Comparison

iDocSet vs Forthcoming

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

Head to head
About

iDocSet

Access and browse a vast library of offline documentation on your mobile device. Search across multiple docsets, bookmark important entries, and filter results for quick access to API interfaces and developer guides.

Highlights
  • Offline docset browsing
  • Support for Apple Developer Documentation
  • Over 50 docsets available (HTML, CSS, C++, Go, Rust, etc.)
  • Hierarchical and API interface browsing
  • Keyword filtering
  • Cross-docset search
  • iCloud bookmark synchronization
Read full description

iDocSet is a tool for reading offline docsets. With iDocSet, you can leave your Mac alone, reading your favorite docsets on mobile devices (iPhone or iPad) anywhere, anytime. Main features: * Support browsing Apple Developer Documentation of Xcode 12 or later. * Support browsing more docsets. iDocSet has a built-in download source and supports more than 50 docsets, such as HTML, CSS, jQuery, C++, Go, Rust, ... After the user adds a docset, it is automatically downloaded and installed, and the auxiliary tool iDocSetHelper is no longer needed. * Various ways to browse docsets. Apple Development Documentation can be browsed layer by layer in a hierarchical structure, which is basically the same as viewing in Xcode. Other types of docsets can be viewed according to API interface types (class, interface, method, etc.). It also provides a filtering function, which can filter out records that do not contain specified keywords, so that it is convenient to quickly locate the required interface document. * Support search multiple docsets. iDocSet can search API interfaces across docsets to further facilitate and quickly find the required interface documents. * Support bookmark function. Bookmark data can be saved on iCloud. It's convenient for users to continue to view on other devices. --------------------------------------------- Automatic renewal subscription instructions Automatic renewal of annual membership Subscription period: 1 year Payment: After the user confirms the purchase and pays, it will be credited to the iTunes account. Cancel renewal: If the user has cancelled the automatic renewal 24 hours before the subscription expires, no deduction will occur; otherwise, the renewal will be automatically deducted Renewal: iTunes account will be deducted within 24 hours before expiration. After the deduction is successful, the subscription period will be extended by one subscription period Manage renewal: After purchasing the auto-renewable subscription service, users can manually manage/turn off the auto-renewal function in the iTunes/Apple ID settings User agreement link: https://zhuatang.com/terms_of_use.jsp Privacy policy link: https://zhuatang.com/privacy.jsp

About

Forthcoming

Consolidate all your web-based ICS calendars into a single, organized stream. Easily add interesting events to your local calendar, view event details, and share them. Keep your personal agenda clear by filtering out unwanted events.

Highlights
  • Single event stream from multiple calendars
  • Add events to local calendar with one tap
  • View event details and maps
  • Share events easily
  • Filter out unwanted events
  • Color-coded calendars by favicon
Features
Read full description

Forthcoming helps you keep up with all of your web calendars in one place, so you always know what's happening at the places you care about. Our goal is to crowdsource the web's calendars and make them available to you in the palm of your hand. More technically speaking, Forthcoming takes the pain out of following and managing calendars in the ICS and icalendar file formats. FOLLOW Forthcoming pulls events from all of your subscribed calendars into a single event stream. Add interesting events to your local iOS calendar with a single tap, or drill into an event to read more about it, view a map of its location, or share it with family and friends. ORGANIZE If you subscribe to remote calendars in Calendar on iOS, you know your agenda quickly fills up with events you are not interested in or do not have time for. By moving all of your calendar subscriptions to a dedicated app, Forthcoming ensures your agenda stays personal. As you scroll through your event stream, only add events that strike you as interesting to your iOS calendar. FEATURES Availability -- As you scroll through events, see at a glance which ones fit your schedule. Conflicting events simply fade away. Quick Add -- Add interesting events to your iOS Calendar app with a single tap. Sharing -- Share events with family and friends via email, iMessage, and more. Smart Colors -- Calendars are color-coded by the primary color in their sources' favicon. It's all in the details. Compatible -- Subscribe to any calendar in the ICS (icalendar, ical) format.

Screenshots

iDocSet4 screens
Forthcoming4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Forthcoming at free with in-app purchases against iDocSet's subscription. iDocSet's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months) and iOS requirement (11.2 vs 16.0). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. iDocSet sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year and Forthcoming sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iDocSet ships an update every 2 months, Forthcoming every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
iDocSet versus Forthcoming: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriDocSetForthcoming
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.2 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB7 MB
Age rating17+4+
Developer建军 赵Furnace Creek Software LLC

Customer experience

iDocSet

Written reviews7 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative42.9%

Forthcoming

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

iDocSet

Subscriptions1
  • Annual membership3 Days trial$9.991 Year
1 purchases

Forthcoming

One-time1
  • Forthcoming Pro$4.99

Questions

Is iDocSet free?
iDocSet is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Forthcoming free?
Forthcoming is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do iDocSet or Forthcoming have ads?
Neither iDocSet nor Forthcoming shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iDocSet or Forthcoming?
iDocSet ships an update every 2 months, and Forthcoming every 6 months. Most recently, iDocSet was updated on September 19, 2026 and Forthcoming on September 12, 2026.

Other comparisons