Android: What's a good replacement for ES File Explorer?

Zarathustra[H]

Zarathustra[H]

Extremely [H]
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Hey all,

So ES File explorer has become obnoxious as of late spamming the screen.

I use it all the time to browse not just local files, but networked share drives and SFTP shares.

Is there a good free alternative, that won't spam me that has all of this functionality?

I don't care about the rest of the stuff ES File explorer does (in fact, I liked it best back when it was only a file manager with network file system support)

What do you use?
 
Yeah, I stopped using ES for the same reason. I saw lots of praise for Solid Explorer so I got that now, which isn't free, but I had $30+ saved up in Google Opinion Rewards credit, so it was still technically free for me.
 
Total Commander is my file manager of choice for Android
 
I use Solid Explorer, have for years. I think it used to be Solid Browser.
 
fx File Explorer works fine for me, is free, has a root addon available and that's free as well, pretty feature laden and no issues so far. I stopped using ES File Explorer long ago when I found out it's got some Baidu code buried inside and likes to "call home" frequently. ;)
 
Tiberian said:
fx File Explorer works fine for me, is free, has a root addon available and that's free as well, pretty feature laden and no issues so far. I stopped using ES File Explorer long ago when I found out it's got some Baidu code buried inside and likes to "call home" frequently. ;)
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I had never heard about the Baidu link! I'm glad I stopped using it!
 
Solid Explorer or Total Commander are some of the normal go to nowadays.

I bought Root explorer many moons ago so I still use that even though I don't root anymore. They have a free version as well simply called Explorer.
 
Tiberian said:
fx File Explorer works fine for me, is free, has a root addon available and that's free as well, pretty feature laden and no issues so far. I stopped using ES File Explorer long ago when I found out it's got some Baidu code buried inside and likes to "call home" frequently. ;)
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FX is well done. Worth buying the pro version. Interfaces cleanly with cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox for easy drag/drop operation on Android.
 
Amaze seems pretty good. I abandoned ES and overall don't use that sort of thing as much now, but I've been pleased
 
T4rd said:
Yeah, I stopped using ES for the same reason. I saw lots of praise for Solid Explorer so I got that now, which isn't free, but I had $30+ saved up in Google Opinion Rewards credit, so it was still technically free for me.
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HeavensCloud said:
I use Solid Explorer, have for years. I think it used to be Solid Browser.
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entropism said:
Solid Explorer. There's a few others, but Solid works best for me.
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Vermillion said:
Solid Explorer or Total Commander are some of the normal go to nowadays.

I bought Root explorer many moons ago so I still use that even though I don't root anymore. They have a free version as well simply called Explorer.
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Looks like solid explorer is the clear winner!

I've downloaded it to try it. It looks like it is free for two weeks, then becomes feature limited. What kind of features disappear after the free trial? It doesn't appear to specify.

I guess I could buy it, but I've never actually paid for an app...
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
What kind of features disappear after the free trial? It doesn't appear to specify.
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I don't know what the paid version offers differently tbh, I think I purchased it during one of Google's 10 cent sales. Handy tip - turn phone to landscape to EASILY transfer or copy files between destinations, uber useful if you have an sd card or otg storage.
 
It's definitely worth the price though. 1,99 € is nothing.
 
Tup3x said:
It's definitely worth the price though. 1,99 € is nothing.
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Fair enough. I didn't even check what it cost. Interesting note, it's $1.99 here in the U.S. Looks like we get a slightly better deal.

My biggest issue is that I'd really rather not add any credit cards or other payment methods to my google account, but I guess that's not a big deal.
 
How paranoid are you going to get, man? :D

Go to a 7-11 or a Walgreens or someplace and get a prepaid MasterCard or Visa or something, pay for it in cash, load it up with $10 or whatever (they'll charge you about $5 for the service fee to load the card and activate it), then add that to the Google account, pay for the software so the devs can feed their little ones and their addictions or whatever, delete the card info from your Google account when you're done, toss it in the trash or whatever and voila, you're good to go.

Things are not nearly that difficult in today's world to be that fearful of paying for things online, seriously. :cool:
 
Tiberian said:
How paranoid are you going to get, man? :D

Go to a 7-11 or a Walgreens or someplace and get a prepaid MasterCard or Visa or something, pay for it in cash, load it up with $10 or whatever (they'll charge you about $5 for the service fee to load the card and activate it), then add that to the Google account, pay for the software so the devs can feed their little ones and their addictions or whatever, delete the card info from your Google account when you're done, toss it in the trash or whatever and voila, you're good to go.

Things are not nearly that difficult in today's world to be that fearful of paying for things online, seriously. :cool:
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I think buying a Play Store gift card at any retail store would be a cheaper and simpler solution than this if he's paranoid about adding his payment info onto his account.
 
if you install the es file manager off amazon it is the version before the shitty one that replaces it. solid explorer and root explorer both good options
 
I used X-plore too, as it's very capable for a free app.

However, after the ES File Explorer fiasco got people to suggest their fave alternatives, Solid Explorer got a lot of good press, so I moved to that, even with the minor price tag attached. Still a heck of a lot cheaper than Directory Opus on Windows!

Part of it's just having a nicer interface, the other part being that it's a lot easier to get to my router's SMB-shared HDD.
 
NamelessPFG said:
I used X-plore too, as it's very capable for a free app.

However, after the ES File Explorer fiasco got people to suggest their fave alternatives, Solid Explorer got a lot of good press, so I moved to that, even with the minor price tag attached. Still a heck of a lot cheaper than Directory Opus on Windows!

Part of it's just having a nicer interface, the other part being that it's a lot easier to get to my router's SMB-shared HDD.
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In fairness, Directory Opus is a hell of a file manager
 
I would be more interested in solid explorer if they didn't tie your purchase to your phone. I get new phones every year...

I really don't understand what is going on there...
 
Canon said:
I would be more interested in solid explorer if they didn't tie your purchase to your phone. I get new phones every year...

I really don't understand what is going on there...
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Interesting. I didn't realize that. I just assumed that all purchases were tied to your Google account and worked with any device on it.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
Interesting. I didn't realize that. I just assumed that all purchases were tied to your Google account and worked with any device on it.
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I didn't know SE did it....but on Amazon's appstore they track handset logins as unique instances. So if you flash lots of ROMs and set them up with Amazon, you can end up with 10 or 50 of the same phone being called a "new" handset...and some apps do put a limit on Amazon's store of allowed installed instances. You can of course remove those spare "new phones" on your account manually though.
 
Man I flippin' hate ES File Explorer after all the adverts and unannounced lockscreen takeovers, and the constant requests to try some stupid new feature that's 100% assured to be spam(ware). I paid for Root Explorer a while ago, so that's what I've been using. That and the built-in file manager in the stock ROM. Good 'nuff!
 
Canon said:
I would be more interested in solid explorer if they didn't tie your purchase to your phone. I get new phones every year...

I really don't understand what is going on there...
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I also was aware Solid Explorer required phone permissions.
I use File Wrangler despite it not being updated since Sep 2013. It has no ads, no trial, 100% free and has an exceptionally clean interface. It can also access root and does not request phone permissions.

Android Beat published a descriptive article on the app.
 
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Canon said:
I would be more interested in solid explorer if they didn't tie your purchase to your phone. I get new phones every year...

I really don't understand what is going on there...
Click to expand...
Unless things have changed, my Solid Explorer works more than fine on my tablet and my phones (Galaxy S4 then LG G2 and now HTC 10) just fine.

Are you sure it's really tied to your phone rather than Google account?
 
The reviews seem to be saying that and it needs access to the phone to get your IMEI.

I think based on looking again that there are two ways to buy. One is via the in app purchase I mentioned. And the second is by purchasing the separate unlock app...

But wait... There are two apps... Solid Explorer File Manager and Solid Explorer classic... The unlock app us only for the classic version. The File explorer version. Is what I was trying and that one is purchased in app only and seems like it's tied to your phone?

I'm not sure I understand why this company has created so much confusion... Two different but seemingly similar apps. Multiple ways to buy...

OK... I don't feel bad about my original thoughts. It is really to bad Google doesn't t ship a functional file browser on their phones like Samsung. Even doing a basic tasks like copying ringtones from my Google drive proved too big a task for the built in file manager... This has been a standard feature for years on my Note devices...
 
I've switched from ES File Explorer to Solid and X-plore. Solid's FTP server plugin has been a god send for my case use since file transfers from my Nexus 6P to my pc via USB-C is not reliable.
 
Yep. That ftp plugin works just so well. It's super handy.
 
Yeah, I'm disappointed.

I paid for the full version of Solid Explorer in the app. Thought I was getting a permanent license for the app on every device on my account like with normal apps.

If I have to pay for it again on my tablet or when I switch phones I'm going to go with something else.

Its a good aop, and it's not much money, but when every other app out there is a single purchase towards your account it's deceptive and double dipping, and pisses me off.

It's the principle of the thing.
 
Well... I do understand them though. It's a small amount and totally reasonable to pay per device. It sucks if you change phone every week but I tend to keep phone two or three years.
 
The Classic unlocker also unlocks the new version, I know because I own the Classic unlocker.

The in app purchase is tied to your Google account. So unless you have more than one and accidentally tied it to the wrong one, it's available for all your phones.

The imei thing is only for the trial version so you can't just keep getting new trial sessions.
 
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