Comparison

ArchFic vs Restricted Section

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

Head to head
About

ArchFic

Read and listen to fanfiction from Archive of Our Own offline. Translate stories with AI, get update alerts for followed authors and fics, and organize your library. Sync your progress and settings across devices.

Highlights
  • Offline reading of AO3 fanfiction
  • AI-powered on-device translation
  • Text-to-speech for hands-free listening
  • New chapter and author update alerts
  • Download and save fics permanently
  • Sync library and settings across devices
  • Customizable reading themes and fonts
Features
Read full description

Read AO3 fanfiction offline — translate and listen anywhere. ArchFic is a fan-made fanfiction reader for Archive of Our Own (AO3). Read fanfiction offline, translate any fic on your device with AI, and listen hands-free with text-to-speech. Get alerted the moment the fics you follow update — the AO3 reader built for the way fans actually read. CONTINUE WHERE YOU LEFT OFF ArchFic remembers your chapter and exact scroll position across every work, so you can jump straight back in from a personalized Continue Reading list. Everything you've opened recently stays in your reading history. FOLLOW AUTHORS & GET NEW-CHAPTER ALERTS Follow your favorite AO3 authors from their profile. New Chapter Alerts notify you the moment a work you follow posts a new chapter, and New Work Alerts tell you when an author publishes something brand-new. The Updates feed gathers every recent update in one tab. NEVER LOSE A FIC AGAIN Download works for offline reading and keep them even if a fic is later deleted, orphaned, or locked on AO3. Save fanfiction to your Library and sort it into Collections you name yourself — Slow Burns, To Read, anything you like. Your AO3 bookmarks, recent reads, and offline downloads all live in one place. SEARCH THE FULL AO3 CATALOG Search works, authors, bookmarks, and tags from Archive of Our Own, or browse by genre: Anime & Manga, Books & Literature, Movies, TV Shows, and Video Games. Filter by rating, word count, completion status, date updated, relationships, and more to find exactly the fanfiction you want. READ ON YOUR TERMS Choose your font, adjust size and line height, and pick from four comfortable themes — White, Sepia, Dark, and Black — made for hours of reading. TRANSLATE AS YOU READ On-device AI translation lets you translate any fic into your language as you read. It works fully offline after a one-time model download, with no per-chapter fees — read fanfiction in any language. LISTEN HANDS-FREE Text-to-speech reads any chapter aloud, like an audiobook for fanfiction. Adjust the speed and voice, then follow along while commuting, cooking, or relaxing. SIGN IN TO SYNC ACROSS DEVICES Sign in to back up your library, collections, follows, and settings to the cloud, then switch phones or reinstall and pick up exactly where you left off. Connect your AO3 account to import your AO3 bookmarks and subscriptions automatically. Metadata only — your fanwork content is never uploaded or stored on our servers. Whether you're binge-reading a slow-burn epic offline on a flight, keeping up with every new chapter from the authors you follow, or just want a faster AO3 reader than the mobile browser, ArchFic is the fanfiction reader made for fans of Archive of Our Own — and archives of our own alike. Built by a fan, for fans who want a better mobile fanfiction reader. ArchFic is an unofficial, fan-made app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Archive of Our Own (AO3) or the Organization for Transformative Works. ArchFic accesses publicly available content from AO3 and does not host, store, or redistribute any fanfiction; if you sign in, our servers store only your account metadata (library, follows, settings), never fanwork content. Fanfiction content remains the property of their respective authors. Use is subject to AO3's Terms of Service (archiveofourown.org/tos).

About

Restricted Section

Features
Read full description

Never buy a book you already own. Restricted Section is your personal book catalog for iPhone. Scan the barcode on any book to add it instantly — cover art, author, series, and metadata included. When you're browsing a store or a friend's shelf, scan to check ownership in seconds. SCAN TO ADD Point at any book's barcode. Restricted Section looks it up via Google Books and adds it to your library automatically. No typing required. ENTER ISBN MANUALLY Can't scan the barcode? Type the ISBN directly and get the same instant lookup. CHECK BEFORE YOU BUY A single tap launches the Check scanner. Scan any book for an immediate answer — green checkmark if you own it, red X if you don't. No more duplicates. TRACK YOUR READING Mark books as Unread, Reading, Finished, or Wishlist. Add a 1–5 star rating and personal notes to any book in your collection. BROWSE BY SERIES Group your books by series and see which volumes you have — and which are still missing. BUILT FOR PRIVACY Everything stays on your device. No account. No cloud sync. No analytics. The only network requests the app makes are ISBN lookups to fetch book metadata — nothing personal ever leaves your phone. Restricted Section is free, open source, and built for people who take their bookshelves seriously.

Screenshots

ArchFic4 screens
Restricted Section1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: ArchFic at 3 against Restricted Section's 1. ArchFic also leads on iOS requirement (15.5 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ArchFic ships an update fortnightly, Restricted Section every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
ArchFic versus Restricted Section: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArchFicRestricted Section
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.5 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size109 MB5 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperDuong HangElijah Winter

In-app purchases

None

ArchFic

No in-app purchases

None

Restricted Section

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ArchFic free?
ArchFic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Restricted Section free?
Restricted Section is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ArchFic or Restricted Section have ads?
Neither ArchFic nor Restricted Section shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ArchFic or Restricted Section?
ArchFic ships an update fortnightly, and Restricted Section every 2 weeks. Most recently, ArchFic was updated on October 12, 2026 and Restricted Section on October 1, 2026.

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