network storage via this app as well. It has a built-in app manager, and a disk analyzer tool as well. You can easily compress and decompress files via this app, while 128-bit encryption is offered as well. It also allows you to manage your SD card and USB storage, in case you have such devices connected. Download RS File Manager
FX File Explorer
Price: Free to downloadIn-app purchases: $2.99Size: 9MBGoogle Play rating: 4.1 out of 5 stars
FX File Explorer puts a high emphasis on privacy. Truth be said, most of these apps do, but FX File Manager takes it to the next level. This app comes with no ads, and no tracking of user activity either. The app has a nice-looking UI, and it also comes with AES-256/AES-128 encryption. SMBv2 support is here as well, while you can access your cloud storage services too. Multi-window support is included, while it comes with an efficient main screen as well. You can access networked computers via this app, including FTP, SSH FTP, WebDAV, and Windows Networking. FX File Explorer allows you to manage your installed apps, and also handle ZIP, 7zip, RAR, Tar, and similar compression files. This is only some of its functionality, this is quite a versatile app. Download FX File Explorer
MK Explorer
Price: Free to downloadIn-app purchases: $0.99-$4.99Size: 3MBGoogle Play rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
MK Explorer aka File Manager is a great option for minimalists. Why? Well, this app’s design caters to minimalists. The UI is extremely clean, and quite frankly one of our favorite UIs from apps on this list. This app does offer basic functionality for a file manager, plus some added features. It is not, however, as feature-packed as some other apps on the list, which will actually suit most people. This app also has a dual-pane view, which seems to be quite popular in file managers these days. A built-in search will help you navigate the app, while this app can also handle compressing / decompressing files. It can serve as a root explorer, while it comes with a built-in gallery, text editor, and a music player. This app has support for 20 languages as well, which is somewhat surprising, but welcomed. Download MK Explorer
Cx File Explorer
Price: Free to downloadIn-app purchases: NoSize: 6MBGoogle Play rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars
Cx File Explorer is quite a popular file explorer application in the Google Play Store, and yet quite a few probably didn’t even hear of it. This app comes with a really nice-looking, extremely functional UI. It has a lot of options, as do most other file explorer apps on the list. With this app, you can access files on the device it’s installed on, but also so much more than that. The app allows you to access files on your NAS (Network-attached storage), if you have it, and also files on remote shared storage, like FTP, FTPS, SFTP, SMB, WebDAV, and LAN. The app also functions as an app and storage analyzer, and it includes a recycle bin for when you delete something. This app is free to use, and it doesn’t include ads. It is currently holding a high rating after over 190,000 reviews. Download MK Explorer