Comparison

DocScope vs Bare

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

Head to head
About

DocScope

Features
Read full description

DocScope is a lightweight local document viewer that supports dozens of formats including PDF, EPUB, Word, Excel, CSV, Markdown, JSON, HTML, and source code — everything stays on your Mac, nothing is uploaded. Key features: • Multi-format reading — PDF, EPUB, Word, Excel, Markdown, JSON, code files, all in one app • Offline OCR — Recognize text in scanned PDFs and EPUB images using macOS Vision, no internet required, fully private • Full-text search — Case-sensitive, whole-word, and regex search to find what you need fast • Workspaces — Organize files by project or topic to keep your library tidy • Multi-window & tabs — Open multiple files side by side and switch freely • File editing — Edit and save text, Markdown, JSON, and more directly • Dark theme — A polished, immersive reading experience built for macOS All files are processed locally. No data ever leaves your Mac. Privacy Policy: https://lucky202408.github.io/docscope-en-privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Bare

This browser automatically blocks ads and trackers with no setup required. It offers a reader mode, private tabs, and customizable news feeds. All features are free, with an optional tipping feature.

Highlights
  • Automatic ad and tracker blocking
  • Reader mode with customizable text and backgrounds
  • Private tabs
  • Customizable news feed
  • Site-specific blocking exceptions
  • Desktop mode per site
Features
Read full description

Bare is a web browser with ad and tracker blocking built in and switched on from the first launch. Nothing to configure, nothing to buy first. WHAT IT BLOCKS Five filter lists ship inside the app — about 163,000 rules covering ads, trackers, regional ads, cookie notices and page annoyances. They refresh in the background every day. If an update fails, the previous rules stay in use, so you are never left unprotected without being told. Blocking applies to pages you open in Bare. It does not reach into other apps, and your connection still goes straight to the site. WHEN A SITE BREAKS Tap the shield in the address bar and blocking is off for that site. Tap it again to turn it back on. Every site you have switched it off for is listed in Settings, so you can find them again months later. WHAT IT COLLECTS Anonymous counts of how the app is used, with a switch in Settings that stops them. Never a page you visited, a search you typed, or a page title. No account, no ad ID, no crash reporting. Your history stays on this device and is never synced. Bookmarks sync through your own iCloud, which we cannot see. READING Reader mode strips a page down to the article, with four text sizes and a light, sepia or dark background. Pages with no dark mode of their own can be forced dark, per site. Text size is remembered per site too. THE REST OF A BROWSER Tabs with no limit. Private tabs that leave nothing behind when you close them. Five search engines. Find on page. Downloads that show up in the Files app. Desktop mode per site. Swipe from the edge to go back and forward. NEWS ON THE START PAGE Headlines in the language the app is set to. All 35 languages have their own publishers, 159 feeds altogether. A phone set to Danish gets Danish papers. The requests go out from your phone. Nothing passes through a server of ours. Tap a headline and it opens in a tab like any other link. Turn it off in Settings and the requests stop. 35 LANGUAGES Bare follows your phone's language. Settings has a list if you want a different one, and the change takes effect while you are still looking at the screen. You do not have to restart anything. Menus, error messages, the news, all of it. FREE, ALL OF IT Every feature, every filter list, every update. No paid tier, no account, nothing held back. There is a tip in Settings if you want to leave one, and it unlocks nothing. This app contains no ads and never will.

Screenshots

DocScope4 screens
Bare4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: DocScope at 4 against Bare's 1. DocScope also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, 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

Both are free to download. DocScope sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per year and Bare sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
DocScope versus Bare: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDocScopeBare
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequency—Every 8 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB27 MB
Age rating9+17+
Developer鹏飞 高岚烜 吴

In-app purchases

2 purchases

DocScope

Subscriptions1
  • Pro Yearly Subscription$3.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$9.99
3 purchases

Bare

One-time3
  • Small tip$0.99
  • Medium tip$29.99
  • Large tip$59.99

Questions

Is DocScope free?
DocScope is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bare free?
Bare is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do DocScope or Bare have ads?
Neither DocScope nor Bare shows ads.

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