Comparison

Folio vs Padster

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Folio

Securely store and organize all your essential cards and documents in one digital wallet. Scan IDs, passports, gift cards, loyalty cards, and travel passes for instant access anytime, anywhere. Features include automatic organization, expiry alerts, and secure cloud backup.

Highlights
  • Scan and store IDs, passports, and licenses
  • Organize gift, loyalty, and membership cards
  • Manage travel tickets and bookings
  • Secure cloud backup and restore
  • Expiry alerts for documents
  • Encrypted storage for privacy
Features
Read full description

Scan, store, and organize all your cards and documents in one secure digital wallet. Folio is a smart wallet app that helps you keep your IDs, passport, driver's license, gift cards, loyalty cards, rewards cards, and travel passes safely in one place. Access your essentials anytime, anywhere. STORE ALL YOUR CARDS IN ONE WALLET Folio works as a card organizer and card storage app, helping you find what you need in seconds. Replace bulky wallets and scattered apps with one card wallet: - Credit and debit cards - Gift cards and balances - Loyalty cards and rewards cards - Membership and store cards SMART ID & PASSPORT SCANNER Scan once and quickly copy and paste details when filling forms. Use Folio’s built-in scanner to securely store: - Passport - Driver's license - National and personal IDs SMART TRAVEL ORGANIZER Planning a trip just got easier. Folio now includes a powerful travel organizer that lets you upload your flight tickets, boarding passes, train tickets, hotel bookings, and entrance passes by uploading a PDF, an image, or simply forwarding a confirmation email. Your travel pass, itinerary, and documents are automatically organized into a clean, searchable timeline. Whether you’re managing a vacation calendar or a business trip schedule, Folio keeps every ticket and confirmation securely stored inside your virtual wallet. BACK UP IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS Protect your most important information from loss, theft, or device damage. Create an account to securely back up and restore your documents on another device whenever needed. ONE SCAN, INSTANT ACCESS Scan cards and documents with your phone and instantly access them anytime. No more searching through emails, photos, or multiple apps. SECURE BY DESIGN Your privacy comes first. Every card and document is individually encrypted. Only you can decrypt and view your data (not even Folio). We use top-tier, industry-standard, multi-layer AES 256-bit encryption and are SOC 2 certified. NEVER MISS A RENEWAL Set expiry alerts for your passport, driver's license, or ID and get notified before they expire. ACCESS WHEREVER YOU GO Whether you’re traveling with family or living on the move, keep your documents with you. Access medical insurance, birth certificates, and important records anytime, anywhere. CARRY LESS. DO MORE. Folio is your everyday wallet app and card app, designed to help you live lighter and stay organized. Keep everything that matters in one secure virtual wallet, and always within reach.

About

Padster

Features
Read full description

Padster is a fast, offline-first notes app with a built-in password vault and secure secret sharing — built for developers and technical teams. Everything is encrypted on your device before it syncs. Your recovery passphrase never leaves your phone, so nobody can read your data — not even us. Every feature listed below is free. Padster has no subscription, no paid tier, and nothing to purchase inside the app. NOTES • Markdown notes with tags, folders and pinning • Daily notes and a calendar view • Full-text search and version history • Works completely offline VAULT • Passwords and credentials encrypted on your device • Built-in password generator • Encrypted backup, so losing your phone does not lose your logins DOCUMENTS • A personal wallet for passports, ID cards, bank cards and certificates • Attach scans and track expiry dates • Masked by default, revealed only when you tap SHARE SECRETS SAFELY • Send a password with a link and a PIN • Choose how long it lives: view once, one hour after opening, 24 hours, or 7 days • View-once secrets are destroyed the moment they are read • Revoke any share at any time, and see when it was opened SHARED WORKSPACES • Invite people to a space with its own notes, passwords and temporary secrets • Shared content is end-to-end encrypted, and removing a member rotates the keys • Members join with a single-use code — no email required SYNC AND WEB ACCESS • Sync across your devices, and open your notes in any browser at padster.ai • Encrypted cloud backup you can restore onto a new phone Your notes stay yours. Padster is offline-first by design and encrypted end to end. Privacy Policy: https://padster.ai/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Folio4 screens
Padster4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Folio at none against Padster's 2. Padster's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Padster sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Folio asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Folio ships an update every 8 days, Padster every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Folio versus Padster: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFolioPadster
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (6.9K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews63.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings6.9K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size228 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFolio Technologies LimitedSplat Apps Ltd.

Bugs and requests

Folio

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App freezes or crashes when adding cards
  • Photo capture not working as expected
  • Inability to log in or access account
  • Syncing issues between devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to manually edit/rearrange cards
  • Expand category options beyond just 'Other'
  • Improve backup and restore functionality
  • Add support for more ID/document types
  • Integrate with Apple Wallet or other platforms

Padster

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Folio

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Padster

Subscriptions2
  • Padster PRO$5.991 Month
  • Padster PRO$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Folio free?
Folio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Padster free?
Padster is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Folio or Padster have ads?
Folio shows ads; Padster does not.
Which is updated more often, Folio or Padster?
Folio ships an update every 8 days, and Padster every 5 days. Most recently, Folio was updated on November 12, 2026 and Padster on October 30, 2026.

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