Comparison

arXiver vs archive

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

Head to head
About

arXiver

Browse pre-print research papers from arXiv directly on your iPad. Filter by categories and open PDF files in your preferred external application.

Highlights
  • Browse arXiv pre-prints
  • Category selection
  • Open PDFs externally
  • iPad optimized interface
Features
Read full description

It's a browser of the preprint server arXiv, tailored for iPad. It allows you to select select various categories, and to open the PDF in an external app.

About

archive

Access and view scientific preprints from arXiv.org with this free application. Search for papers across various scientific disciplines and read them directly within the app. All features are available without cost.

Highlights
  • arXiv preprint search
  • PDF viewer
  • Access scientific papers
  • Free to use
  • Supports multiple disciplines
Read full description

It's arXiv preprint search & PDF viewer app. All features are completely free to use. arXiv.org e-Print archive https://arxiv.org/ URL scheme: preprint:// Note: - This app uses arXiv APIs. - This app is run by an individual and has nothing to do with arXiv. Thank you to arXiv for use of its open access interoperability. --- * arXiv arXiv (pronounced "archive"—the X represents the Greek letter chi [χ]) is an open-access repository of electronic preprints and postprints (known as e-prints) approved for posting after moderation, but not peer review. It consists of scientific papers in the fields of mathematics, physics, astronomy, electrical engineering, computer science, quantitative biology, statistics, mathematical finance and economics, which can be accessed online. In many fields of mathematics and physics, almost all scientific papers are self-archived on the arXiv repository before publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Some publishers also grant permission for authors to archive the peer-reviewed postprint. Begun on August 14, 1991, arXiv.org passed the half-million-article milestone on October 3, 2008, and had hit a million by the end of 2014. As of April 2021, the submission rate is about 16,000 articles per month. Quoted from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArXiv

Screenshots

archive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: archive at 100% against arXiver's 40%. archive also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.3). arXiver's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

archive holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of arXiver's written reviews are positive against 100% of archive's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
arXiver versus archive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterarXiverarchive
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (3 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size0 MB10 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperYuji TachikawaFugaPiyo Inc.

Customer experience

arXiver

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative40.0%

archive

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

arXiver

No in-app purchases

None

archive

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is arXiver free?
arXiver is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is archive free?
archive is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, arXiver or archive?
archive is rated higher. arXiver averages 3.3 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while archive averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do arXiver or archive have ads?
archive shows ads; arXiver does not.
Which is updated more often, arXiver or archive?
arXiver ships an update every 2 months, and archive every 2 months. Most recently, arXiver was updated on October 3, 2026 and archive on October 7, 2026.

Other comparisons