KeeForge vs Papyrus
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
KeeForge
A native iOS password manager that securely stores and auto-fills your credentials from KeePass databases. Access vaults from cloud storage or local files, with robust security features and open-source transparency.
- KeePass (.kdbx) database support
- Cloud and local file synchronization
- AutoFill for passwords and TOTP codes
- Face ID/Touch ID unlock
- Key file support
- Open-source and audited
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KeeForge is a native iOS password manager for KeePass (.kdbx) databases. Open vaults from iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, WebDAV, FTP, or local files. AutoFill passwords, passkeys, and TOTP codes with Face ID. No accounts, no tracking, no subscription — fully open source under GPLv3. Why KeeForge: - Native iOS app, not a port — built in Swift for iPhone, iPad, and Mac - Your vault stays encrypted on your device; we never see it - Zero accounts, zero telemetry, zero ads - Compatible with KeePassXC, KeePass 2.x, KeePassium, and Strongbox Vault Management - Open .kdbx databases from local files, iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, WebDAV, FTP, or any Files app provider - Manage multiple databases from a dedicated home screen - Create new KDBX 4.x databases on-device or in Dropbox, OneDrive, WebDAV, FTP - Browse groups and entries with instant search Editing & Saving - Create, edit, and delete entries with built-in password generation - Autosave with timestamped backups and save-conflict detection - Entry history, unknown fields, and third-party extensions preserved — no data loss when round-tripping with KeePassXC or other clients - Read-only mode for shared databases AutoFill - AutoFill passwords, passkeys, and TOTP codes in Safari and apps - QuickType bar suggestions — tap to fill with Face ID - Save new credentials directly from AutoFill, even when offline Security - Face ID / Touch ID unlock with auto-lock inactivity timer - Key file support — all KeePass formats (.key, .keyx, binary, hex) - Screen recording detection blurs vault when capture is active - Exponential lockout after failed unlock attempts - Argon2 KDF, AES-GCM in-memory encryption of secrets - Clipboard stays on-device — no Universal Clipboard sync Open Source - Fully open source under GPLv3 - Source on GitHub: github.com/KeeForge/KeeForge - Independently audited; no network calls except to your own cloud storage and the optional in-app feedback form Tip jar available if you'd like to support development. No subscription, no accounts, no upsell. FTP connections are unencrypted. Use FTP only on networks you trust, and avoid editing the same FTP database from multiple apps or devices at once. FTPS and SFTP are not supported.
Papyrus
Organize, annotate, and cite research papers within a native Apple ecosystem. This workspace allows you to import PDFs and citation records, take notes, and manage your reading collections as structured projects. It offers local-first storage with optional cloud sync and various export formats.
- Read and annotate PDFs
- Organize citation records
- Take Markdown notes
- Search entire library
- Create structured projects
- Local-first storage
- Optional iCloud/WebDAV sync
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Papyrus is a native research workspace for reading, annotating, organizing, and citing PDFs — built for iPad, iPhone, and Mac. READ AND ANNOTATE Open a paper in a fast built-in reader. Highlight, underline, and mark up pages, and every highlight stays searchable and linked back to its source. Bookmark a page as you go, and pick the paper up later from a Reading card that remembers where you stopped. On iPad, a References tab looks up the open paper's reference list and related work, so you can follow a citation trail and add what matters to your library without leaving the page. WRITE ON THE PAGE WITH APPLE PENCIL Mark up a PDF directly on iPad — annotate a proof, sketch beside a figure, work a derivation out in the margin. Your ink belongs to the paper and travels with it, encrypted, to your other devices. NOTES BESIDE THE SOURCE Keep Markdown notes next to each paper: headings, tables, code blocks, LaTeX math, and [[note]] cross-references. Notes stay with the paper and export as PDF when you need to share them. NOTEBOOKS Gather notes from across your library onto themed shelves — a topic, a chapter you're drafting, a reading group. Filing a note copies nothing and moves nothing: it still belongs to its paper, still says which paper that is, and one tap takes you there and back. A note can sit on several shelves at once. Fill a new shelf from what you've already written, search it by a note's text or by the paper behind it, order it four ways — including oldest paper first, which reads your own notes forward through the literature — and export a whole shelf as one Markdown document. All Notes lists everything you've written in one place, filed or not. ORGANIZE THE WAY YOU THINK Folders — a paper can live in several — plus tags, star ratings, and seven colored flags you can name yourself, each with its own shape so they stay tellable apart at a glance. Smart Collections keep themselves current from rules you set, including flag rules. Review Duplicates finds look-alike papers and merges each set after you confirm, combining tags, folders, projects, notes, and highlights. FIND ANYTHING Search titles, authors, notes, and highlights — or the full text inside your PDFs. TURN READING INTO WRITING Projects are where a reading pile becomes a manuscript. Group the papers behind a chapter or article, give each one a role, and capture evidence — claims, quotes, and your own interpretation — tied back to the source paper and page. Write the project note from a template (related work, method comparison, experiment plan, thesis chapter, reviewer response), keep its revision history, and run a preflight that catches missing citation keys and metadata gaps before you export. Export a bundle with Markdown, a BibTeX bibliography, and the PDFs. IMPORT AND CITE Bring in PDFs, whole folders, or BibTeX and RIS files — including libraries exported from Mendeley and Zotero. Papyrus looks up metadata by DOI or arXiv ID and fills in the details. Save papers straight from Safari with the included extension. Copy citations in the style you write in, and export BibTeX or RIS whenever you need them. READ ANYWHERE Paste an arXiv link, a DOI, or a PDF URL and Papyrus imports it, looks up the details, and fetches the PDF. Add a paper to Read Later and its PDF downloads ahead of time, so a flight or a commute doesn't need a signal. Ask Siri, or search from the Home Screen, to pick up the paper you were last reading on the page you left it. YOUR LIBRARY, YOUR DEVICES Your library syncs over iCloud across iPad, iPhone, and Mac. No account to create, no tracking, no ads. Free to download and use — every feature included, no in-app purchases, no subscription.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Papyrus at none against KeeForge's 3. Papyrus also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). KeeForge's advantage is ratings volume (11 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and monetization model 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. KeeForge sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Papyrus asks for nothing beyond the download.
Papyrus holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: KeeForge has 11 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
KeeForge ships an update every 6 days, Papyrus weekly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | KeeForge | Papyrus |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (11 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 90.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 11 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jia Tan | Zhenda Fu |
Customer experience
KeeForge
Papyrus
In-app purchases
KeeForge
- Small Tip$3.99
- Nice Tip$6.99
- Big Tip$14.99
Papyrus
No in-app purchases









