Alternatives · AI Research
Paperpile alternatives
As of Nov 13, 2026, the highest-graded Paperpile alternative is Zotero (2.8 GPA). It's also the best free one. The catch, in its listing's words: "The app is free; syncing files uses 300 MB of free storage."
Paperpile compared with 5 alternatives: Zotero, Mendeley, ReadCube Papers, Lean Library Workspace and Scholarcy.
Paperpile is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $8.30 per month, billed annually. 4 of the 5 alternatives are free or have a free plan. One more offers a free trial.
Listings checked up to Nov 13, 2026 · Where the facts come from
Black Friday: is there a Paperpile sale?
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Free plan | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| PaperpileThis tool | Free trial · from $8.30/mo | Trial only | Web, iOS, Android, Browser extension |
| Zotero | Free plan · from $20/yr | Yes | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Mendeley | Free plan · from $26/mo | Yes | Web |
| ReadCube Papers | Free trial · from $95/yr | Trial only | Web, iOS, Android, Browser extension |
| Lean Library Workspace | Free plan · from $6.99/mo | Yes | Web, Browser extension |
| Scholarcy | Free plan · from $90/yr | Yes | Web, Browser extension |
Price against what you get
Paperpile starts at $8.30 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. 1 of the 5 alternatives on this chart scores higher and starts lower: Scholarcy.
Zotero, ReadCube Papers and Lean Library Workspace start lower without scoring higher.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
How each one differs from Paperpile
Zotero
Free, open-source reference manager from a nonprofit
- Zotero starts at $20 per year for 2 GB of file storage.
- Zotero has a free plan, which Paperpile lacks.
- Zotero also lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- Zotero lists no web app and browser extension, which Paperpile has.
- Zotero is open source, according to its own site.
Suits: Students and researchers who want a free reference manager
Mendeley
Reference manager from Elsevier, with paid AI add-ons
- Mendeley starts at $26 per month, billed annually ($32 billed monthly).
- Mendeley has a free plan, which Paperpile lacks.
- Mendeley lists no iOS and Android apps and browser extension, which Paperpile has.
- Mendeley also covers chat assistant.
- Mendeley does not cover web clipper, which Paperpile does.
Suits: Researchers who want a free reference manager with 2 GB of storage
ReadCube Papers
Reference library with an AI assistant for cited answers
- ReadCube Papers starts at $95 per user / year, billed annually ($10 billed monthly).
- ReadCube Papers also covers chat assistant.
Suits: Academics who want a reference manager with built-in AI chat
Lean Library Workspace
Reference manager and citation add-ins, formerly Sciwheel
- Lean Library Workspace starts at $6.99 per month.
- Lean Library Workspace has a free plan, which Paperpile lacks.
- Lean Library Workspace lists no iOS and Android apps, which Paperpile has.
Suits: Students whose university provides Lean Library access
Scholarcy
Summarizes research papers into interactive flashcards
- Scholarcy starts at $90 per year, or $9.99 per month billed monthly.
- Scholarcy has a free plan, which Paperpile lacks.
- Scholarcy lists no iOS and Android apps, which Paperpile has.
- Scholarcy does not cover web clipper and highlights, which Paperpile does.
Suits: Screening a stack of papers before deciding which to read in full
Limits worth knowing in Paperpile
- All plans are billed annually; the pricing page says there is no monthly billing.
- Sign-up is through a Google account, and the page says only Chrome can be used to sign up.
- Full-text PDF search, notes, annotations and shared libraries are not in the Regular plan.
- Safari and Firefox support is described as a beta that is coming later.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to Paperpile?
The alternatives to Paperpile in this directory are Zotero, Mendeley, ReadCube Papers, Lean Library Workspace and Scholarcy. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Paperpile.
Is there a free alternative to Paperpile?
Yes. Zotero, Mendeley, Lean Library Workspace and Scholarcy have a free plan alongside paid ones.
Which Paperpile alternatives work on Windows?
The Paperpile listing does not include a Windows app. Zotero lists one.
Which Paperpile alternatives work on macOS?
The Paperpile listing does not include a macOS app. Zotero lists one.
Is there an open-source alternative to Paperpile?
Zotero is described as open source on its own site.
When were these prices checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 5, 2026 to Nov 13, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.