10 Best ES File Explorer Alternatives in 2021

If you want more security and file management options on your device, know the best alternatives to ES File Explorer. 

ES File Explorer is a file management software well-known to a wide range of users across the globe. However, recently it has been surrounded by quite a lot of privacy allegations.

If you are a user who values privacy more than anything else, we believe the best ES File Explorer alternatives are a better choice.

The alternatives to ES File Explorer keep the user data safe and also offer many other features.

If you still need a more robust reason to get the best ES File Explorer replacement, here is the same.

Why do you need the best ES File Explorer alternatives?

Below are the top shortcomings of this software that miffed us and that you might also find annoying.

• Network file delete is not always smooth and reliable.
• No longer available on Play Store due to fraud allegations.
• Ugly interface.
• You need to get another app to add a plugin/feature.
• No way to turn off its constantly annoying notifications.

As you can also feel, the above cons are more than sufficient to move beyond ES File Explorer.

Let’s now take a dip into the best apps similar to (maybe better than) ES File Explorer.

Well-researched list of the best alternatives to ES File Explorer

Below are our top picks for the best ES File Explorer alternatives curated after much research and analysis of all the available options. 

1. File Commander

For all those looking for a clean and easy-to-use file manager, File Commander may be the top choice.

Features like external device storage management and Bluetooth connectivity with nearby devices make it one of the best alternatives to ES File Explorer.

Talking about the features of this software, below are some of the highlighting ones.

Features of File Commander

• It boasts a completely customizable home screen with quick access tiles to find files.
• File Commander categorizes files in neat categories based on their type, such as documents, music, picture, video, etc.
• It comes with audio and video player integration.
• You can use this software to manage external storage, such as microSD cards and USB OTG drives.
• It lets you see system-protected data to access hidden files and folders.
• This software supports cloud platforms, such as Google Drive, DropBox, OneDrive, etc.
• The recent files feature lets you resume from where you left off quickly.
• You can archive and bookmark files with File Commander.
• It allows you to save your personalizations and settings in your login profile.
• You can access Windows/SMB based network locations, FTP/FTPS servers, and Remote shares (for Sony Xperia devices).
• With File Commander’s Vault, you can use password encryption to secure your files from prying eyes.
• File Commander Premium boasts additional features, such as a storage analyzer and converter for over 1200 file formats.

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2. Solid Explorer

Solid Explorer is yet another file manager for Android that you can call the best ES File Explorer replacement.

We picked it for its features such as file encryption and batch rename of files with support for naming patterns.

Apart from this, below is all that you need to know about this application.

Features of Solid Explorer

• You can manage files on your local storage, SD card, and USB OTG.
• It boasts support for cloud storage platforms, such as Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.
• There is support for major network protocols like FTP, SFTP, SMB, and WebDav.
• It supports archive file formats, such as ZIP, 7ZIP, RAR, and TAR.
• With its indexed search, you can find files on your phone quickly.
• You can analyze storage and manage the files that occupy too much space.
• It categorizes files into categories like downloads, recent, photos, videos, music, etc. for easy organization.
• There is an integrated image viewer, music player, and text editor for effortless browsing on the remote storage.
• You can customize the application with rich themes and icon sets.

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3. Files By Google

Here comes another beautiful application that stands tall on the list of the best ES File Explorer alternatives.

Coming from the house of Google, it is among the safest apps we have come across.

With this application, you can perform three tasks, i.e., cleaning, finding, and sharing files effortlessly.

Below are some of the outstanding features of this application that you must know.

Features of Files By Google

• It lets you delete old photos, memes, duplicate files, unused apps, and cache easily.
• You can check storage and transfer files to SD from within the app to free up space.
• It lets you be in complete control of what gets deleted from your device.
• The application gives smart recommendations to delete files before you are left with no space.
• It uses filters to help you find the needed files faster.
• You can use this app to view, delete, rename, share, and sort files by size.
• It lets you share your photos, videos, and documents with nearby people even without the internet.
• Files By Google encrypts your files with WPA2 encryption.
• It allows you to back up your files to the cloud and SD card.

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4. Astro File Manager

Next, we have Astro File Manager as one of the best alternatives to ES File Explorer that you can use as its replacement.

It is a user-friendly application that over 150 million people use for features, such as storage cleaning.

Its highly efficient storage cleaner recommends folders and space-hogging files that you should delete to free up space.

Moreover, below are the other features of this application that we found fascinating.

Features of Astro File Manager

• It categorizes files on internal and external storage to help you find the needed ones quickly.
• You can access all photos, videos, music, applications, and recent folders from the app’s home screen.
• With this app, you can view recently downloaded files and move them to a separate folder.
• It allows you to organize files by size so that you can find the ones that occupy more space.
• You can backup your crucial files and folders to an SD card/cloud storage.
• It supports cloud storage platforms, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.
• There is an in-built file archive utility that allows you to compress and decompress files.

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5. FX File Explorer

Let’s now introduce you to FX File Explorer, one of the best apps similar to ES File Explorer.

It boasts a huge basket of incredible features, such as SMBv2 support, FX Connect with NFC support for direct file transfers, etc.

Below is a snapshot of all its amazing features.

Features of FX File Explorer

• Its Web Access lets you transfer and manage files from the browser itself.
• You can drag and drop folders to your computer, play your phone’s music playlist on your PC via WiFi.
• Its home screen gives you direct access to all your folders, media, and cloud storage.
• There is a dual-view mode that allows you to see two windows simultaneously.
• With its usage view, you can see the total size and content of all your folders.
• It supports almost all file archive formats.
• You can access files remotely over FTP, SSH FTP, WebDAV, and Windows Networking.
• It supports cloud platforms like Google Drive, Dropbox, SkyDrive, etc.
• You can create AES-256/AES-128 encrypted zip files.
• It lets you browse audio content by artist, album, and playlist.
• With FX File Explorer, you can browse photos and videos directly.
• You can use password keyring, i.e., one password for all your network and cloud locations.
• There is an in-built media player, text editor, binary (Hex) viewer, image viewer, pop-up audio player, RAR file extractor, and Shell Script Executor.
• You also get Zip, Tar, Gzip, Bzip2, 7zip archive creators and extractors.

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6. Total Commander

Here is another feature-loaded application that is one of the best alternatives to ES File Explorer.

One of the reasons why we found this app attractive is that it boasts root support for all its main functions.

Moreover, below are the top features that make this application a deserving choice for this list.

Features of Total Commander

• You can copy and move complete subdirectories.
• It allows you to drag and drop files.
• There is an option to rename and create directories.
• You can delete, zip, and unzip files.
• It offers an in-built text editor and a search function.
• With this app, you can select/unselect a group of files by tapping on file icons.
• You can view a list of installed applications.
• It lets you remotely access files over WebDAV, FTP, and SFTP.
• You get LAN, Google Drive, Microsoft Live, and Dropbox access.
• It allows you to transfer files via Bluetooth.
• Total Commander provides image thumbnails as well.
• Its two-panel mode aids in the side-by-side viewing of two panels.
• You can view the directory history as well.
• There is a media player to stream directly from LAN, WebDAV, and cloud plugins.
• You can change directories, internal commands, launch apps, and send shell commands using configurable button bars.
• The application is available in multiple languages.
• It boasts optimizations for the visually impaired.

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7. MiXplorer

Next, we have MiXplorer with a blast of features. We can rightly call it an app similar to ES File Explorer for its features, such as a customizable bookmarks drawer with categorized file types.

Moreover, below are the other fascinating features of this application that deserve your attention.

Features of MiXplorer

• It supports tabbed browsing, a dual-panel in landscape mode, panel drag and drop.
• With MiXplorer, you can make tabs for multitasking.
• It boasts support for a large number of file formats when it comes to zipping and unzipping files.
• MiXlorer supports over 19 cloud storage platforms.
• You can protect files with a password and modify zip files.
• The application also works as an EPub, Mobipocket, and PDF reader.
• You get root access for all major operations.
• There is a data backup facility along with user and system app management for rooted phones.
• It supports EncFS volumes for all storage.
• You can encrypt and decrypt files using the Aescrypt file format.
• There is FTP/HTTP server built in +TCP server to get files from other devices via the app.
• It comes with an integrated image viewer, text editor, and media player.

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8. X-plore File Manager

Next, X-plore File Manager is software that we would like to recommend as one of the top ES File Explorer alternatives.

The application boasts many features that justify its position on this list. For example, it supports configurable buttons and key shortcuts.

Apart from this, below is all that attracts us to this application.

Features of X-plore File Manager

• It offers a dual-pane tree view to switch between directories.
• With its disk map, you can view the most space-hogging apps on your phone.
• You get support for cloud platforms, like Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, etc.
• It supports SSH File Transfer and SSH Shell.
• There is an in-built app manager, PDF viewer, image viewer, text viewer, video player (with subtitles), and music/audio player.
• It lets you manage files through a web browser and add folders as favorites.
• There is also a batch rename option where you can change names in bulk.
• You also get a Hex viewer.
• It displays video and image thumbnails as well.
• With this application, you can view APK files as ZIP.
• It lets you share files via Bluetooth or email from any location.
• You can keep sensitive files in an encrypted vault.
• It works perfectly with zip files.

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9. Amaze File Manager

If you are searching for an open-source alternative to ES File Explorer, you may be truly amazed by Amaze File Manager.

This software-based on Material Design guidelines offers many features to make file management and organization easy.

Below is a quick glimpse of its most important features for your knowledge.

Features of Amaze File Manager

• You can cut, copy, delete, compress, and extract files.
• It lets you work on multiple tabs simultaneously.
• There are multiple themes with cool icons to customize the application.
• The app lets you navigate quickly through a navigation drawer.
• You can open, backup, or uninstall any application using its app manager.
• It gives you easy access to history and bookmarks.
• You can search for any file and encrypt/decrypt it for security.
• There is a root explorer for expert users.
• It lets you get additional plugins for cloud services support.
• There is an in-built database reader, Zip/Rar reader, Apk reader, and Text reader.
• It also supports SMB file sharing.

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10. MK Explorer

Here is another ES File Explorer alternative that you can use in its place. This Material Design-based software offers many features along with the regular delete, copy, paste, and move.

For instance, it boasts two window support to view files and desktop shortcuts from the main application.

Below are the other features of this interesting application.

Features of MK Explorer

• You can use keyboard shortcuts if you use a mechanical keyboard with your phone.
• It makes it easy for you to find the required files with its search engine.
• You can view images, videos, and APK file thumbnails.
• MK Explorer allows you to extract ZIP and RAR archives as well.
• With this application, you can create zipped versions of files.
• It provides root access and SD card support.
• There is an in-built gallery to view pictures, a text editor, and a music player.
• The application supports over 20 languages.

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Concluding the best ES File Explorer similar and alternative apps

Above were the best ES File Explorer alternatives known to us. You can pick any of them according to your requirements.

However, Files by Google and FX File Explorer are our favorites for their amazing features. If you think any other application should also be a part of this list, share the same via the comments section.

We will see you soon with alternatives to another application and other software recommendations. Subscribe to our blog and bookmark it so that you do not miss out on our next post.