Comparison

LinkBuddy vs Ribbon

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

Head to head
About

LinkBuddy

This is a free, open-source client for a self-hosted bookmark management service. It allows users to add, edit, archive, and search bookmarks, with support for a share sheet extension and an in-app browser. It's privacy-focused and ad-free.

Highlights
  • Add, edit, archive, delete bookmarks
  • Search bookmarks (active, archive, unread, untagged, shared)
  • Share sheet extension for external app sharing
  • In-app browser with Safari Reader View
  • Dark and light mode themes
  • iPad compatible
  • Privacy focused and ad-free
Features
Read full description

LinkBuddy is a free and open source client for linkding, a selfhosted bookmark management service. NOTE: This does not work without a selfhosted instance of linkding and an associated API access token. Please see more information about setting up linkding here: https://linkding.link/ Features: - Add, edit, archive and delete bookmarks - View and search your active, archive, unread, untagged, and shared bookmarks - Supports share sheet extension to share URLs from other apps into LinkBuddy - Open and view links in in-app web browser - Supports Safari Reader View via in-app web browser - Supports dark mode and light mode themes - iPad compatible - Privacy focused - this app doesn't store or track any personal user information, logs, or display any ads - Free and open source: https://github.com/peterto/LinkBuddy

About

Ribbon

This app provides a native iOS interface for managing your self-hosted Linkding bookmarks. Browse, search, and save links with ease, keeping your data securely on your own server. Organize with tags and bundles, and leverage convenient features like share extensions and clipboard detection.

Highlights
  • Browse bookmarks with filter pills
  • Search active and archived bookmarks
  • Add bookmarks with prefill
  • Save from Safari via share extension
  • Clipboard URL detection
  • Organize with tags and bundles
  • Swipe actions for editing
Features
Read 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

LinkBuddy4 screens
Ribbon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: LinkBuddy at Free against Ribbon's $2.99. LinkBuddy also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Ribbon's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and chart position (#175 vs unranked). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

LinkBuddy is free to download; Ribbon costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for LinkBuddy against 5.0 for Ribbon. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ribbon has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LinkBuddy ships an update every 2 months, Ribbon weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
LinkBuddy versus Ribbon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLinkBuddyRibbon
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings16 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#175 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB8 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperPeter ToCory Dransfeldt

Customer experience

LinkBuddy

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Ribbon

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

LinkBuddy

No in-app purchases

None

Ribbon

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is LinkBuddy free?
LinkBuddy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ribbon free?
Ribbon costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, LinkBuddy or Ribbon?
LinkBuddy and Ribbon are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 6 ratings respectively.
Do LinkBuddy or Ribbon have ads?
Neither LinkBuddy nor Ribbon shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LinkBuddy or Ribbon?
LinkBuddy ships an update every 2 months, and Ribbon weekly. Most recently, LinkBuddy was updated on September 21, 2026 and Ribbon on October 25, 2026.

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