When comparing Material Files vs Dir - Open Source File Manager, the Slant community recommends Material Files for most people. In the question“What are the best Open Source and ad-free file managers (with root explorer) for Android?” Material Files is ranked 3rd while Dir - Open Source File Manager is ranked 4th. The most important reason people chose Material Files is:
On GitHub with GNU General Public License v3.0
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Open Source
On GitHub with GNU General Public License v3.0
Pro Light on resources
The app doesn't take up much storage space; dark mode serves as a battery-saver.
Pro Privacy-focused
This app doesn't collect any of your private data and it doesn't require any unnecessary permissions.
Cons
Con Enhancements desired
As this is still relatively new, there are a number of enhancements to make this feature parable with other file managers
Con Out of date
Latest commit on Mar 26, 2018
Con Very Basic
It has basic features only. You can copy, paste, move files but no root explorer, SMB etc .