Archivist Browser: Your Portal to Digital History
Archivist Browser is the ultimate media player, transforming your device into a comprehensive portal for streaming content directly from the Internet Archive's vast collections. Built specifically for researchers and enthusiasts of historical media, our app provides the fastest, most reliable way to stream millions of films, audiobooks, music and digital texts.
Stop struggling with browser playback. Download Archivist Browser and experience the past, optimised for seamless, modern streaming.
What the Critics Say
"A really cool piece of software... I've never seen anything like this before... Highly recommend." — WILL SMITH, BRAD AND WILL MADE A TECH POD
"A great idea for a very niche utility – my favourite kind these days." — FEDERICO VITICCI, MACSTORIES
As featured in Cory Doctorow's Pluralistic blog.
Enhanced Media Playback & Visuals
Experience history in high definition with a UI designed for modern enthusiasts.
Custom Themes: Personalise your experience with the new Alt Indigo Theme, a variation specifically for Dark Mode enthusiasts.
Universal TV Casting: Watch films and video on your big screen! Archivist Browser supports AirPlay (on iOS) for instant, seamless video streaming to any compatible TV or streaming device.
High-Res Image Viewer: Enjoy smoother navigation and better rendering when viewing high-resolution assets.
Improved Subtitles: Expanded support for subtitles across more titles and languages.
Optimised Audio: Enjoy full background audio support and media controls right from your lock screen, perfect for listening to historical audiobooks or music collections.
Polished UI: Refined thumbnail badges offer better clarity and a more professional look.
Discovery & Integration
Navigate the Archive’s millions of items with ease.
Topic Chips: Quickly filter and find what you want with Topic Chips now appearing on Collections.
Uploader Profiles: Explore more from your favourite contributors by clicking an uploader’s name to see their full gallery.
Internet Archive (IA) Integration: Seamlessly import your lists directly from your IA account for a seamless transition.
Fast Content Discovery: Easily find media by title, keyword or creator, or access curated "Popular Queries" to jump straight into trending collections.
File & Folder Management
Organise and share your research effortlessly.
Folder Sharing: Share your favourite folders with other users via URL or QR code.
Smart Store Linking: If a recipient doesn’t have the app installed, shared links will automatically direct them to the store page.
On-the-Fly Renaming: Keep your library organised by renaming your folders instantly.
Text File Clean Up: Use a dedicated button to instantly tidy up messy OCR text files.
Rapid Text Access: Cached text fetching retrieves PDFs and documents rapidly (note: cache is purged on app closure).
Privacy & Reliability
We prioritise your privacy: No user accounts, no mandatory login and absolutely no personal details are stored. Experience the Archive with total peace of mind.
The app makes it quick and easy to browse books, images, video and other resources that can be cumbersome on the Internet Archive’s website. The app’s clean interface and search make finding content and information for reference dead simple. The app maker has worked hard to upgrade it's features and it would be my first choice when wanting to find legitimate free resources from the internet archive. They even give you the control to be able to view the resource directly on the Internet Archive so you can choose the source that fits your needs. I'm looking forward to future updates that will allow you to read books or view other content in your favorite apps. Definitely recommend.
Developer Response
Thanks for the amazing review!
Very convenient
_juustiinee
It’s so nice to be able to browse Internet Archive in a mobile friendly way. The interface is very clean and works great. Search works great as well. I have already found many neat pieces of media that I would have had a much harder time finding on the Internet Archive website. There is hours upon hours of entertainment and knowledge via Internet Archive and this app makes it so easy to access it.
Developer Response
Thanks for the excellent review!
Excellent app for the Internet Archive is
EddieJewell
The Internet Archive is the ultimate collection of data but can be very frustrating to navigate. This app solves that problem and really fills the void between data and easily accessed data. It’s an excellent tool.
Developer Response
Thanks for the fantastic review!
Extremely Useful
Earl Gray III
Archivist does a terrific job of making the mobile user experience of The Internet Archive far more fluid. Finding things is easy, and the app is light and quick.
Developer Response
Thanks for the great review!
Localisation for Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and US English.
Sleep mode for the audio player.
Various bug fixes.
Version 1.2.0
The developer, Robert Lothian, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Seller
Robert Lothian
Size
78.8 MB
Category
Utilities
Compatibility
Requires iOS 15.6 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 15.6 or later.
iPad Requires iPadOS 15.6 or later.
iPod touch Requires iOS 15.6 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 12.5 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
Infrequent Cartoon or Fantasy Violence Realistic Violence Profanity or Crude Humor Mature or Suggestive Themes Horror/Fear Themes Medical Treatment information Alcohol, Tobacco, Drug Use or References Sexual Content or Nudity Guns or Other Weapons
