Ask Frank vs Folio Writer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ask Frank
This AI-powered tool offers private, on-device search and document creation. It retrieves verified web information and generates structured documents with citations, all while keeping your data secure on your device. Ideal for professionals and students seeking accuracy and efficiency.
- On-device AI search engine
- Automatic document generation
- Verified source links and citations
- Privacy-first design
- Export documents
- Supports API token customization
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Ask Frank is a private, on-device AI search and document creation tool designed for professionals, students, and anyone who values privacy, accuracy, and efficiency. It searches the live web, retrieves verified information, and turns it into clear, well-structured documents with full citations all directly on your iPhone or iPad. Nothing leaves your device. Smarter Search, Trusted Results Unlike typical AI chat systems, Ask Frank does not rely on outdated training data. It connects to real-time web sources to bring you the latest information and presents it in a form you choose. Whether you need a summary, analysis, or full report, the app organizes results into clean, readable documents complete with verified links and references. Work Securely and Efficiently Ask Frank runs entirely on your device using on-device AI. This means your data, prompts, and documents stay where they belong - under your control. No cloud upload, no third-party storage, and no hidden tracking. Its architecture is built for speed and energy efficiency, using up to eighty percent fewer tokens than traditional LLM-based workflows. The result is faster document creation and lower resource use. Key Features • Live AI search engine powered by on-device processing • Automatic document generator with working source links • Create reports, summaries, and research papers in seconds • Citation generator for transparent, reference-based output • Export your documents easily for editing or sharing • Privacy-first design - no data collection or background sync • Supports your own API token for advanced customization • Built for professionals, researchers, and learners who demand both accuracy and ethics An Ethical Approach to AI Ask Frank is more than another productivity app - it’s part of a new movement toward responsible, sustainable AI. By running locally, it consumes less energy than cloud-based tools and eliminates unnecessary data transmission. Every search and generation task happens privately, helping reduce the environmental footprint while maintaining top-tier performance. This ethical focus extends to transparency: each document includes citations and source links, so you can verify every piece of information used. It’s AI designed to support human judgment, not replace it. Designed for Everyday Productivity Use Ask Frank to: • Build professional reports and project briefs • Summarize complex research with proper citations • Generate learning materials and study notes • Collect trustworthy data without endless copy-paste • Keep sensitive work fully private on your device The app’s interface is simple, intuitive, and tuned for fast performance on iOS. You can start from a blank request, select a document type, and receive structured results ready to export in seconds. Built for Professionals and Students From researchers who need verified references to business users preparing quick reports, Ask Frank adapts to the task. It understands the balance between automation and control, giving you the speed of AI with the reliability of sourced information. Security and Control Your privacy is at the center of every interaction. Ask Frank does not store your queries, results, or API tokens on external servers. All activity remains on your device, encrypted and temporary, ensuring complete confidentiality for personal and professional use. Why Choose Ask Frank • Local, token-efficient AI search engine • No data collection or external storage • Transparent, verifiable information with sources • Faster, lighter, and more sustainable than cloud AI • Built around privacy, trust, and usability Get Started Ask Frank is currently available on a pay-per-document basis, with three free searches for new users. A subscription option with expanded access and additional templates will be introduced soon. Discover the power of local AI that respects your privacy and delivers accurate, cited information without compromise.
Folio Writer
This writing studio allows you to work on long-form projects like books and manuscripts on your iPhone and iPad. It supports plain text formats like Markdown and Typst, syncing seamlessly with its Mac counterpart. Features include a special keyboard bar, project organization, and citation management.
- Plain-text writing (Markdown, Typst)
- iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Files integration
- Special Markdown key bar
- Typewriter scrolling and sentence focus
- Binder for project organization
- Snapshots for version control
- Project-wide search
- BibTeX citation support
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Folio Writer is a plain-text writing studio for long-form work — scholarly manuscripts, books, and novels. This is its iPhone and iPad edition: the same projects, the same files, in your pocket. Open a project from iCloud Drive, Dropbox, any Files location, or your Folio Cloud account, and pick up exactly where you left off on the Mac. Everything you write is a plain Markdown or Typst file you own — no lock-in. WRITE ANYWHERE — FREE A Markdown key bar puts #, *, links, code, and $math$ one tap away. Typewriter scrolling and sentence focus for drafting on the go. Live word count and writing targets for each document, the whole draft, and each session. Hardware-keyboard shortcuts on iPad. YOUR WHOLE PROJECT — FREE The full binder: browse, open, rename, reorder by dragging, indent and outdent, and create new documents. Project-wide search with filters — label:, status:, type:, tag: — and saved searches as Collections. Version history: every save is kept and restorable, so nothing you write is quietly lost. Comments, and the Review Inbox for suggestions from co-authors. CITATIONS & PREVIEW — FREE Insert citations from the project's BibTeX files by author, year, or key. Preview the rendered document — headings, tables, images, and LaTeX math — right on the device. SYNC WITH THE MAC AND FOLIO CLOUD — FREE Opens the exact same .folio projects as Folio Writer for Mac, byte-for-byte. Conflict-safe syncing: edits from two devices merge when they don't overlap, and a losing copy is always preserved. Sign in to Folio Cloud and every project your account owns is listed; create projects in the cloud, share by link, co-edit live, and protect encrypted projects with a recovery passphrase. FOLIO PRO — ONE PURCHASE FOR MAC, iPHONE, AND iPAD Pro adds the finishing tools: Preview Manuscript — the whole draft assembled in binder order with its title page. Suggesting — propose edits as tracked changes, then Accept or Reject each one from the review bar, and mark a document as reviewed. Snapshots — named copies to compare side by side and roll back, change by change. Insert Template, with starter snippets for figures, tables, equations, and more. Compile to PDF, Word, or Typst through Folio Cloud, right from the device. Pay once, unlock both platforms. Folio Pro is the same one-time purchase as in Folio Writer for Mac: buy it here and Pro unlocks on your Mac; buy it on the Mac and it unlocks here. It follows your Apple ID — tap Restore Purchases if it hasn't appeared. Every Pro feature is free to try for 7 days. Prefer to pay by the month or year? Pro ($1.99 a month) and Premium ($3.99) are also available as subscriptions, which unlock the tier here and on the Mac for as long as they run and come with complimentary Folio Cloud storage (1 GB or 3 GB), so your projects sync to every device and open in any browser. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No analytics, no trackers. Your manuscripts never leave your own devices except through the cloud service you choose, and Folio Cloud projects are end-to-end encrypted. In-App Purchases (display names) Folio Pro — one-time, universal purchase shared with Folio Writer for Mac Folio Pro Subscription — monthly / yearly (Pro here and on the Mac + 1 GB Folio Cloud storage) Folio Premium Subscription — monthly / yearly (Premium here and on the Mac + 3 GB Folio Cloud storage) Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://foliowriter.app/privacy/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Folio Writer at free against Ask Frank's free with in-app purchases. Ask Frank's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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
Both are free to download. Ask Frank sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Folio Writer sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Ask Frank against 5.0 for Folio Writer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ask Frank | Folio Writer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | Every 4 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Orion Technology Enterprises, Inc. | Bin Chen |
Customer experience
Ask Frank
Folio Writer
In-app purchases
Ask Frank
- Ask Frank Premium Plan$2.991 Month
- Basic Pack$0.99
- Gold Pack$1.99
- Diamond Pack$2.99
Folio Writer
- Cloud Pro Monthly1 Month trial$1.991 Month
- Premium Monthly$3.991 Month
- Pro Yearly$19.991 Year
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- Premium Yearly$39.991 Year
- Pro Lifetime$19.99
- Pro to Premium Upgrade$19.99
- Premium Lifetime$39.99
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- Unlock Pro Features$39.99









