References vs PrivatAI
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
References
Browse and interact with your BibTeX libraries on your mobile device. View references, follow links, and access file attachments like PDFs. Supports both classic BibTeX and BibLaTeX formats.
- Browse BibTeX libraries
- Search references
- Follow links (DOIs, URLs)
- View file attachments (PDFs)
- Supports BibLaTeX
- Group by keywords
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Carry your BibTeX libraries with you on your iPad and iPhone! A BibTeX library is a collection of bibliographic references (papers, books, reports, etc.), designed to work with the LaTeX typesetting system. Each library is stored in a specially-formatted text file (typically ending in .bib), which you can create with your favourite text editor. The References app gives you an easy way to browse through and interact with your BibTeX libraries. You can scroll, search, follow links, and view file attachments. In particular: - The app creates links from DOIs, MathSciNet references, ACM IDs, and of course URLs. - The app understands elementary LaTeX, so if your titles and/or abstracts contain markup or mathematics (and if your LaTeX is simple enough) then the app can display them nicely. - If you used BibDesk or JabRef to create your library, the app can view your file attachments (e.g., PDFs that you have attached to your references). - You can view references grouped by keywords, if you use the Keywords field in your BibTeX libraries. You can also view all of your smart/static groups from BibDesk, and your dynamic/static groups from JabRef. - The app supports BibLaTeX libraries as well as classic BibTeX. The References app can open BibTeX libraries from anywhere on your device. In particular, you can use iCloud Drive to keep them synchronised between your devices. This app is read-only, not an editor. It takes great care in helping you view and explore BibTeX libraries and their links and file attachments; however, it does not provide a way to modify your libraries. References is lovingly created by human hands. FILE ATTACHMENTS: To view file attachments (e.g., PDFs), the path to each file should be included in the corresponding entry in your BibTeX library. You can do this using the specially encoded Bdsk-File-* fields (as used by BibDesk), or the plain text File field (as used by JabRef). If you are writing your BibTeX files by hand, just add a File field giving the location of the attachment, such as File = {../PDFs/foo.pdf}. You can tell References where to find these attachments by linking folders in your app settings. The app will look for your attachments within these folders – for example, if you link your Documents folder then the app will be able to match the BibTeX field {../PDFs/foo.pdf} to a real location such as Documents/PDFs/foo.pdf or Documents/foo.pdf. The app is able to read attachments stored on your device, or on iCloud Drive, or on third-party providers including Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, Nextcloud or OneDrive. If you are having trouble viewing attachments from a third-party provider, please mail the References developer with the details. FURTHER INFORMATION: To learn more about BibTeX, see http://www.bibtex.org/ .
PrivatAI
This AI assistant operates entirely offline, ensuring your conversations and data remain private on your device. It offers task-specific AI models for various needs like writing, learning, and coding, all without requiring an internet connection or user accounts.
- 100% Offline operation
- Complete privacy, no tracking
- Task-specific AI assistants
- Intelligent conversation support
- Free to use, no hidden fees
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Your AI. Your Device. Your Rules. PrivatAI is the ultimate personal AI assistant that runs completely offline - no internet, no accounts, no tracking. Your conversations stay between you and you, exactly how it should be. Delete a chat, gone forever - even for you. Whether you’re brainstorming ideas, managing tasks, learning something new, or just need a smart assistant on the go, PrivatAI delivers powerful, intelligent support tailored to your needs - without ever sending your data to the cloud. Key Features: - 100% Offline: No internet required - your data never leaves your device. - Truly Private: No sign-up, no accounts, no tracking. Ever. - Task-Specific Assistants: Choose from a range of built-in AI assistants for writing, organizing, learning, coding, and more. - Smart Conversations: Get intelligent answers, ideas, summaries, and help with whatever you’re working on. - Completely Free: No subscriptions. No hidden fees. Perfect for: - Writers, students, professionals, and creatives - Those who value privacy and control - Anyone needing instant AI help - without the cloud and offline. Take back control of your AI experience with PrivatAI - offline, powerful, and 100% yours.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: PrivatAI at Free against References's $4.99. PrivatAI also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly) and review sentiment (100% vs 89%). References's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (25 vs 4). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
PrivatAI is free to download; References costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
References holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: References has 25 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 89% of References's written reviews are positive against 100% of PrivatAI's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
References ships an update monthly, PrivatAI every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | References | PrivatAI |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.9 (25 ratings) — better | 4.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 88.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 25 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 87 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Benjamin Burton | oodash Group AB (publ) |
Customer experience
References
PrivatAI
In-app purchases
References
No in-app purchases
PrivatAI
No in-app purchases









