# alphaXiv vs Upon A Time

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: alphaXiv at none against Upon A Time's 1. alphaXiv also leads on ratings volume (17 vs 1) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 11 days). Upon A Time's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Upon A Time sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. alphaXiv asks for nothing beyond the download.

Upon A Time holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: alphaXiv has 17 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

alphaXiv ships an update every 4 days, Upon A Time every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | alphaXiv | Upon A Time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alphaxiv/id6782411985/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/upon-a-time-learn-to-read/id6790227790/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **17** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 11 days |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 61 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [alphaXiv Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/6782411987) | [Midhun Harikumar](https://appshunter.io/developer/6790227792) |

## What reviewers say

### alphaXiv

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alphaxiv/id6782411985)

This app helps researchers stay updated with the latest AI studies from arXiv. It offers AI-powered summaries, literature reviews, and visual explanations of complex papers. Users can also annotate papers and track their research interests.

**Highlights:** Trending research feed, AI-powered literature reviews, Interactive paper reader with notes, AI Visual Blogs for paper explanations, Personalized research recommendations

**In-app purchases:** none


### Upon A Time

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/upon-a-time-learn-to-read/id6790227790)

This app creates personalized illustrated storybooks for children, allowing them to star in their own adventures. It adapts to various reading levels and incorporates phonics highlighting and read-to-me narration to build reading skills.

**Highlights:** Personalized story creation, Adaptive reading levels, Phonics highlighting, Read-to-me narration, Customizable characters, Offline story access

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Story Pack — 10 Stories | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is alphaXiv free?

alphaXiv is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Upon A Time free?

Upon A Time is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, alphaXiv or Upon A Time?

Upon A Time is rated higher. alphaXiv averages 4.7 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while Upon A Time averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do alphaXiv or Upon A Time have ads?

Neither alphaXiv nor Upon A Time shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, alphaXiv or Upon A Time?

alphaXiv ships an update every 4 days, and Upon A Time every 11 days. Most recently, alphaXiv was updated on November 5, 2026 and Upon A Time on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*