Comparison

Bookends vs Influxx

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

Head to head
About

Bookends

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
Read full description

Bookends is the reference management app you've been looking for. The basic version offers: • Search online sites directly (arXiv, Google Books, Google Scholar, JSTOR, the Library of Congress, PubMed, PubMed Central, and Semantic Scholar) or use the built-in browser (EZProxy-compliant) to download reference metadata and PDFs (access privileges required). Searches can return a maximum of 20 references, and only 50 references can be stored in your personal database. • Use unique identifiers such as DOI, PMID, ISBN, or arXiv id to autofill references. • View the text of PDF annotations in a note stream, and create your own with our powerful PDF markup engine. • Barcode scanning, one per day. • And many more features designed to help you discover, organize, and use reference information. Standard, one-time purchase ($14.99): • No limit on searches or importing. Premium, yearly subscription ($14.99). Requires a Standard purchase. • Cloud sync with all your iOS devices and Bookends for Mac (separate purchase). • Share online libraries with colleagues. • Scan documents with Mellel Mobile*. • Create multiple libraries. • Unlimited barcode scanning. • Extract PDF annotations with deep links to annotations and text. • Convenient UI to add PDF notes to the library. • Automate your actions with Shortcuts. * iPad-only. Requires a Mellel Mobile Premium subscription. Subscription is for one year and has an auto-renew option. The subscription can be managed in iOS -> Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions. A subscription will renew if it isn't canceled at least 24 hours before the renewal date. If the subscription is not renewed, Premium will be disabled but Standard will continue to work. Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Influxx

Read full description

Influxx is the agentic development environment built for building on the move. Describe what you want in plain English, and Influxx's AI coding agent writes, edits, runs, and debugs real code — turning ideas into working software from anywhere. Whether you're prototyping a side project on your commute, fixing a bug between meetings, or shipping a feature from a coffee shop, Influxx puts a full autonomous coding workflow in your pocket. WHAT YOU CAN DO - Vibe code from natural language — describe a feature and watch the agent build it - Generate, edit, and refactor real, production-ready code across files - Run and debug your project on device, no laptop required - Iterate in a live conversation with an agent that understands your whole codebase - Move seamlessly from idea to prototype to shipped product Built For - Prompt Engineers & Experienced Developers alike Influxx isn't a toy or a snippet generator. It's a genuine agentic development environment — the same power you'd expect from a desktop AI coding tool, reimagined for mobile. The agent reasons about your project, plans multi-step changes, and executes them so you stay in flow. WHY DEVELOPERS CHOOSE INFLUXX - Speed — go from prompt to working code in seconds - Freedom — your development environment travels with you - Control — review, refine, and direct every change the agent makes - Momentum — capture ideas the moment they strike, wherever you are Coding no longer has to wait until you're back at your desk. With Influxx, your next build starts the moment inspiration does. IMPORTANT: Influxx is the remote-control mobile companion for the Influxx desktop app. Before using this app, install and set up Influxx on your Mac. Once your desktop is set up, Influxx works remotely — control your coding environment from your phone, on the go, 24/7.

Screenshots

Bookends4 screens
Influxx4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Influxx at none against Bookends's 2. Influxx also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.6). On price, ads 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. Bookends sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year. Influxx asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bookends ships an update every 2 months, Influxx every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Bookends versus Influxx: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookendsInfluxx
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (400 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews76.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings400 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size114 MB119 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperSonny Software, LLCETAProjects Inc.

Bugs and requests

Bookends

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

Influxx

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Bookends

Subscriptions1
  • Premium3 Months trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Standard$14.99
None

Influxx

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bookends free?
Bookends is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Influxx free?
Influxx is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Bookends or Influxx have ads?
Neither Bookends nor Influxx shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bookends or Influxx?
Bookends ships an update every 2 months, and Influxx every 10 days. Most recently, Bookends was updated on October 23, 2026 and Influxx on October 18, 2026.

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