Comparison

World Factbook Archive vs Wayback Archive

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

Head to head
About

World Factbook Archive

Access a comprehensive archive of the CIA World Factbook from 1990 to 2025, fully offline. Explore detailed country profiles, compare data across years, and track changes with advanced search and analysis tools.

Highlights
  • Offline access to 36 annual editions (1990-2025)
  • 281 country and territory profiles
  • Field-by-field change tracking between editions
  • Full-text search with boolean operators
  • Global rankings and country comparisons
  • Multi-decade trend analysis
  • Bookmarks, collections, and notes
Features
Read full description

The complete CIA World Factbook, 1990-2025, in your pocket - fully offline. The World Factbook was the United States' flagship open reference on every country on Earth: geography, people, government, economy, military, communications, and transnational issues. Publication ended on February 4, 2026. This archive preserves all 36 annual editions - 285 entities and over one million data fields - and makes them searchable, comparable, and readable anywhere, with no internet connection required. THE ARCHIVE - 285 countries, territories, and entities with complete profiles - Every annual edition from 1990 through 2025 - switch years on any profile - Field-by-field change tracking: see exactly what changed between editions - Search capitals and Factbook fields, with spelling suggestions and boolean operators - Linked-country previews and short explanations of marked terms ANALYSIS - Global rankings for about 40 indicators across any year - Country comparison: side-by-side tables, charts, saved comparisons, and source evidence - Trends: multi-decade time series with world-event context - Demographics: population pyramids - World Explorer: interactive globe and map projections, country search, and colorblind-safe palettes - Dossier: a one-screen intelligence-style brief for any country - Query & Dashboard: filter by edition, region and numeric conditions; save statistics and trend cards - Distance paths and trade links in World Explorer GAMES - Seven geography games together in one Games hub - Border Explorer: connect countries across land borders, with maps, cards and three difficulty levels - Factbook Daily: five questions built from archive data, with flags and country outlines - Mystery Country: globe-based clues, optional outlines, and links to the answer’s Factbook entry CIA MAPS - 284 bundled maps for 106 countries, available offline - Administrative, physiography and transportation maps where available - Search the map library or open maps from a country profile - Save and share maps outside the app RESEARCH TOOLS - Bookmarks, collections, highlights, and notes - Excerpts saved to collections; print-friendly entry, dossier and study-sheet PDFs - Citations, read-aloud and English/local country-name pronunciation - Export Factbook entries, maps and query results - Searchable Settings for reading, accessibility, audio and games - Everything stays on your device WHY THIS EXISTS The Factbook was published for decades, but no combined, structured database of all its editions ever existed - each year stood alone, in changing formats. When publication ended, this project parsed every edition from 1990 onward (Project Gutenberg texts, archived HTML, JSON snapshots) into one unified, queryable archive - first as the worldfactbookarchive.org website, now as this app. DATA INTEGRITY Published Factbook text is preserved alongside structured fields for search and analysis. Archive classifications, historical country associations, and extraction errors are corrected through documented validation. Full methodology, sources, and validation are documented openly, and the complete raw dataset is published at github.com/MilkMp/CIA-World-Factbooks-Archive-1990-2025. Truly offline: the entire 36-year dataset ships inside the app. Nothing is downloaded, nothing is tracked, and no account is needed. This is the official companion app of worldfactbookarchive.org, built and maintained by the same developer. The World Factbook is a work of the United States Government in the public domain. This app and website are an independent archive and are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Central Intelligence Agency.

About

Wayback Archive

Features
Read full description

Wayback Archive helps you explore the Internet Archive Wayback Machine from your iPhone or iPad. Enter any web address to see when it was captured, open historical snapshots, and keep a personal research library on your device. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Look up any URL and browse archived captures on a visual timeline • Open snapshots in a clean in-app viewer or in your browser • Save pages, build collections, and revisit recent lookups • Share a link from Safari or Chrome straight into an archive search • Generate citations in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, or BibTeX • Compare two captures side by side or toggle between versions • Schedule automatic re-archiving of important pages • Watch URLs and get notified when new captures appear • Sync history and saved items when you sign in with Google, Apple, or email FREE PLAN The free plan includes core archive lookup, limited history and saves, collections, and citation tools. Ads may appear for free users. Optional Premium unlocks advanced tools, higher limits, and an ad-free experience. PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION Premium is an optional auto-renewing subscription billed through your Apple ID. Plans may include monthly, annual, and lifetime options depending on availability in your region. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation. Subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions after purchase. ACCOUNT SYNC Signing in is optional for basic lookup but required for server-backed features such as scheduled archives and watchlists. Your email and display name are stored to sync your library across devices. DATA AND PRIVACY We collect account, usage, and diagnostic data as described in our Privacy Policy. On the free plan we may show ads and request App Tracking Transparency permission for personalized advertising where allowed. You can manage ad privacy choices in Settings. INTERNET ARCHIVE Archive content is provided by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Availability depends on archive.org and third-party sites. Wayback Archive is not affiliated with the Internet Archive. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://itgreenservices.com/app/privacy

Screenshots

World Factbook Archive4 screens
Wayback Archive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: World Factbook Archive at none against Wayback Archive's 3. World Factbook Archive also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). On price 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. Wayback Archive sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. World Factbook Archive asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

World Factbook Archive ships an update every 5 days, Wayback Archive every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
World Factbook Archive versus Wayback Archive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWorld Factbook ArchiveWayback Archive
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size476 MB78 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMilan MilkovichGREENLOGIC INNOVATIONS LTD

In-app purchases

None

World Factbook Archive

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Wayback Archive

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$69.99

Questions

Is World Factbook Archive free?
World Factbook Archive is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Wayback Archive free?
Wayback Archive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do World Factbook Archive or Wayback Archive have ads?
Wayback Archive shows ads; World Factbook Archive does not.
Which is updated more often, World Factbook Archive or Wayback Archive?
World Factbook Archive ships an update every 5 days, and Wayback Archive every 2 weeks. Most recently, World Factbook Archive was updated on October 10, 2026 and Wayback Archive on October 6, 2026.

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