Comparison

Readeck vs Ribbon

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

Head to head
About

Readeck

Organize your web links with categories, tags, and offline reading capabilities. This app offers a native iOS design with customizable layouts and annotation tools for an enhanced reading experience. It prioritizes user privacy with a self-hosted backend option.

Highlights
  • Organize links by categories and tags
  • Offline reading with background sync
  • Share extension for easy saving
  • Customizable card layout styles
  • Highlight and annotate text
  • Self-hosted backend for privacy
Features
Read full description

Organize all your links with categories, offline support, and native iOS design. The native iOS client for readeck.org brings professional bookmark management to your iPhone and iPad. iOS 26 ready – Optimized for the latest iOS version Smart Organization • Organize bookmarks in categories: All, Unread, Favorites, Archive, Articles, Videos, Pictures • Dynamic tag system with search functionality • Swipe actions for quick management Share Extension • Add URLs directly from Safari and other apps • Works with any app that supports sharing • Automatic metadata extraction Three Card Layout Styles • Compact layout for quick browsing • Magazine style for visual appeal • Natural layout for optimal readability Universal App • Native iOS design with Dark Mode support • iPad support with multi-column split view and sidebar menu • Also available for Mac • Responsive design for all devices Offline Reading • Read articles without internet connection • Automatic background sync keeps unread articles cached • Choose how many articles to cache (5–100) • Pre-download images for offline viewing • Save bookmarks offline via share extension Enhanced Reading Experience • Highlight and annotate text passages with multiple colors • 10+ fonts including Literata, Merriweather, SF Pro and New York • Article view with reading time and word count • Reading progress tracking • Undo delete system with visual progress Privacy & Control • Self-hosted backend - your data stays on your server • Secure OAuth 2.0 login via browser • VPN and private network support (e.g. Tailscale) • HTTP and self-signed certificate support • No tracking or analytics Important Note: This app requires your own Readeck server instance. You must run your own Readeck server or have access to one to use this app.

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

Readeck4 screens
Ribbon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Readeck at Free against Ribbon's $2.99. Ribbon's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Readeck 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

Ribbon holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 6 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Readeck ships an update every 5 weeks, Ribbon weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Readeck versus Ribbon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReadeckRibbon
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.4 (13 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings13 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.117.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIlyas HallakCory Dransfeldt

Customer experience

Readeck

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
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

Readeck

No in-app purchases

None

Ribbon

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Readeck free?
Readeck 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, Readeck or Ribbon?
Ribbon is rated higher. Readeck averages 4.4 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Ribbon averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.
Do Readeck or Ribbon have ads?
Neither Readeck nor Ribbon shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Readeck or Ribbon?
Readeck ships an update every 5 weeks, and Ribbon weekly. Most recently, Readeck was updated on October 24, 2026 and Ribbon on October 28, 2026.

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