Comparison

Paperless Less Paper vs IdeaDrop!

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

Head to head
About

Paperless Less Paper

This app provides a native iOS client for managing your self-hosted document archive. It allows for comprehensive searching, editing, and offline access to your documents, with robust server connection options and document organization tools.

Highlights
  • Comprehensive document searching with filters
  • Edit documents and metadata directly
  • Offline document access
  • Import documents via share sheet
  • Connect to multiple servers
  • Manage tags, correspondents, and storage paths
Features
Read full description

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

About

IdeaDrop!

Features
Read full description

IdeaDrop helps you capture ideas the moment they appear. Quickly write down thoughts, organize them into categories, and keep everything in one place. Whether you're brainstorming, planning, or just trying not to forget a great idea, IdeaDrop makes it simple. Use your voice to add ideas even faster with built-in speech input. Everything syncs seamlessly with , so your ideas are always available on your , , and . Key Features: • Fast and simple idea capture • Organize ideas with custom categories • Voice input using your microphone • Automatic sync across all your devices via • Clean and distraction-free design Never lose a great idea again. Capture it with IdeaDrop.

Screenshots

Paperless Less Paper4 screens
IdeaDrop!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Paperless Less Paper at Free against IdeaDrop!'s $1.99. Paperless Less Paper also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.4). IdeaDrop!'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4). On ads 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

Paperless Less Paper is free to download; IdeaDrop! costs $1.99 up front. Paperless Less Paper sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. IdeaDrop! asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Paperless Less Paper ships an update weekly, IdeaDrop! every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Paperless Less Paper versus IdeaDrop!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPaperless Less PaperIdeaDrop!
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.9 (20 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews87.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings20 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJohannes PlunienMarcel Limbeek

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Paperless Less Paper

One-time4
  • Tiny tip$1.00
  • Small tip$4.00
  • Medium tip$9.00
Show 1 more
  • Large tip$22.00
None

IdeaDrop!

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Paperless Less Paper free?
Paperless Less Paper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is IdeaDrop! free?
IdeaDrop! costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Paperless Less Paper or IdeaDrop! have ads?
Neither Paperless Less Paper nor IdeaDrop! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Paperless Less Paper or IdeaDrop!?
Paperless Less Paper ships an update weekly, and IdeaDrop! every 6 weeks. Most recently, Paperless Less Paper was updated on November 3, 2026 and IdeaDrop! on October 25, 2026.

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