Comparison

Index vs Photon Access

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

Head to head
About

Index

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Close all those open tabs without the fear of forgetting them. Just click, Index and search later. Find a recipe you want to try? A restaurant? That smoothy blender youโ€™ve been waiting to buy... Index it, and search for โ€œfoodโ€ later to find it all. Happy Indexing!

About

Photon Access

Features
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Photon Access turns your phone into the key for your building. Open the gate and the lift with a tap โ€” or turn on touchless and let the door open as you walk up, without taking your phone out. EVERY DOOR YOU'RE ALLOWED, IN ONE PLACE Your buildings, and the doors you've been granted in each, on a single screen. Tap to open. If you're out of range, the app tells you plainly instead of leaving you guessing. WALK UP AND IT OPENS Turn on touchless and Photon Access notices when you arrive at your own doors and opens them for you. It stays off until you switch it on, it only ever watches for your own doors, and you can turn it off at any time. LET A VISITOR OR A COURIER IN Send one link. It opens your doors for a single visit and then expires, and it works even if they have never installed the app. Afterwards your history shows what actually happened at the door, so you know whether they got in. JOIN YOUR BUILDING IN SECONDS Invited by your building manager? Your access appears on its own. Invited by phone number? Enter the code you were sent. FOR BUILDING MANAGERS Set up access controllers, add and remove residents, issue and revoke cards, and manage units across every building you look after โ€” from the same app. ENGLISH AND ARABIC Fully localised, including right-to-left layout. PRIVACY Photon Access uses Bluetooth to reach the controller at your door, and location only if you turn touchless on. Your location is never sold, shared, or used for advertising, and the app contains no tracking or advertising SDK. You can delete your account from Settings at any time. Photon Access works with Photon Smart access controllers installed in your building. If you are not sure whether yours are supported, ask your building manager.

Screenshots

Index3 screens
Photon Access4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Photon Access at every 5 weeks against Index's every 15 months. Index's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Index ships an update every 15 months, Photon Access every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Index versus Photon Access: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIndexPhoton Access
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 15 monthsEvery 5 weeks โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPod โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 โ€” better18.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size1 MB41 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperJoseph ThomMark Ragaee

In-app purchases

None

Index

No in-app purchases

None

Photon Access

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Index free?
Index is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Photon Access free?
Photon Access is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Index or Photon Access have ads?
Neither Index nor Photon Access shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Index or Photon Access?
Index ships an update every 15 months, and Photon Access every 5 weeks. Most recently, Index was updated on September 22, 2026 and Photon Access on September 21, 2026.

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