DEVONthink vs Keep It

DEVONthink

• Researchers, lawyers and writers with large document archives on a Mac
• People who want their documents stored locally rather than on a vendor's servers
• Buyers who prefer a one-time license to a subscription

Keep It

• Mac users who want notes and reference documents in one library
• People who want their files to stay visible in the Finder and Files app
• Archiving web pages, PDFs and emails for offline reading and search

DEVONthink

• The desktop app is Mac only and requires macOS Ventura or later; the vendor develops solely for macOS and iOS.
• A license includes 1 year of updates. The app keeps working afterwards, but more updates cost $49 to $149 a year depending on the edition.
• The web interface is part of the $499 Server edition only, and generative AI, OCR and email archiving start at Pro.
• Standard does not include DEVONthink To Go, which needs a $2.99 monthly or $19 yearly subscription for full use.

Keep It

• It runs on Apple platforms only, and the iPhone and iPad app is always a separate purchase from the Mac app.
• The iPhone and iPad app requires a subscription; the one-time license exists only for the Mac version bought from the vendor.
• Sync is through iCloud only: it cannot be used with Dropbox, OneDrive or iCloud Drive, and it has a single library.
• The one-time license covers the current major version (2.x), and its price is not shown until the store checkout.

DEVONthink

Document databases

Stores texts, PDFs, web pages, images, emails and spreadsheets in databases on your Mac, organized with groups, tags and smart groups.

Notes, annotations and links

Write notes as Markdown, plain text or rich text and attach annotations to documents. Cross-references and item links connect items into a personal wiki.

Built-in and generative AI

Built-in AI suggests related documents and filing locations. Pro and Server connect online or local chat models for summaries, tagging and chat.

Automation

Smart rules run actions on documents when their conditions are met, and AppleScript or JavaScript for Automation scripts can extend them.

Encrypted sync

Databases sync between Macs, iPhones and iPads over the local network or a cloud service of your choice, with the synced data encrypted.

Scanning, OCR and email archiving

Pro and Server make scanned documents searchable, archive email independently of the mail app and imprint PDFs with stamps or Bates numbers.

Keep It

Notes and text files

Notes with styles, checklists, lists, links, images and attachments, plus rich text, plain text and Markdown files with an HTML preview.

Web links, PDFs and scans

Save web links as PDFs or web archives for offline reading, scan documents, and edit PDFs by reordering or removing pages and highlighting text.

Finder and Files integration

Everything is stored as files, folders and tags that can be managed in the Finder and in Open and Save panels on the Mac, and in the Files app on iPhone and iPad.

Folders, bundles, tags and labels

Organize items in nested folders, gather them into bundles that can overlap, and add tags and color labels. A Tag Filter narrows any list by tag.

Search and saved searches

Searches file contents, text recognized in scanned PDFs and images, and metadata, with suggestions as you type. Any search can be saved to the sidebar.

iCloud sync and sharing

The library can live in iCloud and be reached from all your Macs, iPhones and iPads, and top-level folders or single items can be shared with other Keep It users.

DEVONthink

• Standard$99

  one-time license with 2 Mac seats and 1 year of updates

  Importing, indexing, sync, encrypted databases, versioning, tagging, annotations, smart groups and rules, and scripting. Extra seats cost $49.

• Pro$199

  one-time license with 2 Mac seats and 1 year of updates

  Adds generative AI integration, OCR, email archiving, custom metadata and DEVONthink To Go with 5 mobile seats. Extra seats cost $99.

• Server$499

  one-time license with 2 Mac seats and 1 year of updates

  Adds a web interface and granular access management for teams, plus 25 mobile seats for DEVONthink To Go. Extra seats cost $99.

• DEVONthink To Go$2.99

  per month, or $19 per year, as an App Store subscription

  The iPhone and iPad app. It works with restrictions without a license and is included with Pro and Server licenses that still receive updates.

Keep It

• Keep It for iPad and iPhone$1.99 or $19.99

  monthly or yearly subscription; the listing does not label which

  A separate App Store app that requires a subscription, with a two-week free trial for new subscribers.

• Keep It for Mac (Mac App Store)$2.99 or $29.99

  monthly or yearly subscription; the listing does not label which

  Subscription to the Mac app from the Mac App Store, with a two-week free trial and Family Sharing.

• Keep It for Mac (one-time license)Not published

  Bought from Reinvented Software and covers every 2.x release on all the Macs in a household. The price is shown only in the store checkout.

DEVONthink

• Education

  20% off for students and educators

  Full-time students and teachers get 20% off new licenses, extra seats and update extensions once their status is approved in their customer account.

• Nonprofit

  20% off for volunteer-run charities

  Charities working in children's aid, human aid, ecology, wildlife protection or renewable energy get 20% off. Educational institutes and religious organizations are excluded.

• Other savings

  Lower price for extending updates early

  Extending before the update year ends costs $44, $89 or $134 for one more year instead of $49, $99 or $149, with two- and three-year options.

Keep It

• Other savings

  Free or half-price upgrade from Keep It 1

  Buyers of Keep It 1.x on or after May 4, 2021 qualify for a free upgrade to version 2, and earlier buyers for a half-price upgrade license.