I've tried so many Android file managers over the years. I've seen those that look good but lack features, those that have too many features and a pleasing aesthetic, and those that look terrible and don't have enough features.

It's been a tiresome journey, one that eventually had me giving up and sticking with the default. Until now.

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Recently, I stumbled upon Material Files, which is an open-source Android app, and I almost instantly proclaimed it the perfect Android file manager. It looks native on my Pixel 9 Pro and has exactly the right amount of features. When you open Material Files, you would think that it was built by Google specifically for Android, but it's not.

Material Files is developed by Hai Zhang and, to my surprise, is free to install and use and has no pesky in-app purchases. How can this be? Well, it is, and I'm not about to look this gift horse in the chompers.

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