Paperless Less Paper vs Noema
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Paperless Less Paper
This app provides a native iOS client for paperless-ngx, a self-hosted document archive. It allows users to search, edit, and organize documents directly from their devices, with offline access and secure server connections.
- Full web interface filter set
- Edit documents directly
- Offline document access
- Send documents via share sheet
- Connect to multiple servers
- Manage tags, correspondents, and types
- Restore deleted documents
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Less Paper is a native iOS client for paperless-ngx 3.x and earlier, the self-hosted document archive. It talks directly to your own server, and to nothing else. FIND ANYTHING The complete filter set from the web interface, custom fields included: title and content, correspondent, document type, storage path, tags, dates and ASN. Save any filter as a view, then create, edit and reorder your saved views without leaving the app. EDIT WHERE YOU ARE READING Fix a title, reassign a correspondent, add tags, notes or custom field values from the document itself — one Open menu leads to every section: Content, Custom fields, Details, History, Metadata and Notes, each editable when your account allows it. History lists who changed what and when, the way the web UI shows it. Select several documents and change them together, merge them, or delete them in one go. READ IT WITH NO SERVER IN REACH Save a document offline and it is kept on the device in full — the PDF, its notes, metadata and custom fields. The Offline tab reads those stored copies, so it works on a plane, in a basement, or anywhere your server is not. Pull to refresh and only the documents that actually changed are fetched again. GET DOCUMENTS IN Send anything on your device to paperless-ngx from the share sheet. Password-protected PDFs are unlocked on import, and the password is kept in the keychain so the next document from the same source opens without asking. The inbox then says what became of each one: File Tasks lists every import — which finished, which are still running, and which failed and why — and a failure can be dismissed once you have dealt with it. BUILT FOR REAL SETUPS Connect as many servers as you like and switch between them. Sign in with a password, or with the single sign-on provider your server is configured with. Client certificates, custom HTTP headers and reverse proxies such as Authelia are all supported. A restricted account works too: the app follows your user's permissions and simply does not show what you may not do. When something does go wrong, a local error log — with anything credential-shaped redacted out of it — is there to read and share, and nothing leaves the device unless you send it. KEEP THE ARCHIVE TIDY Create, rename and delete tags, correspondents, document types and storage paths, and set ownership and permissions on any document. Restore anything you deleted from the trash, or empty it for good. Works with every paperless-ngx from 2.15.3 to 3.x. Universal: iPhone, iPhone Duo and iPad — on iPad the document opens in a column beside the list rather than covering it. Less Paper is open source. Issues and feature requests are welcome at https://github.com/plu/less-paper
Noema
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Noema – Notes, Reimagined Your thoughts deserve an app that thinks with you. Noema combines minimalist elegance with powerful AI technology and transforms note-taking into a creative experience. Whether you're capturing ideas, planning projects, or simply organizing your thoughts — Noema makes it faster, smarter, and more beautiful than ever before. Made for Creative Minds Noema is not another overloaded productivity monster. It’s the perfect balance between simplicity and innovation. Its clean interface keeps distractions away and helps you stay focused. At the same time, cutting-edge AI supports you and takes your creative workflow to the next level. Handwriting Meets Intelligence Write directly on the screen using your Apple Pencil or your finger — Noema instantly converts your handwriting into editable text. Perfect for quick notes on the go, brainstorming sessions, or when you simply prefer writing by hand. Your sketches remain intact or are intelligently transformed into structured notes. From Sketch to Masterpiece With integrated Playground image generation, you can bring your visual ideas to life. Sketch a concept, describe a vision, or draw a rough idea — and let AI generate impressive images from it. Your doodles become professional visuals that elevate your notes to a completely new level. Ideal for moodboards, concept development, or visual project planning. Break Language Barriers Work globally, think locally. Noema’s built-in translation feature makes language barriers a thing of the past. Translate notes and text into twelve languages within seconds — right on your device. Perfect for international projects, research in foreign languages, or sharing your ideas with people all around the world. Available Everywhere with iCloud Sync Your thoughts know no device limits. With iCloud sync, your notes are automatically available on iPhone and iPad. Start a note on your iPhone during a train ride and refine it on your iPad in the evening — everything syncs automatically, no manual transfers needed. Intelligently Organized Noema thinks along with you and helps you stay organized without requiring complicated folder structures. AI summarises your notes and suggests tags and to-dos — and with folders, favourites and search you'll find any notebook in seconds. Lightning-Fast and Responsive Time is valuable, especially when inspiration strikes. Noema opens in milliseconds, responds instantly to every input, and saves automatically. No waiting, no worrying about where things are stored — just open, write, and keep going. Privacy Comes First Your thoughts belong to you. Your notes live on your device and in your own iCloud. The AI features run on-device with Apple Intelligence — Noema runs no servers of its own and has no access to your content. What you write stays between you and your app. Perfect for: Writers, designers, students, developers, entrepreneurs, artists — anyone with ideas worth capturing. Whether you're writing novels, designing products, studying for exams, or planning your next startup: Noema adapts to your workflow, not the other way around. Download Noema now and experience note-taking the way it should be: fast, intelligent, and beautiful. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Noema at every 2 days against Paperless Less Paper's weekly. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Paperless Less Paper sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Noema sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Paperless Less Paper ships an update weekly, Noema every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Paperless Less Paper | Noema |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (20 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 87.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 20 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Johannes Plunien | Umut Kantarci |
In-app purchases
Paperless Less Paper
- Tiny tip$1.00
- Small tip$4.00
- Medium tip$9.00
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- Large tip$22.00
Noema
- monthly$0.991 Month
- Noema Premium – Annual Plan$8.991 Year









