Comparison

FileShield vs Rkive

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

Head to head
About

FileShield

Features
Read full description

FileShield is a fully offline vault, built from the ground up for total privacy. Your medical records, tax forms, and financial contracts never leave your device. DUAL-MODE SEARCH WITH APPLE INTELLIGENCE Search your entire library for exact text, or ask questions and let local-only knowledge do the heavy lifting. Need to know the deductible on a 40-page health insurance PDF? Just ask. FileShield analyzes the text and delivers exact answers with source page citations, all while you are in Airplane Mode. ABSOLUTE PRIVACY & BIOMETRIC SECURITY Your data belongs to you. Lock your entire library behind Face ID or Touch ID and your vault will remain impenetrable even when your device is unlocked. Enable our strict "Local-Only Mode" to actively block iCloud backups, ensuring your sensitive files stay strictly on your device. SECURE OFFLINE SCANNING & IMPORT Digitize physical paperwork instantly. Use our built-in document scanner to capture wet-ink contracts and physical receipts directly into your encrypted vault without relying on third-party cloud processing. Already have a digital file? Use the iOS Share Extension to seamlessly save documents directly from mail, photos, etc. INTUITIVE DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT FileShield utilizes native iOS and iPadOS design paradigms, offering seamless drag-and-drop file organization, custom nested folders, and clean Grid or List views.

About

Rkive

Securely store and organize your documents with an AI-powered, offline vault. Scan, import, and search files with intelligent summarization and tagging, all processed on your device for maximum privacy.

Highlights
  • Offline-first document vault
  • AI-powered titles, summaries, and tags
  • On-device OCR with multilingual support
  • Full-text search
  • Scan paper into PDFs
  • Import files from various sources
  • Export and restore vault backups
Read full description

Rkive is a private, offline-first document vault for your iPhone. Scan paper into PDFs, import files from anywhere, and find anything instantly with full-text search — in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and more. Apple Intelligence generates titles, summaries, and smart tags automatically, all on device. No accounts, no tracking, no cloud processing. Key features: - Scan paper into crisp PDFs with VisionKit - Import PDFs and images from Files, Photos, and other apps - On-device OCR with multilingual support - AI-powered titles, summaries, and smart tags with Apple Intelligence - Full-text search across titles, text, and tags — including CJK languages - Auto-summarize & tag for any document with one tap - Tags and collections for quick organization - Gallery-first browsing with smooth PDF viewing - Share documents easily from the vault - Export full vault backups and restore anytime - Export PDFs any time when you need to share out of app Rkive is designed for speed, privacy, and peace of mind. Everything stays on your device.

Screenshots

FileShield4 screens
Rkive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FileShield at none against Rkive's 2. FileShield also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks). Rkive's advantage is iOS requirement (18.2 vs 26.0). On price, ads 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

Both are free to download. Rkive sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. FileShield asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FileShield ships an update daily, Rkive every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
FileShield versus Rkive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFileShieldRkive
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—8 — better
Update frequencyDaily — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.018.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size58 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDark Fusion Labs LLCCarefolio Health Inc.

In-app purchases

None

FileShield

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Rkive

Subscriptions2
  • Vellum Plus (Monthly)$2.991 Month
  • Vellum Plus (Annually)$29.991 Year

Questions

Is FileShield free?
FileShield is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Rkive free?
Rkive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do FileShield or Rkive have ads?
Neither FileShield nor Rkive shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FileShield or Rkive?
FileShield ships an update daily, and Rkive every 3 weeks. Most recently, FileShield was updated on October 7, 2026 and Rkive on October 2, 2026.

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