# Bookends vs DEVONthink To Go 4

Bookends and DEVONthink To Go 4 both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 76% of Bookends's written reviews are positive against 43% of DEVONthink To Go 4's. Bookends also leads on iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). DEVONthink To Go 4's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bookends sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year and DEVONthink To Go 4 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Bookends against 4.7 for DEVONthink To Go 4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 394 and 226 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Bookends's written reviews are positive against 43% of DEVONthink To Go 4's.

Bookends ships an update every 2 months, DEVONthink To Go 4 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on August 28, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bookends | DEVONthink To Go 4 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (394 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookends/id739087947/reviews) | [4.7 (226 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/devonthink-to-go-4/id6532619226/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **394** | 226 |
| Positive reviews | **76.4% of reviews** | 42.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 111 MB | 191 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.6** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Sonny Software, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/417583547) | [DEVONtechnologies, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/395722473) |

## What reviewers say

### Bookends

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookends/id739087947)

Manage your research references and PDFs on your mobile device. Search online databases, import metadata, annotate PDFs, and organize your library. Offers basic functionality for free with optional one-time purchase and yearly subscription for advanced features like cloud sync and unlimited imports.

**Highlights:** Search online reference databases, Import metadata and PDFs, PDF annotation and markup, Barcode scanning for references, Cloud sync across devices, Share online libraries, Create multiple libraries

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $14.99 | per year |
| Standard | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Seamless sync across devices
- 👍 Excellent PDF annotation tools
- 🔒 Reliable and stable
- 💡 Powerful reference management features
- 👍 Responsive and helpful developer support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sync issues with iCloud and PDF files
- 🔒 Subscription model for essential features
- 👎 Outdated and clunky user interface
- 🔒 Limited functionality on iOS without subscription

**Reported bugs**

- Incompatibility with iCloud Optimized Storage
- Unreliable sync between desktop and mobile versions
- Occasional data loss or corruption

**Requested features**

- Nested folders and tags for better organization
- Automatic PDF metadata extraction
- Improved search and filtering capabilities
- Seamless integration with third-party services


### DEVONthink To Go 4

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/devonthink-to-go-4/id6532619226)

Manage your entire knowledge library on your iPad and iPhone. Organize, edit, and annotate documents, notes, and more. Leverage generative AI for summaries, content creation, and advanced search. Syncs privately and securely across devices.

**Highlights:** Document organization and management, AI-powered summaries and content creation, PDF annotation and editing, On-device OCR for searchable documents, Cross-device secure synchronization, Custom metadata and tagging, Shortcuts automation

**Features:** Family Sharing, Siri integration, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bookends free?

Bookends is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is DEVONthink To Go 4 free?

DEVONthink To Go 4 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Bookends or DEVONthink To Go 4?

Bookends and DEVONthink To Go 4 are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 394 and 226 ratings respectively.

### Do Bookends or DEVONthink To Go 4 have ads?

Neither Bookends nor DEVONthink To Go 4 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bookends or DEVONthink To Go 4?

Bookends ships an update every 2 months, and DEVONthink To Go 4 every 3 weeks. Most recently, Bookends was updated on August 28, 2026 and DEVONthink To Go 4 on September 23, 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.*