# LOC Collections vs Open Access Helper

LOC Collections and Open Access Helper both sit at 3.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 50% of Open Access Helper's written reviews are positive against 27% of LOC Collections's. Open Access Helper also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). LOC Collections's advantage is ratings volume (35 vs 4) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.6). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.9 for LOC Collections against 4.0 for Open Access Helper. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LOC Collections has 35 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 27% of LOC Collections's written reviews are positive against 50% of Open Access Helper's.

LOC Collections ships an update every 2 months, Open Access Helper monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | LOC Collections | Open Access Helper |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.9 (35 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/loc-collections/id1446790792/reviews) | **[4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-access-helper/id1592826205/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **35** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 27.3% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 23 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Library Of Congress](https://appshunter.io/developer/380309748) | [Claus Wolf](https://appshunter.io/developer/1441254407) |

## What reviewers say

### LOC Collections

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/loc-collections/id1446790792)

Access and explore millions of digitized items from the world's largest library. Discover iconic photos, historic maps, books, films, and manuscripts. Save, share, and zoom in on details within the vast digital archives.

**Highlights:** Access millions of digitized items, Explore photos, maps, books, and films, Search and browse collections, Save and share favorites, Zoom in for detailed image exploration, Read historic books and newspapers, Watch early films

**In-app purchases:** none


### Open Access Helper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-access-helper/id1592826205)

Easily find legal, free versions of paywalled scientific articles using trusted APIs. Seamlessly connect to university library proxies like EZProxy and OpenAthens. This open-source tool respects your privacy and makes research more accessible.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Safari Extension, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is LOC Collections free?

LOC Collections is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Open Access Helper free?

Open Access Helper is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, LOC Collections or Open Access Helper?

Open Access Helper is rated higher. LOC Collections averages 3.9 out of 5 from 35 ratings, while Open Access Helper averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do LOC Collections or Open Access Helper have ads?

Neither LOC Collections nor Open Access Helper shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, LOC Collections or Open Access Helper?

LOC Collections ships an update every 2 months, and Open Access Helper monthly. Most recently, LOC Collections was updated on October 24, 2026 and Open Access Helper on October 19, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*