Synctrain vs Ribbon
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Synctrain
Securely synchronize files and folders between devices running Syncthing. Stream audio and video directly from other devices. All changes, including deletions, are mirrored across your connected devices.
- Secure file synchronization
- Full folder or specific file syncing
- Audio and video streaming
- Cross-device changes mirrored
- Integrates with iOS Files app
Read full descriptionHide full description
With Synctrain you can securely synchronize files with other devices that have Syncthing installed. You can choose to synchronize full folders, or choose specific files. With Synctrain you can also stream audio and video files from other devices. When you synchronize files, all changes, including deleting files, also happen on your other devices. Do not use Synctrain for back-up purposes, and always keep a back-up of your data. You decide with which devices you share which files. This also means the app makers cannot help you access or recover any lost files. This app is powered by Syncthing. This app is however not associated with or endorsed by Syncthing nor its developers. Please do not expect support from the Syncthing developers. Instead, contact the maker of this app if you have questions.
Ribbon
This app provides a native mobile interface for managing your self-hosted bookmarks. It allows you to browse, search, and save links with features like automatic prefill and a share extension. Organize your saved content with tags and bundles, and perform bulk actions for efficient management.
- Browse bookmarks with filter pills
- Search active and archived bookmarks
- Add bookmarks with automatic prefill
- Share extension for saving links
- Organize with tags and bundles
- Swipe actions for editing and archiving
- Bulk bookmark actions
Read full descriptionHide full description
Ribbon is a native iPhone and iPad app for Linkding, the fast, self-hosted bookmark manager. Browse, search, and save your bookmarks from anywhere — your data stays on your server, always. Features - Browse your bookmarks with filter pills: All, Unread, Untagged, and Archived - Search across active and archived bookmarks simultaneously - Add bookmarks with automatic title and description prefill - Save from Safari or any app with the share extension - Clipboard detection — Ribbon offers to use a URL you already copied - Organize with tags and smart Bundles - Archive, edit, and delete with swipe actions or press-and-hold menus - Bulk actions — archive, delete, tag, or mark multiple bookmarks at once - Secure credential storage in the iOS Keychain Requirements Ribbon requires a running Linkding instance. Linkding is a free, open-source bookmark manager you self-host on your own server or NAS. Visit linkding.link to get started. Your Linkding API token can be found under Settings → API Access in your Linkding instance.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Synctrain at Free against Ribbon's $2.99. Synctrain also leads on ratings volume (142 vs 7). Ribbon's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks) and review sentiment (100% vs 89%). On rating, 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
Synctrain is free to download; Ribbon costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Synctrain against 5.0 for Ribbon. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Synctrain has 142 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Synctrain's written reviews are positive against 100% of Ribbon's.
Synctrain ships an update every 6 weeks, Ribbon weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Synctrain | Ribbon |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (142 ratings) | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 89.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 142 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 42 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | T-Shaped | Cory Dransfeldt |
Customer experience
Synctrain
Ribbon
Bugs and requests
Synctrain
Reported bugs
2 issues- Occasional app crashes
- Sync delays on some devices
Requested features
2 requests- Direct photo/video sync to remote devices
- Faster initial connection to server
Ribbon
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Synctrain
No in-app purchases
Ribbon
No in-app purchases









