Survey of free ad free Android file explorer apps you use & why you like them (perhaps to replace ES File Explorer evilware)

[Arlen Holder]

What is your favorite free ad-free Android file explorer & why do you like it?

In another thread today, The Real Bev mentioned in a sub topic the
use of the canonical ES File Explorer, where the tangent came up as to what's
a decent replacement for the now-deprecated ES File Explorer functionality?
o <https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/WmwPEnsF-TM/m/-01jRAnDCAAJ>

My initial response to "The Real Bev" is here, regarding ES File Explorer:
o <https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/WmwPEnsF-TM/m/g4QcNZ7MCAAJ>

Where I open this thread to ask what others find as suitable replacements.
Q: What is your favorite free Android file explorer & why do you like it?

For starters, I currently have a dozen file explorers on my Moto G7 Android 10:
o <https://i.postimg.cc/ZYFyBmHF/files02.jpg>

Generally, I give apps only one strike, where I then order them, generally
best to worst in my desktop folders, and I only use freeware, where I lean
toward simple functional no nonsense but capable file explorers with good
settings & options such as, oh, offhand these are all in the apps noted:
o Ability to see both the internal storage & external sdcard storage
o Ability to set favorites for easy access to often-used folders
o Ability to sort files by file types (e.g., video, apk, image, etc.)
o Ability to sort files by file attributes (e.g., size, name, date, etc.)
o Ability to filter by file attribute or type (e.g., filter text files only)
o Ability to search on file name and/or file attributes
o Ability to perform file operations (e.g., copy, move, delete, etc.)
o Ability to delete to the recycle bin (or delete permanently, as desired)
o Ability to show recent files, file history, recently deleted items, etc.
o Ability to show thumbnails (turn them on or off as desired)
o Ability to remember paths (e.g., open to the last path used prior)
o Ability to save & clear history (if desired)
o Ability to install APKs (when enabled)
o Ability to create desktop shortcuts
o Ability to create Zip files or to archive files as desired
o Ability password protect file deletion & moving (if desired)
o Ability to create symbolic links (if rooted)
o Ability to manage custom date & time formats
o Ability to manage custom fonts and colors
o Ability to show/hide hidden items
o Ability to change TEXT encoding when creating text files
o Ability to set the default editor for specific file types

Note: While I defer to F-Droid (via Aurora Droid), I'll give the Google Play
links for each of the apps below since most people use Google Play
(but folks should understand that sometimes the _same_ app has slightly
different functionality depending on the repository).

In order of the screenshot above, these are, I think, the app links:
1. File Manager, by Simple Mobile Tools
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.simplemobiletools.filemanager>

2. MiXplorer File Manager, by Hootan Parsa
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mixplorer.silver>

3. Amaze File Manager, by Team Amaze
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.amaze.filemanager>

4. OI File Manager, by OpenIntents
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.openintents.filemanager>

5. Dir File Manager, by pxHouse
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.veniosg.dir>

6. Simple Explorer, by Emil Suleymanov
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sssemil.dnielfe.manager>

7. Files by Google: Clean up space on your phone, by Google LLC
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.nbu.files>

8. X-plore File Manager, by Lonely Cat Games
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lonelycatgames.Xplore>

9. Cx File Explorer, by Cx File Explorer
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cxinventor.file.explorer>

10. FX File Explorer: the file manager with privacy, by NextApp, Inc.
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nextapp.fx>

11. File Explorer, part of the GitHub MiCode organization
<https://f-droid.org/en/packages/net.micode.fileexplorer/>

12. MK Explorer (File manager), by kormateusz
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.mkexplorer.kormateusz>

In summary, the purpose of this thread is to help each of us find good free
ad free Android file explorer apps which perform the functions we need.

Hence, the question to answer in this thread is...
Q: What is your favorite free ad-free Android file explorer & why do you like it?
--
Posted out of the goodness of my heart to learn & disseminate good info.