Comparison

WolframAlpha vs archive

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

Head to head
About

WolframAlpha

This app serves as a powerful computational knowledge engine for homework and research. It offers comprehensive support across numerous academic subjects, from math and physics to biology and economics. Unlock advanced features like step-by-step solutions and photo input for a more in-depth learning experience.

Highlights
  • Step-by-step solutions with hints
  • Photo input for math problems
  • Input Assistants for various subjects
  • Thousands of covered domains
  • Homework and exam preparation
Features
Read full description

Get the WolframAlpha app, the ultimate tool for homework and research. Whether you're in high school or college, Wolfram|Alpha is the tool you need to stay ahead of the curve. You can prepare for exams; get help with homework; and learn, explore and test your skills. Famous for math and physics, Wolfram|Alpha is also a whiz at chemistry, biology, engineering, economics, astronomy, statistics and much more. Featuring: • Step-by-step solutions: With hints, intermediate steps and methods of solving • Photo input: You can now use your camera to input math problems • Input Assistants: Our most popular course, reference and professional assistants • Thousands of domains: The most extensive topic coverage available—with more continually added—to get you to answers faster Subscription Details: Become a Wolfram|Alpha Pro member to unlock step-by-step solutions, photo input, Input Assistants and more. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscription fees are $9.99 per month or up to $59.99 per year depending on your plan. You can manage your Wolfram|Alpha Pro subscription by visiting the iTunes Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a Wolfram|Alpha Pro subscription. Privacy policy: https://www.wolfram.com/legal/privacy/wolfram Terms of use: https://www.wolframalpha.com/termsofuse

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

WolframAlpha4 screens
archive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: archive at 100% against WolframAlpha's 35%. archive also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.8) and in-app purchases (none vs 6). WolframAlpha's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (129 vs 2). On price, update cadence and device support 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. WolframAlpha sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. archive asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

archive holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WolframAlpha has 129 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 35% of WolframAlpha'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 16, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
WolframAlpha versus archive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWolframAlphaarchive
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.8 (129 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews35.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings129 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size366 MB10 MB
Age rating9+17+
DeveloperWolfram Group LLCFugaPiyo Inc.

Customer experience

WolframAlpha

All ratings129 ratings
Positive41.1%
Neutral7.0%
Negative51.9%
Written reviews233 reviews
Positive35.2%
Neutral9.4%
Negative55.4%

archive

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

Bugs and requests

WolframAlpha

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login screen freezes
  • Incompatible with older devices
  • Search bar issues and crashes
  • Incorrect or incomplete results

Requested features

4 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Improved handwritten math recognition
  • Better integration with Siri
  • More customization options

archive

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

WolframAlpha

Subscriptions6
  • Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Pro for Students Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Pro for Educators Monthly$9.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Pro Yearly$59.991 Year
  • Pro for Students Yearly$59.991 Year
  • Pro for Educators Yearly$59.991 Year
None

archive

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is WolframAlpha free?
WolframAlpha is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is archive free?
archive is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, WolframAlpha or archive?
archive is rated higher. WolframAlpha averages 2.8 out of 5 from 129 ratings, while archive averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do WolframAlpha or archive have ads?
archive shows ads; WolframAlpha does not.
Which is updated more often, WolframAlpha or archive?
WolframAlpha ships an update every 2 months, and archive every 2 months. Most recently, WolframAlpha was updated on October 16, 2026 and archive on October 7, 2026.

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