SMB client for iPad & iPhone
Connect Your iPad to Your NAS
Your NAS holds the files; your iPad is where you actually are. EmpiricCommander connects iPad and iPhone to any SMB share - a Synology or QNAP NAS, a Windows PC, or a Mac with file sharing on - and gives you a real dual-pane file manager on top of it. Servers on your network are discovered automatically, and the same connection works on the Mac app under one license.
$49.99 one-time · no subscription · macOS, iPad & iPhone
Insecure SMB1-only servers are refused
Servers appear in the connect form
Local, cloud, or SFTP on the other
A real file manager for your network shares
Found on your network
The connect form browses your network via Bonjour and lists SMB servers it finds - pick one instead of typing an address. Manual host entry works too.
Dual-pane with the NAS
Open the share in one pane and a local folder, SFTP server, or S3 bucket in the other. Copy, move, rename, delete, and create folders - both directions.
NAS to cloud, directly
Drag files from the share straight to any other connection - SFTP, S3, WebDAV, Google Drive, Dropbox - without a detour through exports or a Mac.
Photos onto the NAS
Your photo library browses as a folder tree in the other pane - All Photos, Albums, Years, Screenshots - so photos and videos copy from the phone to the share without a Mac in the middle. Nothing is re-encoded, so originals land byte for byte with their dates and locations. Run the same album again later and only what is new for that share is copied. It is a manual copy, not a scheduled backup.
Real transfers
Streaming uploads and downloads with progress and cancel, so multi-gigabyte files move reliably from iPad and iPhone.
Guest or password sign-in
Sign in with a username and password - stored in the system Keychain, never in config files - or connect as guest to open shares.
SMB1 refused
Connections negotiate SMB 3, up to 3.1.1, and sign with AES-CMAC. Servers that only offer the insecure SMB1 protocol are refused with a clear explanation instead of a silent downgrade.
Why not just use the Files app?
Apple's Files app can mount an SMB share, and for opening the occasional document that is enough. But it gives you a single list view, no visibility into transfers, and no way to move files from the share to anywhere except another mounted location.
EmpiricCommander treats the share like any other connection in a dual-pane file manager: the NAS in one pane, anything else in the other - local storage, another server, or cloud storage - with batch rename, archive browsing, and Quick Look on top.
- Auto-discovery of SMB servers on your network (Bonjour)
- Dual-pane drag-and-drop between the share and any other connection
- Transfer progress and cancel, streaming for large files
- Batch rename and archive browsing directly on the share
Works with what you already run
Anything that speaks SMB 2 or newer works: Synology, QNAP, TrueNAS, Unraid, a Windows PC with file sharing enabled, or a Mac with File Sharing turned on in System Settings. No agent or companion software to install on the server - it is the same protocol your desktop already uses.
The same saved connection profile works on Mac, iPad, and iPhone. One $49.99 purchase covers all three devices, so the NAS you set up on the tablet is one tap away on the phone and the desktop.
Connections negotiate SMB 3, up to 3.1.1, with AES-CMAC signing as of 2.14 - the same dialect the Mac app speaks. Older servers are met at the highest dialect they offer, down to SMB 2. AFP and NFS are not supported. On iPad and iPhone, while a large transfer runs on a share, browsing that same share waits until it finishes; the Mac app browses and transfers on the same share simultaneously.
Credentials handled properly
Share passwords are stored in the system Keychain on each device, never in plaintext files. Guest access works for open shares without storing anything. And because insecure SMB1-only servers are refused outright, you will not silently connect over a protocol that has been deprecated for years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I connect my iPad to a NAS?
Yes. EmpiricCommander connects iPad and iPhone to any NAS or computer that shares files over SMB 2 or newer - Synology, QNAP, TrueNAS, Unraid, Windows file sharing, or macOS File Sharing. Servers on your network are auto-discovered via Bonjour.
Does it work with Synology or QNAP?
Yes. Both share files over standard SMB, which is enabled by default on current DSM and QTS versions. Ensure SMB 2 or later is allowed on the server; EmpiricCommander refuses servers that only offer the insecure SMB1 protocol.
Can I copy files from my NAS to cloud storage from the iPad?
Yes. Open the share in one pane and an SFTP server, S3 bucket, WebDAV server, Google Drive, or Dropbox in the other, and copy directly. Transfers pass through the device, like any client-side tool.
Can I copy photos from my iPhone straight to the NAS?
Yes. The photo library opens as a folder tree in one pane and the share in the other, so photos and videos copy directly from the device to the NAS - something the Files app cannot do, because it has no access to the photo library at all. Nothing is re-encoded, so the originals arrive byte for byte with their dates and locations, and access to the library is read-only. Running the same album again copies only what is new for that share. It is a copy you start, not a background backup: there is no schedule and nothing runs on its own.
Which SMB version does it use?
SMB 3 as of version 2.14, negotiated up to 3.1.1 and signed with AES-CMAC. Older servers are met at the highest dialect they offer, down to SMB 2. SMB1-only servers are refused for security reasons, with a clear error telling you to enable SMB 2 or newer on the server.
Do I need to install anything on the NAS or PC?
No. It uses the same SMB file sharing your server already exposes - no agents, no companion apps, no cloud relay. Your files never leave your network unless you copy them somewhere else.
Is it a subscription?
No. A single $49.99 one-time purchase (per major version) covers 1 Mac, 1 iPad, and 1 iPhone, with a 7-day free trial that needs no credit card.