# LinkBuddy vs Ribbon

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.

LinkBuddy 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 — 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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | LinkBuddy | Ribbon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/linkbuddy-for-linkding/id6740408952/reviews) | [5.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ribbon-a-linkding-client/id6762416055/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **6** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#175** |
| Size | 22 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Peter To](https://appshunter.io/developer/1789801319) | [Cory Dransfeldt](https://appshunter.io/developer/1682961961) |

## What reviewers say

### LinkBuddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/linkbuddy-for-linkding/id6740408952)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Ribbon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ribbon-a-linkding-client/id6762416055)

**Currently charting:** #175 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*