AllApps

Apps nobody maintains any more.

Units Plus Converter is the top pick for anyone who wants a plain, ad-free unit converter and never wants to see a subscription prompt again. It hasn't changed in years, but a keypad converter doesn't need to change. Everything else here is a similar bet: old software that still does its one job, if you accept it will never be fixed again.

The filter. Every app here is still for sale, still well reviewed, and has gone at least three years without an update. That is not automatically bad — some software is simply finished — but you should know before you pay.
Top pick

Units Plus Converter

Alan Mrvica
View on the App Store ›
$19.99 once4.9★ (8,411)Updated Nov 19, 2018
Verdict
Reviewers consistently call this a fast, accurate unit converter with no ads, and it's kept a high rating over hundreds of reviews. It hasn't changed in years, so what you see is what you get: a keypad-driven converter and nothing more.
Best for
Someone who wants a no-frills, ad-free unit converter for everyday conversions and is fine paying more upfront to never see a subscription prompt again.
The catch
It costs noticeably more than typical unit converter apps, and with no updates in years you're trusting that its unit database and iOS compatibility won't need fixing down the line.
Native appOne-time purchaseNo subscription

Sleep Machine

SleepSoft LLC
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$3.99 once4.7★ (2,999)Updated Feb 14, 2021
Verdict
A one-time-purchase white-noise app that reviewers praise for ease of use and sound variety, with no subscription and no ads. A small but consistent number of reviewers report crashes on launch, which matters more for an app you rely on every night.
Best for
Someone who wants a simple, no-subscription white noise machine for sleep and doesn't need cloud sync or custom sound imports.
The catch
A handful of reviewers report the app crashing on open, sometimes right after purchase, and it hasn't been updated in years so that's unlikely to get fixed.
One-time purchaseLayered mixesNo subscription

Sleep Sounds: relaxing sounds

Anna Koynova
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$2.99 once4.7★ (1,968)Updated Jan 26, 2021
Verdict
A simple sound library that does one job: play recorded ambient sounds to help you sleep, without draining your battery. It hasn't changed in years, but reviewers say the core recordings and ease of use still hold up.
Best for
Someone who wants a no-fuss collection of ambient sleep sounds on an iPhone and doesn't need alarm features or new content added over time.
The catch
Reviewers note you can't use the sounds as morning alarms, and with no updates in years, don't expect that or any other new feature to ever show up.
One-time purchaseField recordingsLight on battery

PDF Reader Pro Edition®

iTECH DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS INC.
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$1.99 once4.4★ (1,731)Updated Jun 25, 2019
Verdict
This is a PDF reader with real crash and iCloud sync problems that reviewers keep hitting, alongside a genuinely easy-to-use annotation interface when it isn't misbehaving. It's cheap and functional for basic reading, but the export and cloud issues suggest it hasn't kept pace with how people actually store files now.
Best for
Someone who wants a low-cost PDF markup tool for files already sitting locally on their device, and doesn't rely on iCloud or Google Drive to move documents around.
The catch
Multiple reviewers report the app crashing specifically during scanning, saving, or exporting documents, and it does not work reliably with iCloud files — a serious problem if you need to get a signed or annotated PDF out to someone else.
Native appOne-time purchaseNo subscription

Star Chart Infinite

ESCAPE VELOCITY LIMITED
View on the App Store ›
$4.99 once4.6★ (574)Updated Nov 17, 2015
Verdict
Star Chart Infinite is a stargazing app people still praise for its visuals and ease of use years after its last update, though a few users report crashes on newer iPhones and buggy location tracking.
Best for
Someone with an older iPhone or iPad who wants a one-time-purchase night-sky guide and doesn't need rock-solid support for the newest hardware.
The catch
Some users on newer iPhones report the app crashing frequently, and its sky-position tracking has been reported as inaccurate, both issues unlikely to ever be patched given the app's age.
Native appOne-time purchaseNo subscription

ArtStudio - Draw and Paint

Lucky Clan
View on the App Store ›
$4.99 once4.6★ (559)Updated Jan 18, 2019
Verdict
A capable, feature-rich drawing app that people genuinely praise for creativity and value, but a persistent and recurring stream of crash and file-corruption complaints hangs over it, explicitly called out as being labeled a 'legacy version.'
Best for
Someone who wants a cheap, full-featured drawing app for casual projects (logos, sketches, wallpapers) and is willing to save often and export frequently to avoid losing work.
The catch
Multiple reviews describe crashes that corrupt or lose in-progress files, especially when importing photos or running low on memory, and this is called the legacy version so there's no indication it will be fixed.
Native appOne-time purchaseNo subscription

Who should skip this entirely.

If you need reliable cloud sync, work with files stored in iCloud or Google Drive, or plan to use your device for years and expect ongoing compatibility fixes, skip this whole category. These apps are frozen in time — no bug fixes, no adaptation to new iOS versions, no response if something breaks. Buy actively maintained alternatives instead, even if they cost a recurring fee, especially for anything involving document handling like PDF Reader Pro Edition, or anything you depend on nightly like a sleep app prone to launch crashes.

Questions.

Is it safe to buy an app that hasn't been updated in years?It can be, if the app does something simple and self-contained like unit conversion or playing pre-recorded sounds. It's riskier for anything touching cloud storage, newer hardware, or complex file handling, where lack of updates tends to show up as crashes.
Why would anyone still sell an app they don't maintain?Because it still works well enough for its core purpose and keeps earning downloads. Some of these are essentially 'finished' pieces of software — a converter or sound player doesn't need new features to keep functioning.
Will these apps keep working on future iOS versions?There's no guarantee. Nothing here has a track record of recent compatibility fixes, so an iOS update could break something with no promise of a patch.
Should I pick the cheapest option in this category?Not necessarily. Several of these apps have real, recurring complaints about crashes or data loss, and an unmaintained app won't fix those later. Price matters less here than whether the specific dealbreaker applies to your use case.