Top 5 Ad-Free File Management Apps for Android (2023)

The built-in file manager on Android phones is very bland and basic. You get limited features and it can become tiresome to search, sort, and work with different types of files. This is where third-party developers come in with more useful and advanced solutions.

Although many file manager apps will display ads or require account registration, there are options available that are ad-free and don’t require any of that. This is important, so keep reading below to learn about the best ad-free file manager apps for Android.

A good file manager app should allow you to browse, move, copy, and delete all kinds of files and folders easily. It should also support various formats for images, videos, audio, and archives (like ZIP and RAR files) and allow you to search for specific files on your phone, all while providing security features and smooth performance.

Additional features may include storage analysis, duplicate file detection, file transfer, batch copy/paste/delete, and many more. Below, FPT Shop will introduce you to some of the best ad-free file manager apps for Android, providing most of the aforementioned features while still being free and ad-free.

1. FX File Manager

• Clean user interface with no ads and easy navigation
• Split window mode
• Customization options

FX File Manager is known for its beautiful design and user-friendly approach to privacy. The app has a flexible user interface with a home screen that lets you view all your important folders and media files. There’s also a split view mode to display two windows side by side with interactive capabilities, meaning you can copy in one window and paste into another.

As for customization on FX File Manager, you can change the theme, colors, and icons of the browser, while also modifying how other user interface components appear. There are no ads and no collection of user information or how users use the app. Other features include a text editor, image viewer, media player, storage explorer, and Shell Script Executor.

While most of the features of FX File Manager are offered for free, you can upgrade to the FX Plus version for additional features such as cloud support, media features (such as browsing music by artist or album), and file transfer from phone to phone. Thankfully, you won’t see any banners or pop-up windows that interrupt your usage and force you to upgrade.

• Download FX File Explorer

2. Files by Marc Apps

• Shortcuts to hidden file manager
• No ads or in-app purchases
• Best for basic file management

Files by Marc provides you access to a simple file manager. There are no ads, pop-up windows, or in-app purchases, and the app size is only 100 KB. This is because the app is not an actual file manager itself, but rather a shortcut to the hidden file manager on Android.

Through Files by Marc, you can access all files on your phone, including hidden files and the Android directory, copy and paste data, as well as sort different types of data into Audio, Images, Videos, Documents, Large Files, and Recent categories. Of course, the app also supports quickly compressing files into ZIP archives.

Files by Marc is built for people who want a file manager that allows viewing and modifying hidden Android files while supporting other essential features. For example, copying OBB or data files of games in the Android directory or deleting hidden app data.

• Download Files by Marc

3. Files By Google

• Google’s ad-free file manager with Material UI design
• Integrated storage cleaner and file sharing
• Secure folder for hiding files

If you’re a longtime Android user, you’re likely familiar with the file manager app Files by Google. As the name suggests, the app comes directly from the Android manufacturer with all the features you could ask for in a file manager.

The app features Google’s characteristic Material UI user interface design with a clear view of folders, file categories, collections, and recent storage locations on the home screen. There are two separate tabs dedicated to the two main functions of cleaning and sharing using Nearby Share.

The integrated cleaning feature in Files by Google will show you suggestions to delete duplicates, old screenshots, blurry photos, large files, and downloaded media files. You can also clear cache and junk files on your phone to free up even more storage. Meanwhile, the Nearby Share feature allows you to quickly send and receive files to and from other Android phones.

Google has also added a secure folder called Safe Folder for storing private or sensitive files, which can be locked using a PIN or pattern. If you uninstall Files by Google on your Android phone, it will automatically delete the files in this folder.

Notably, users can use all the features of the app without any ads or registration requirements. So, this is one of the best file manager apps to have on your Android phone.

• Download Files by Google

4. Asus File Manager

• Simple yet feature-rich file manager
• Integrated storage analyzer, file sharing, and trash can
• Hidden cabinet for storing private files

Asus File Manager used to be one of the most popular file manager apps until it was removed from the Play Store. However, the app is still being maintained and undergoing many stages of development with major feature updates.

The home screen of Asus File Manager welcomes you with boxes dedicated to all categorized folders, including Images, Videos, Music, Archives, Apps, Documents, Downloads, and Recent files. Then, it displays the internal storage with a progress bar showing the current remaining capacity of the storage and other options.

Asus File Manager also integrates a storage analyzer called Storage Analyzer to categorize files into different categories and delete large files and duplicate files, including files in the trash can. That’s right, files you delete by default will go into the trash can unless you permanently delete them.

Additionally, Asus File Manager allows you to connect your mobile device to a computer for file sharing and also has a private security feature called Hidden Cabinet to protect sensitive files with a fingerprint lock. The file manager has a clear user interface, no ads, supports dark mode, and has options to browse network locations and connect to your cloud storage.

Unfortunately, Asus File Manager is no longer available on the Play Store. However, it can still be downloaded from reliable websites like APKMirror on any existing Android phone. And it’s certainly a worthy contender to make it onto this list.

• Download (APK) Asus File Manager

5. Material Files

• Ad-free open-source file manager
• Material UI3 user interface design, color customization, and dark mode
• Support for NAS and Root

Material Files is the most visually appealing ad-free file manager app on this list. It’s an open-source app that is lightweight, ad-free, doesn’t have in-app purchases, and doesn’t require any paid transactions or in-app subscriptions.

The file manager itself has a lot of features too. You can browse all files, compress them, copy file paths, add bookmarks, and even create shortcuts on the home screen for important files and folders. Path navigation allows for quicker operations and the animations are smooth as well.

The home screen of Material Files displays the direct view mode of internal storage. Meanwhile, there’s a sidebar with options to access the Root directory, FTP server, and essential folders like DCIM, Downloads, Movies, Pictures, and Screenshots.

You can customize the theme color and even switch to the new Material Design 3 interface. The dark mode truly supports black color and can be scheduled based on time and battery saving. You can change the default folders displayed in the sidebar and the default folder to open when launching the browser, making it a top-tier file manager.

• Download Material Files

Those were the 5 best ad-free file manager apps that you can download for free on your Android phone right now. Personally, I use Files by Google on my phone because it’s almost perfect in every aspect. But once again, the Material Files and Asus File browsers are closer to each other in terms of interface and features. Hopefully, after referring to the guide, you’ll find the right file manager for your phone.

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