# Open Access Helper vs RACP

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: RACP at 12.0 against Open Access Helper's 17.6. On price, update cadence, 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.

Open Access Helper ships an update monthly, RACP fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Open Access Helper | RACP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-access-helper/id1592826205/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **4** | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 11 MB | 63 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Claus Wolf](https://appshunter.io/developer/1441254407) | [khemra ly](https://appshunter.io/developer/1454093664) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### RACP

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/racp/id6739447469)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Open Access Helper free?

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

### Is RACP free?

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

### Do Open Access Helper or RACP have ads?

Neither Open Access Helper nor RACP shows ads.

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

Open Access Helper ships an update monthly, and RACP fortnightly. Most recently, Open Access Helper was updated on November 3, 2026 and RACP on November 4, 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.*