Overleaf vs Paperpal

Overleaf

• Researchers and students writing papers and theses in LaTeX
• Co-authors who need to edit the same LaTeX document at once
• Institutions that want LaTeX with SSO or on-premises hosting

Paperpal

• Researchers preparing manuscripts for journal submission
• Students writing theses and essays who need citation help
• Non-native English speakers polishing academic prose
• Writers who want checks inside Word, Google Docs or Overleaf

Overleaf

• The Free plan allows 1 collaborator per project and keeps only the previous 24 hours of history.
• Track changes, full history, reference-manager sync and the Git, GitHub and Dropbox integrations need a paid plan.
• Free accounts get a basic compile timeout; paid plans get 24 times as long for large or complex documents.
• Monthly billing costs more: Standard is $25 a month, against $199 for a year.

Paperpal

• The Free plan stops at 200 grammar edits a month and 5 uses a day of the paraphrase, translate and research tools.
• Plagiarism checks have a monthly word cap on every paid plan; going over it means buying a one-time add-on valid for a month.
• The one-time multi-year option exists for Prime only, and the full Journal Fit report needs Pro.
• No desktop or mobile app is listed: it runs on the web, in a Word add-in and in Chrome and Edge extensions.

Overleaf

Code Editor and Visual Editor

Write LaTeX in the Code Editor or switch to the Visual Editor to edit without writing code. A toolbar adds figures and tables and formats text.

Real-time collaboration

Several people can edit and comment on a shared project at the same time, invited by link or email. The Free plan allows 1 collaborator per project.

Track changes and history

Paid plans show collaborators' edits as tracked changes and keep the full project history to compare, label and restore. Free accounts see the previous 24 hours.

Templates

A library of free templates and example projects, from publisher-approved research article templates to CVs and business proposals.

Reference and Git integrations

Paid plans connect Zotero, Mendeley and ReadCube for references, add advanced reference search, and sync projects with Git, GitHub and Dropbox.

AI tools

An AI Assistant, LaTeX error help, table and equation generators and Writefull language feedback, capped at 5 uses a day on Free and Student and 10 on Standard.

Paperpal

Grammar and consistency checks

Suggests grammar, tone and consistency fixes tuned to academic writing. The Free plan allows 200 edits a month, Prime 20,000 and Pro has no cap.

Paraphrase, trim and translate

Rewrites sentences in an academic tone, cuts word count and translates text, with translation powered by DeepL in over 30 languages.

Research and citations

Answers questions with cited findings from more than 300 million research articles and formats citations in over 10,000 styles.

Chat with PDFs and a library

Upload papers and ask questions about them: 5 files a month on Free, 150 on Prime and 500 on Pro, with library storage from 300 MB to 10 GB.

Plagiarism and AI detection

Checks similarity against a stated 99 billion sources and flags AI-written text. Plagiarism checks are capped at 10,000 words a month on Prime and 30,000 on Pro.

Submission readiness checks

Runs more than 30 pre-submission checks on language, structure, figures, disclosures and metadata. The full Journal Fit report is limited to Pro.

Overleaf

• Free$0

  Unlimited projects with 1 collaborator per project, a basic compile timeout and 5 AI uses a day.

• Student$8.25

  per month, billed yearly ($98); $13 billed monthly

  For students enrolled at a degree-granting institution: 10 collaborators per project, the AI Assistant and a 24x compile timeout.

• Standard$16.75

  per month, billed yearly ($199); $25 billed monthly

  10 collaborators per project, 10 AI uses a day, the AI Assistant and a 24x compile timeout, with premium features such as track changes and full history.

• Pro$33.25

  per month, billed yearly ($399); $45 billed monthly

  Unlimited collaborators per project and full access to every AI tool, subject to fair usage.

• OrganizationsCustom

  For 20 or more users: volume discounts of up to 35%, SSO, managed accounts, and optional on-premises or FedRAMP-authorized hosting.

Paperpal

• Free$0

  200 grammar edits a month, 5 writing and research uses a day, chat with 5 files a month and 300 MB of library storage. No card required.

• Prime$12

  per month, billed annually ($144); $25 billed monthly

  20,000 grammar edits, 10,000 words of plagiarism checks, 25,000 words of AI detection and 500 writing and research uses a month, with 2 GB of storage.

• Pro$29

  per month, billed annually ($348); $59 billed monthly

  Unlimited grammar edits, AI detection and writing tools, 30,000 words of plagiarism checks a month, full Journal Fit reports and 10 GB of storage.

• Enterprise / InstitutionCustom

  Institution-wide pricing with access management and shared libraries, arranged through sales, with a free trial on request.

Overleaf

• Annual discount

  3+ months free with yearly billing

  The billing toggle advertises 3 or more months free on yearly billing: Standard is $199 a year against $25 a month, and Pro is $399 against $45 a month.

• Education

  Student plan at $98 a year

  Students at educational institutions, including graduate students, can buy the Student plan for $98 a year or $13 a month.

• Education

  40% academic discount on group plans

  Groups at degree-granting institutions can apply a 40% academic discount to Standard and Pro group licenses. It is meant for students or faculty using Overleaf mainly for teaching.

• Nonprofit

  Nonprofit discounts from 20 licenses

  Qualified nonprofits can get a discount on purchases of 20 licenses or more by contacting Overleaf's sales team.

• Other savings

  Group and volume discounts

  Group licenses on Standard and Pro save an extra 10%, and organizations with 20 or more users can save up to 35% on volume purchases.

Paperpal

• Annual discount

  About half off with annual billing

  Prime costs $144 billed annually against $25 a month ($300 over a year), and Pro $348 against $59 a month ($708), a saving of roughly 51 to 52%.

• Other savings

  Prime Multi-year Saver: one payment for 2 or 3 years

  Prime can be bought for 2 years at $229 or 3 years at $289 as a single payment with no auto-renewal. The option is not offered for Pro.

• Education

  Student discount through an institution email

  Paperpal's pricing FAQ offers a discount to students who sign up with an institution email address and recommend that their institution buy a license.