Comparison

List Bud vs Elephant Folio

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

Head to head
About

List Bud

Features
Read full description

ListBud is the fast, friendly way to make lists and get things done — on your own or with anyone. Create a list in seconds, check things off with a tap, and share it when you need a second pair of hands. PRIVATE LISTS — Your everyday lists, always one tap away. Create a list in seconds and add tasks just as fast. Drag to reorder, swipe to rename, recolor, or delete. Keep them on your device, or sign in to back up and sync across devices — your choice, toggle it anytime. SHARED LISTS — Groceries, chores, trip planning — do it together. Share a list with family or friends using their short ListBud ID. Everyone sees changes as they happen, and you can see exactly who's on each list. PUBLIC LISTS — Some lists are for everyone. Publish a list and share it with a simple link. Anyone can open it right in their browser — no app needed. MORE THAN CHECKBOXES — Every list can mix and match: tasks you tap to complete, notes for the details, places and addresses next to the plan, and reminders that repeat daily, weekly, or yearly with per-device control. MAKE IT YOURS — Color-code lists and tasks, learn the ropes with the in-app quick guide, and sign in with Apple or Google — or skip sign-in entirely and keep everything local. Get your lists together. Get ListBud. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Elephant Folio

This app automatically organizes your PDF documents using on-device AI. It intelligently files, tags, and categorizes PDFs from various sources, making them easily searchable. Your documents remain private and accessible across all your Apple devices.

Highlights
  • On-device AI for automatic filing
  • Intelligent tagging and categorization
  • Cross-device library sync via iCloud
  • Capture PDFs from Safari, Mail, and camera
  • Full-text search including document content
  • Offline-first functionality
  • Siri Shortcuts integration
Features
Read full description

Elephant Folio is a PDF organizer built for people who read a lot of PDFs. Bring a paper in from Safari, Mail, or anywhere on your device, and Elephant Folio files it for you; based on what's inside of it, not just the filename. The folders get made. The tags get applied. You keep reading. Rules that organize for you Set a rule once and every matching document gets tagged automatically. Match on filename, file contents, author, and more. Rules run the moment a file arrives, and you can re-run them on any file in your whole library anytime. No more tagging one file at a time. Smart organizing, on by default When Apple Intelligence is available on one of your devices, Elephant Folio can also read and tag documents on its own. Your documents stay yours Everything stays on your devices. Nothing is uploaded anywhere. Capture from anywhere The Share extension works across Safari, Mail, Files, and anything else that can hand off a PDF. Scan a physical page and it's filed before you put your phone down and your rules apply instantly. Search that actually reaches Not just filenames. Not just folders. Text, tags, and document content, so the thing you're looking for turns up even when you don't remember what you called it. One library across all your devices iCloud keeps Mac, iPad, and iPhone in sync — down to the exact page you left off on. Files live in your Documents folder and open in any app that reads PDFs. Siri Shortcuts let Elephant Folio fit inside whatever system you've already built for yourself. Import from anywhere (even from the browser on a Windows): As long as you can access your iCloud folder, you can drag your PDF documents to Elephant Folio and they will be imported next time you open the app. No internet? No problem Elephant Folio is a privacy-centric, offline-first app. Capture, read, tag, and search anywhere. The only network requests this app makes are ones to Apple's servers for iCloud syncing or those to fetch metadata from CrossRef/ArXiv/Pubmed. The elephant never forgets. Now neither do you. By using this app you agree to Apple's standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula

Screenshots

List Bud4 screens
Elephant Folio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Elephant Folio at every 2 days against List Bud's every 3 weeks. List Bud's advantage is iOS requirement (13.4 vs 26.0). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. List Bud sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month and Elephant Folio sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

List Bud ships an update every 3 weeks, Elephant Folio every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
List Bud versus Elephant Folio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterList BudElephant Folio
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS13.4 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB95 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperScott HarrisonBeroea Tech L.L.C

In-app purchases

1 purchases

List Bud

Subscriptions1
  • Listbud Pro$2.991 Month
3 purchases

Elephant Folio

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$4.001 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$25.001 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime License$55.00

Questions

Is List Bud free?
List Bud is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Elephant Folio free?
Elephant Folio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do List Bud or Elephant Folio have ads?
Neither List Bud nor Elephant Folio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, List Bud or Elephant Folio?
List Bud ships an update every 3 weeks, and Elephant Folio every 2 days. Most recently, List Bud was updated on October 12, 2026 and Elephant Folio on October 24, 2026.

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