# Open Access Helper vs SciSpace

The clearest difference is rating: Open Access Helper at 4.0 against SciSpace's 3.2. Open Access Helper also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 13%). SciSpace's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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 holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 6 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Open Access Helper's written reviews are positive against 13% of SciSpace's.

Open Access Helper ships an update monthly, SciSpace fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Open Access Helper | SciSpace |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-access-helper/id1592826205/reviews)** | [3.2 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scispace/id6742434138/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **6** |
| Positive reviews | **50.0% of reviews** | 12.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 11 MB | 78 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Claus Wolf](https://appshunter.io/developer/1441254407) | [PubGenius Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1798128342) |

## 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


### SciSpace

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scispace/id6742434138)

This AI-powered research companion helps academics, researchers, and students accelerate literature reviews. It allows users to search millions of papers using natural language, extract key insights from documents, and receive citation-backed answers to their queries.

**Highlights:** AI-powered semantic search, Instant paper insights extraction, Citation-backed answers, Access to 270+ million papers, Multilingual support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**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 SciSpace free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Open Access Helper or SciSpace?

Open Access Helper is rated higher. Open Access Helper averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while SciSpace averages 3.2 from 6 ratings.

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

Neither Open Access Helper nor SciSpace shows ads.

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

Open Access Helper ships an update monthly, and SciSpace fortnightly. Most recently, Open Access Helper was updated on September 15, 2026 and SciSpace on September 22, 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.*