Comparison

Archivist vs foldy

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

Head to head
About

Archivist

Features
Read full description

Archivist is a document archiving app available for iOS, iPadOS and MacOS. No account signup, no login required other than iCloud. And best of all: no subscription. Archivist stores your documents as PDF securely in iCloud Drive, following a simple folder path pattern: Archive Drawer - Topic(s) - correspondent - year - PDF file. Archivist lets you search through your documents using full text search and filter labels like topics, document type, correspondents and archive drawer. Get rid of your messy folder system and let Archivist manage your documents for you! Ready for more? Switch on automatic AI document properties detection for new documents for enhanced document labelling including topics, document type and the document title. You can also use AI to export the data of a name card as new contact! Data privacy information: other than document creation with AI support, your document data will never leave your device(s) and Apple's iCloud servers. Archivist will never: - send data to third parties other than Apple's iCloud service without your consent - use any of your data for advertising purposes - store any of your document or user data on other servers than Apple's iCloud servers. New: Apple Intelligence is now available on supported devices. Instead of sending your document data to a third party AI provider, you can use Apple Intelligence locally for document auto-tagging. Apple Intelligence may not be available in all regions.

About

foldy

Features
Read full description

Actionable Document Insights foldy is a privacy-first document intelligence app that helps you scan documents, extract data, and understand what matters without sharing full files or personal data. Whether it’s insurance letters, official documents, or everyday paperwork, foldy turns documents into clear insights, key details, and next steps so you can act faster and stay organized. SCAN & OCR DOCUMENTS β€’ Scan paper documents directly with your device β€’ Built-in OCR converts scans, PDFs, and images into searchable text β€’ Extract text accurately from printed documents β€’ Make scanned documents easy to search and analyze EXTRACT KEY DETAILS β€’ Automatically extract key details from documents β€’ Identify important names, dates, references, and values β€’ Turn unstructured documents into structured information β€’ Get clear next steps without manual review ACTIONABLE DOCUMENT INSIGHTS β€’ Detect deadlines, renewals, and expirations β€’ Understand what needs attention at a glance β€’ Turn documents into actionable information NEVER MISS DEADLINES β€’ Important dates detected automatically β€’ Track renewals, expirations, and follow-ups β€’ Stay on top of obligations without manual tracking β€’ Reduce the risk of missed deadlines SEARCH ACROSS DOCUMENTS β€’ Search inside scanned and imported documents β€’ Find information by keywords and context β€’ Search across document content, not just filenames ICLOUD SYNC β€’ Sync documents and extracted details across your Apple devices β€’ Keep your data up to date with iCloud β€’ Access your documents from iPhone and iPad PRIVACY β€’ Full documents are not sent to AI β€’ Privacy-first by Design BUILT FOR REAL DOCUMENT WORKFLOWS foldy is ideal for: β€’ Individuals organizing personal paperwork β€’ Anyone scanning and extracting data from documents β€’ Users who need document clarity without sacrificing privacy WHY FOLDY β€’ Scan documents and extract data β€’ OCR-powered document analysis β€’ Actionable insights, not just storage β€’ Secure and privacy-focused by default Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Archivist4 screens
foldy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: foldy at every 9 days against Archivist's monthly. Archivist's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Archivist sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and foldy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Archivist ships an update monthly, foldy every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Archivist versus foldy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArchivistfoldy
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 9 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac β€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 β€” better18.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size29 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDominik ButzFoldy UG (haftungsbeschrankt)

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Archivist

One-time4
  • Doc Properties Detection 25x$0.29
  • Doc Properties Detection 50x$0.49
  • Doc Properties Detection 100x$0.69
Show 1 more
  • Unlimited Documents$0.99
2 purchases

foldy

Subscriptions2
  • Foldy Pro1 Month trial$3.991 Month
  • Yearly Pro1 Month trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Archivist free?
Archivist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is foldy free?
foldy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Archivist or foldy have ads?
Neither Archivist nor foldy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Archivist or foldy?
Archivist ships an update monthly, and foldy every 9 days. Most recently, Archivist was updated on October 24, 2026 and foldy on October 25, 2026.

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