# Open Access Helper — skip the academic paywall > Find legal, free scholarly articles and connect to university library proxies. (iPhone/iPad app by Claus Wolf.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-access-helper/id1592826205 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Claus Wolf](https://appshunter.io/developer/1441254407) - Category: Education, Productivity - Price: Free - Rating: 4.00/5 from 4 App Store ratings · 2 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 17+ - Requires: iOS 17.6 · 11 MB - Languages: American English, German (Germany) - Released: 2021-11-05 - Data updated: 2026-09-02 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-access-helper/id1592826205/reviews.md ## What is Open Access Helper? Open Access Helper: Effortless Access to Scholarly Articles Unlock Open Access Easily find legal, free-to-read versions of paywalled scientific articles. Open Access Helper uses the trusted APIs from unpaywall.org and other sources to locate open access copies, making research more accessible for students, researchers, and curious minds. How It Works When you view a research article, the extension detects its DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and checks for an available open access version. Simply click the Open Access Helper badge to access the document! As you hover over the badge, it will indicate whether you’ll be accessing the “Published Version,” “Accepted Version,” or “Submitted Version.” EZProxy or OpenAthens Made Simple If your university library uses EZProxy or OpenAthens for off-campus access, this extension makes it seamless to connect. Just set your institution’s domain (e.g., harvard.edu), and with one click, you can proxy the current page through your library’s server. 100% Legal and Privacy-Respecting Every link provided leads to officially open-access or legally archived copies of research articles. Plus, Open Access Helper doesn’t collect personal data—just anonymous usage stats to improve functionality. Open Source & Developer-Friendly This is a passion project—check out the code, share feedback, or report bugs. Your contributions and ideas are always welcome! Get started today—make research easier and more accessible with Open Access Helper! ## Key features - Find legal, free scholarly articles - Access paywalled research - Integrates with unpaywall.org and core.ac.uk - Seamless EZProxy/OpenAthens connection - Indicates version type (Published, Accepted, Submitted) - Open-source and privacy-respecting ## Recent user reviews (2 of 2) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-access-helper/id1592826205/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Exactly what I was looking for *2024-11-28, version 2024.1* Does exactly what it says and provides me with more than simply unpaywall in a nice neat app. Love the simplicity. Love the in app search feature. Love the fact that there isn’t a subscription model (I’d be quite happy to pay a one time fee - a donation page might be handy) ### 1/5 — Doesn’t even download *2022-01-12, version 2022.1* Doesn’t even download. Kinda pointless ## Frequently asked questions about Open Access Helper ### What is Open Access Helper? Open Access Helper is a tool designed to help users find legal, free-to-read versions of scientific articles that are typically behind a paywall. It leverages APIs from unpaywall.org and core.ac.uk to locate these open access copies. ### How does Open Access Helper work? When you encounter a research article, the extension detects its DOI and searches for an available open access version. A badge will appear, allowing you to click and access the document, indicating whether it's the 'Published Version,' 'Accepted Version,' or 'Submitted Version.' ### Can Open Access Helper help with university library access? Yes, if your university uses EZProxy or OpenAthens for off-campus access, Open Access Helper simplifies this. You can set your institution's domain, and with one click, proxy the current page through your library's server. ### Is Open Access Helper legal and safe to use? Absolutely. Every link provided by Open Access Helper leads to officially open-access or legally archived copies of research articles. The extension also does not collect personal data, only anonymous usage statistics. ### What devices does Open Access Helper support? Open Access Helper is available for Mac, iPhone, and iPad, making it accessible across multiple Apple platforms for your research needs. ### Is Open Access Helper free to use? Yes, Open Access Helper is completely free to use. It is a passion project developed by Claus Wolf and is available at no cost to users. ### Does Open Access Helper have ads? No, Open Access Helper does not contain advertisements. It is designed to provide an uninterrupted research experience. ### How often is Open Access Helper updated? The latest version of Open Access Helper is 2026.2, which was last updated on February 12, 2026. This indicates regular updates to maintain functionality and compatibility. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2026.8 — 2026-08-25 New: Facet filters for OpenAlex searches: narrow results by subject, author affiliation, and type, so you're not scrolling through 4,000 papers to find the one you need. Additionally, I patched a small security quirk before it could cause any mischief - thanks to Yujie Xing (邢语杰) of Shandong University who spotted and responsibly disclosed it. ### 2026.7.1 — 2026-07-18 Fixed a small display bug on iPad, sorry if you were inconvenienced by the bug! ### 2026.7 — 2026-07-14 A number of smaller bug fixes that are designed to enhance your experience and the stability of the app ### 2026.6.1 — 2026-06-11 A little bug annoyed one of my most loyal users, so I fixed it right away! Always feel free to reach out, if you find something! ### 2026.6 — 2026-06-09 This update includes several minor bug fixes improving overall stability and reliability. Additionally, the core.ac.uk Discovery source for Open Access copies has been removed. It was rarely used in practice and served almost exclusively as a last-resort fallback, so removing it keeps the addon leaner without any meaningful impact on functionality. ## Apps similar to Open Access Helper | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Plagiarism Checker and Remover](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plagiarism-checker-and-remover/id6737593361) | 4.6 (27) | Free | Education | | [R Discovery: Academic Research](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/r-discovery-academic-research/id1508182175) | 4.8 (910) | Free | Education | | [AI Homework Helper Ask,Solver](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ai-homework-helper-asksolver/id6742231120) | 4.4 (132) | Free | Education | | [Grayd for HAC](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grayd-for-hac/id6451505759) | 4.6 (13) | Free | Education | | [Arcadia High Mobile](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcadia-high-mobile/id1305220468) | 4.2 (57) | Free | Education | | [Global Plagiarism Checker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/global-plagiarism-checker/id6581483487) | — | Free | Education | ## Related topics [open access helper](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/open-access-helper) · [open access](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/open-access) · [paywall](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/paywall) · [my open access](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/my-open-access) · [the open university of israel](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/the-open-university-of-israel) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-02.*