Comparison

Paperparrot vs TagSpaces

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

Head to head
About

Paperparrot

Organize your documents effortlessly with this native client for Paperless-ngx. Upload, scan, and secure files in various formats. Enjoy offline access, custom views, and powerful search capabilities.

Highlights
  • Connect to multiple Paperless-ngx instances
  • Add documents in various formats
  • Scan documents via camera or network scanner
  • Secure documents with Face/Touch ID
  • Extensive search and Spotlight support
  • Create custom document views
  • Offline document synchronization
Features
Read full description

Paperparrot is an app designed to make organizing your documents easy and it's completely compatible with Paperless-ngx. Features: - Connect to multiple Paperless-ngx-Instances - Add documents in various formats like PDF, JPEG, PNG, TXT or office documents - Scan documents from right within Paperparrot using your phones camera or an Airscan-capable network scanner - Secure your documents using Face-/Touch-ID - Extensive search capabilities - Support for Spotlight search to find documents from your home screen - Create custom views to easily access sets of documents - Share documents to Paperparrot from other apps - Synchronize documents from your Paperless-ng(x) server to your device for offline access - Built in support for push notifications from your server (additional setup required)* - Dark mode! * The free version of Paperparrot is limited to six documents and some features like custom queries and push notifications are unavailable. These limitation can be removed through an in-app purchase. There is both a one-time purchase or an optional auto-renewing subscription (1 month free trial included). The one-time purchase unlocks all current and future updates. With the subscription, all features are available for the duration of your subscription. Both the subscription and one-time purchase can be shared with your family. Paperparrot is licensed under the Apple standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

TagSpaces

Organize your files, notes, and documents with tags and plain text. Keep your data private and offline, with no tracking or cloud lock-in. Access and manage all your content directly on your device or in your iCloud Drive.

Highlights
  • Organize with tags
  • Search by name or tags
  • Create notes in plain text, Markdown, or HTML
  • View media files
  • 100% offline functionality
  • Open source core
Features
Read full description

TagSpaces is a private, offline file organizer and note-taking app. Browse, tag, and find your documents, photos, notes, and PDFs — all kept on your device or in your own iCloud Drive. No account, no sign-up, no cloud lock-in, and no tracking. Most apps push your files into someone else's cloud. TagSpaces does the opposite: your data stays yours, in plain files and folders you fully control, readable with or without the app. Organize with tags • Add tags directly into filenames or store them in sidecar files • Group and color your tags for fast visual sorting • Works across all your folders — no proprietary database Find anything, fast • Search by name or tags with fuzzy matching • Filter and narrow down large folders in seconds Notes & to-dos • Create notes in plain text, Markdown, or HTML • Keep simple task lists with the built-in editor View your media • Open images, PDFs, audio, and video right in the app • Preview and manage documents without extra tools Private and offline by design • 100% offline — no internet connection required • No ads, no analytics, no accounts • Your files live on your device and in your iCloud Drive, and integrate with the iOS Files app Open source you can trust The TagSpaces core is open source (AGPL), so anyone can verify how it handles your data. TagSpaces Pro Unlock advanced features with an in-app purchase, including downloading and clipping web pages and files from a URL, and more power tools for your workflow. Part of a cross-platform suite TagSpaces is also available for Mac, Windows, Linux, and the web — organize the same folders everywhere, your way. Take back control of your files. Download TagSpaces and turn your phone into a private, offline home for everything that matters.

Screenshots

Paperparrot4 screens
TagSpaces4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Paperparrot at 5.0 against TagSpaces's 1.0. Paperparrot also leads on ratings volume (17 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Paperparrot sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per year and TagSpaces sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Paperparrot holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Paperparrot has 17 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Paperparrot ships an update every 5 weeks, TagSpaces every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Paperparrot versus TagSpaces: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPaperparrotTagSpaces
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (17 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews86.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings17 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB219 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLeo WehrfritzTagSpaces GmbH

Bugs and requests

Paperparrot

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • App crashes on start
  • Everything disappeared
  • Saved views in Paperless are mixed with other documents in the app
  • Custom fields and their values are not displayed correctly
  • Filtering by custom field values does not work
Show 7 more
  • Custom views based on custom fields do not work
  • Constant reloading needed when documents change
  • App stalls and doesn't let you choose another instance if current is not working
  • Duplicate imports of documents
  • Data loss in remaining entries after removing duplicates
  • Not all PDF files can be opened (e.g., converted EML files)
  • Scanner search is unreliable

Requested features

12 requests
  • AI assistant for document questions (like Gemini Notebook)
  • Integration with Openrouter for AI
  • Chinese language support
  • Improved multi-edit functionality (e.g., 'Select' button, bottom toolbar)
  • Integration with Files app
Show 7 more
  • Option to change theme colors
  • Scanner remembers last used options
  • Notification upon completion of large document processing
  • Ability to select tags without the list disappearing
  • Use archived document for display instead of original
  • Copy-paste document capture
  • Support for opening converted EML files directly

TagSpaces

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Paperparrot

Subscriptions1
  • Subscription (1 Year)1 Month trial$2.991 Year
One-time5
  • Generous Tip$0.99
  • Very Generous Tip$2.99
  • Subscription (1 Year)$2.99
Show 2 more
  • Unlock All Features$4.99
  • Super Generous Tip$9.99
1 purchases

TagSpaces

One-time1
  • TagSpaces Pro$29.99

Questions

Is Paperparrot free?
Paperparrot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TagSpaces free?
TagSpaces is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Paperparrot or TagSpaces?
Paperparrot is rated higher. Paperparrot averages 5.0 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while TagSpaces averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Paperparrot or TagSpaces have ads?
Neither Paperparrot nor TagSpaces shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Paperparrot or TagSpaces?
Paperparrot ships an update every 5 weeks, and TagSpaces every 3 weeks. Most recently, Paperparrot was updated on November 7, 2026 and TagSpaces on November 5, 2026.

Other comparisons