Paperpile vs ReadCube Papers (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ReadCube Papers grades higher than Paperpile: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
ReadCube Papers grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Paperpile
Reference manager built around Google Drive, Docs and Word
ReadCube Papers
Reference library with an AI assistant for cited answers
Which one is for you
Pick Paperpile if
- Fits if you write in Google Docs and keep your files in Drive
- Works for students and researchers who want citations dropped into Word
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a plan that stays free, as there is only a 30-day trial
- Tight if you pay monthly, as there is no monthly billing and all plans bill annually
- Watch out: full-text PDF search, notes, annotations and shared libraries need Expert
- Watch out: sign-up is through a Google account, and the page says only Chrome can be used to sign up
- Skip it if you use Safari or Firefox, as support is described as a beta coming later
Pick ReadCube Papers if
- Fits if you want a reference library with PDF chat, at about $8 a month
- Works for researchers who cite in Word or Google Docs
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a plan that stays free, as there is only a 30-day trial
- Tight if you share: Essentials allows 5 shared libraries and limits PDF chat per day
- Pricey if you need chat across a library, saved searches and full Dimensions search, which need Plus at $185 a year
- Watch out: the research assistant and systematic review add-on are Enterprise only, sold through sales
- Watch out: the pricing page lists mobile apps but names no desktop operating systems
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAPaperpileFair | 2.4GPAReadCube PapersFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CRegular is $8.30 a month on annual billing, above the $7.92 that starts the cheaper quarter of research tools. Expert is $11.50. | BEssentials is $95 a year, about $7.92 a month, which is the edge of the cheaper quarter of research tools ($7.92). Plus is $185 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 30-day free trial, with the page not saying a card is needed, and no free plan after it. | CA 30-day trial of Plus with no card, and no free plan after it. |
| Features | CSaving papers, a library, citations in Word and Docs, PDF reading and BibTeX. Full-text search, notes, annotations and shared libraries are not in Regular. | CLibrary, annotation, citations, literature monitoring and an AI assistant. Library chat and saved searches need Plus, and the research assistant is Enterprise only. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Sign-up is through a Google account and Chrome. | CNo store rating on record. It has a library to build and import, and citation tools to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, an extension, iPhone and Android, with Docs, Word, Drive, Overleaf, OneDrive, Scopus and Web of Science. No desktop app. | BWeb, iPhone, Android and a browser extension, with Word, Docs, EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley and Dimensions. No desktop OS is named. |
| Best for | a reference manager for Google Docs and Word | a reference library with an AI assistant |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Paperpile and ReadCube Papers. How we grade
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. ReadCube Papers starts at $7.92 a month when paid by the year for each person and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and ReadCube Papers starts $0.38 a month lower. Of the other AI research tools on the chart, 12 score higher than Paperpile for less, and 10 score higher than ReadCube Papers for less.
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
Where they differ
- ReadCube Papers also covers chat assistant.
At a glance
| Paperpile | ReadCube Papers | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $8.30 per month, billed annually | $95 per user / year, billed annually ($10 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial | 30-day free trial of Plus, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Paperpile LLC | Digital Science |
| Price read from | paperpile.com | about.readcube.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
ReadCube Papers
- Essentials allows only 5 shared libraries, and PDF chat is under daily limits.
- Chat across a library, saved searches and full Dimensions search need Plus or higher.
- The Research Assistant and the systematic review add-on are Enterprise only, sold through sales.
- The pricing page lists mobile apps but names no desktop operating systems.
Key features
Paperpile
- Save papers from the web
- A browser extension saves papers and PDFs from publisher pages and academic databases, and extracts metadata from PDFs you upload.
- Library organization
- Folders, labels, duplicate detection and merging, and automatic fixing of missing metadata keep a large library tidy.
- Citations in Word and Google Docs
- Plugins insert citations and bibliographies in more than 10,000 styles. Custom styles need the Expert plan.
- PDF reading and annotation
- Highlight and note PDFs in the app. Notes and PDF annotations are Expert features, as is collaborative annotation.
- BibTeX and LaTeX
- Export and import BibTeX, customize citation keys, and on Expert keep a .bib file synced to Google Drive or Overleaf.
- Sharing
- Share with private links on every plan. Shared folders and shared libraries with access permissions are on Expert.
ReadCube Papers
- Library and PDF annotation
- Store and organize PDFs with tags, custom fields and Smart Lists, and highlight, underline, draw and add notes on the PDF.
- SmartCite
- Insert citations into Word and Google Docs from more than 10,000 citation styles.
- AI Assistant
- Ask questions of one PDF, or of up to 20 papers at once on Plus, with answers linked to the source passage. Daily limits apply.
- Literature monitoring
- Save a recurring search so new papers are added to your library, with daily, weekly or monthly email alerts.
- Search and discovery
- Plus searches more than 150 million publications through the Dimensions database; Essentials searches metadata only.
- Systematic literature review
- Dual-reviewer screening, custom extraction forms and PRISMA flow diagrams are offered as an optional add-on for Enterprise.
Plans
Paperpile
Regular$8.30
per month, billed annually
Reference collection, PDF storage, citations in all major styles and BibTeX, and basic Word and Google Docs integrations.
Expert$11.50
per month, billed annually
Adds full-text search across PDFs, notes and annotations, shared folders and libraries, and any file type.
Enterprise and InstitutionsCustom
Everything in Expert plus SAML single sign-on, a custom MSA and SLA, vendor security reviews and HIPAA support.
ReadCube Papers
Essentials$95
per user / year, billed annually ($10 billed monthly)
Unlimited PDF storage, sync, SmartCite, 5 shared libraries and chat with a PDF under daily limits.
Plus$185
per user / year, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)
Adds groups of up to 10 users, saved searches, extended PDF chat and chat across up to 20 papers.
EnterpriseCustom
Everything in Plus with unlimited users, SSO, an admin dashboard and the Research Assistant; sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
Paperpile
- Education
50% academic discount
Students, faculty, researchers and eligible nonprofits get 50% off, so Regular is $4.15 and Expert $5.75 per month billed annually.
- Other savings
Group discount on Expert
Expert plans get an automatic group discount of up to 20%, growing with the number of seats.
ReadCube Papers
- Education
Academics take 40% off
Academic discount applied at checkout on Essentials and Plus, verified with an academic email address or ID.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Paperpile or ReadCube Papers?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Paperpile starts at $8.30 per month, billed annually, and ReadCube Papers starts at $95 per user / year, billed annually ($10 billed monthly). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Paperpile or ReadCube Papers?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Paperpile nor ReadCube Papers has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.