CBORD Mobile Reader™ vs KDE Connect
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CBORD Mobile Reader™
This app enables users to read campus ID cards and conduct various campus transactions directly from their iOS device. It supports multiple card readers and can also use the device's camera for barcode credentials.
- Read campus ID cards
- Perform campus transactions
- Supports multiple card readers
- Uses device camera for barcodes
- iOS device compatibility
Read full descriptionHide full description
CBORD Mobile Reader™ is an app designed to read campus ID cards and perform SV&C, Meal, Activity, and other transactions right from your own iOS device! This app is designed for CBORD Connect® users who would like a mobile device solution for a card reader. This app supports the ID Tech Shuttle, iMag Pro, and Magtek kDynamo readers for magstripe card reading and contactless card reading with the Infinite Peripherals Infinea X and Quantum Pay. Additionally, the device camera can be used for reading barcode credentials.
KDE Connect
Seamlessly integrate your devices with features like a shared clipboard, file sharing, and remote control. Use your phone as a virtual touchpad or keyboard, and even control presentations remotely. All communication is secured with end-to-end encryption.
- Shared clipboard
- File and URL sharing
- Virtual touchpad and keyboard
- Remote presentation control
- Remote command execution
- End-to-end encryption
Read full descriptionHide full description
KDE Connect provides a set of features to integrate your workflow across devices: - Shared clipboard: copy and paste between your devices. - Share files and URLs to your computer from any app. - Virtual touchpad and keyboard: Use your phone screen as your computer's touchpad or keyboard - Remote presentation remote: control a laser pointer on the screen of your computer by moving your phone around. - Remote commands: run commands on your computer from your phone. - End-to-end TLS encryption: your information is safe. Please note you will need to install KDE Connect on your other computers/phones/tablets and keep the version up-to-date for the latest features to work. This app is part of an open source project and it exists thanks to all the people who contributed to it. Please visit the KDE Connect website to grab the source code.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: CBORD Mobile Reader™ at 4.8 against KDE Connect's 4.2. CBORD Mobile Reader™ also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 61%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). KDE Connect's advantage is ratings volume (276 vs 4). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
CBORD Mobile Reader™ holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: KDE Connect has 276 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of CBORD Mobile Reader™'s written reviews are positive against 61% of KDE Connect's.
CBORD Mobile Reader™ ships an update every 6 months, KDE Connect every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CBORD Mobile Reader™ | KDE Connect |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (4 ratings) — better | 4.2 (276 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 60.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 276 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The CBORD Group, Inc | KDE e.V. |
Customer experience
CBORD Mobile Reader™
KDE Connect
Bugs and requests
CBORD Mobile Reader™
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
KDE Connect
Reported bugs
4 issues- Clipboard push feature not working
- App crashes on launch for some users
- Incompatibility with certain device/OS combinations
- Inability to discover/connect to devices in some cases
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for background operation
- Improve multi-file transfer capabilities
- Integrate with system share sheet
- Implement two-finger scrolling and other gestures
- Add SMS/notification sync features
In-app purchases
CBORD Mobile Reader™
No in-app purchases
KDE Connect
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is CBORD Mobile Reader™ free?
Is KDE Connect free?
Which has better reviews, CBORD Mobile Reader™ or KDE Connect?
Do CBORD Mobile Reader™ or KDE Connect have ads?
Which is updated more often, CBORD Mobile Reader™ or KDE Connect?
Other comparisons
