The App Store is a mixed bag of beans. It is awesome in almost every way, and yet can give that feeling of restriction that only Apple is known for. And one of those stinging feelings is that there is no trialware in the App Store. You can look at a screenshot or two, read a whole bunch of crooked unmoderated reviews, and then you have no choice but to go ahead and buy the application. Now in most cases, this is almost acceptable. But one area that I noticed was a problem, was with file managers.

Everyone wants to know which is the best file manager on the iPhone. There’s FileMagnet ($5), MobileFinder ($2), Files ($7), DataCase ($7) and then some. Lucky for you, here’s a review of four of the main apps, and we shall strive to come to a conclusion as to which one is the best. (There is also the really expensive TouchFS ($15) and super complex Caravan ($3) which you might want to check out, which I won’t include in this review.)

I will further divide this shootout into three categories so you can choose what aspect is most important to you. And lest you don’t notice, there’s plenty of linked screenshots in the review.

Connectivity. 

The most important feature in this scenario is connectivity. How does the application connect to your Mac or PC, and how easy is it to transfer files to and fro. All the applications require a Wifi connection to make any transfers.

Files 
Files provides a relatively easy way to connect to a Mac or a PC. On launch it will throw open a dialog with the remaining space, and the URL. Entering the URL in the “Connect To Server” option on the mac, or in Internet Explorer on the PC. The server is then mounted on the Finder sidebar in Leopard from where one can drag and drop files just as you would otherwise. One can enable authentication, or even limit the disk usage in the Files settings (available in the Settings of the iPhone). 
Verdict: Easy and painless transfer, but not the most elegant. Security by means of authentication. 

MobileFinder
The application uses FTP to transfer files to and fro, and since Mac OS X cannot natively write to FTP shares, one has to use an FTP client like Cyberduck. Granted it is free, but the very act of downloading the application, and launching it every time you have to make a transfer is a big downer. On the PC however entering the FTP address into the explorer bar mounts the share right into Explorer for read and write. However, a plus point, if you can call it that, is that the transfer panel features proper instructions with screenshots a-plenty, so any newbie will be able to follow easily. 
Verdict: Not so easy, and requires additional software. No security.  

FileMagnet
One of the first kids on the block, FileMagnet goes ahead and makes you install their special application, from where one can transfer files. The app itself is not more than 500KB and is light on the resources. The interface is very elegant and easy to understand. However, I did find that on many occasions the app would refuse to connect to the iPhone and I had to run around restarting routers to see if it works. Another limitation is that as of now it only works on the Mac. 
Verdict: Unreliable connectivity, requires additional software, Mac only. 

DataCase
I kept this one for last, because this is I would say the hallmark of connectivity for file managers. Right upon launch, the sidebar shows the iPhone in the Shared section. Clicking it reveals all the shares available, including by default a public folder and a write-only drop box. One can create folders in there and it will behave just like a network share. No configuration required anywhere. One is also provided with http and ftp addresses for Read Only and Read/Write access respectively. These can be entered into IE or Windows Explorer for access on the MS platform. And issue I noticed with this way, is that each of the root folders is a separate ‘share’. Which means one has to mount that share (by double-clicking it, but not spring loaded) before one can drag files into it. 
Verdict: The best there is in connectivity. No security. 

Eye Candy

The iPhone, while having a superb interface, also has a lot of eye candy. And having an ugly application within that will just put a lot of strain on your eyes. Unfortunately, most of these file managers need some guidance in interface design.

Files
A very acceptable, decent interface. Nothing fancy, but nothing ugly as well. The icons are modern Leopard type, and the lists and other options are quite fitting with the rest of the iPhone apps. 
Verdict: Not too bad. Not something extraordinary either. 

MobileFinder 
This one sort of gives me the creeps. The foldericons used are very similar to the ones left behind in Tiger. There is no separator between files. However, I admit the file icons themselves are very meaningful and easy to recognise. 
Verdict: Shabby but meaningful icons. Looks plain, but works just fine. 

FileMagnet 
This is something I can get on board with. The only app with a dark theme to it, nice icons and clean lines. But that’s where the interface ends as there is not much to talk about beyond that.  
Verdict: Only skin deep. 

DataCase
As much as I like this app, I hate its welcome screen. It features an ugly circle which depicts the amount of disk used with relation to the free space. The text blocks at the bottom feel almost like from some old sci-fi movie, and they seriously need to reconsider it. However, once one gets into the file manager, things start to look up. Clean lines, nice icons and a nicely thought out interface. One thing that does bother me is the icon of the app itself. While well designed, it stands out from among the rest of them, due to it being a tad bit smaller than the rest. This is inconsistency among icons makes it somewhat annoying. 
Verdict: Aside from the ugly welcome screen, DataCase has a really pleasant interface. 

File management

What’s a file manager good for if it cannot manage files? Note that all these applications can open up the default file types supported by the iPhone. So Doc, xls, PDFs, movies and such are all opened up by these applications. 

Files
Aside from creating folders to organise documents, files features a nice document reader. For one the controls disappear at the tap of a finger so the full screen is utilised. Secondly it can read either in portrait or landscape mode. And third, it takes off where you left off when opening documents which is handy while browsing large files. Files also features a search option, but it can only search file titles in the current folder. It is more like a filter than a search tool actually. 
Verdict: Good file management features.  

MobileFinder
Standard features for creating and organising files in folders apply here as well. However, the interface of the document reader leaves much to be desired. Two thick bars occupy the top and the bottom at all times meaning one is left with very little screen real estate for any reading. Also it can only stay in portrait mode. One nifty feature is that pinching on an unformatted document not only makes the font larger, but it also redraws the lines so you don’t have to scroll horizontally. I also like the way one can reorganise files from within the application itself. Moving files, deleting, etc, is very much like the Mail app. iWork document support. 
Verdict: Aside from the extra use of screen real estate, the interface is just fine. iWork support is a major plus point. 

FileMagnet
Very scanty file management. One cannot create folders, nor move files around in folders. And even from the desktop, one has to download those files back to the mac and then dump them into whatever different folder order. Even viewing files is boring. It doesn’t continue where you left off, and there isn’t any controls for scrolling, etc. 
Verdict: Very basic file management features. Behaves more like a flash drive than a document manager. 

DataCase
Datacase has a nifty Filter button, which can show either all files, or only Movies, Documents, Music, Photos and such. Viewing documents is also a pleasure. With Pagedown/Pageup controls, as well as Home/End buttons, navigating documents is a breeze. Again, it remembers where you left off which is handy. And with the latest update, support for iWork, as well as a full screen mode for document viewing is added. 
Verdict: Very good management features. Well thought out interface.  

Final Shout

DataCase is the ultimate winner in this shootout. This doesn’t mean that the other applications are crap. But the ease of use, the interface as well as file handling is ultimately superior in DataCase. Files would be a close runner up in my opinion with MobileFinder taking the third place. However, MobileFinder is much cheaper than either of the two, and is iWork compatible, so give it a serious thought. FileMagnet can only be considered after it gets real and offers PC support as well as fix those connectivity issues.