Paperpal
AI writing and checking assistant for academic papers
What is Paperpal?
Paperpal is an AI writing assistant from Cactus Communications aimed at researchers and students. It checks grammar and academic tone, paraphrases and translates text, finds and formats citations from a database of research articles, and runs plagiarism, AI-detection and journal submission checks. It runs on the web, as a Microsoft Word add-in, and as a browser extension that works inside Google Docs and Overleaf.
Paperpal has a free plan. Paid plans start at $12 per month, billed annually ($144). See every plan
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Paperpal pricing
- Starts at
- $12 per month, billed annually ($144)
- Free plan
- 200 grammar edits a month, 5 uses a day of paraphrase, trim, translate and research Q&A, chat with 5 files a month, lite plagiarism and Journal Fit reports, and 300 MB of library storage.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | $12per 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 | $29per 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 / Institution | Custom | Institution-wide pricing with access management and shared libraries, arranged through sales, with a free trial on request. |
Read from paperpal.com on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Paperpal before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountAbout 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%.
Stated on paperpal.com - Other savingsPrime 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.
Stated on paperpal.com - EducationStudent 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.
Stated on paperpal.com
Works with
- Microsoft Word
- Google Docs
- Overleaf
- DeepL
Paperpal alternatives
- Paperpal vs Writefull
Free plan · from $12.50/mo
- Paperpal vs Trinka
Free plan · from $48/yr
- Paperpal vs Grammarly
Free plan · from $12/mo
- Paperpal vs QuillBot
Free plan · from $8.33/mo
- Paperpal vs Jenni AI
Free plan · from $12/mo
Common questions
Is Paperpal free?
Paperpal has a free plan. 200 grammar edits a month, 5 uses a day of paraphrase, trim, translate and research Q&A, chat with 5 files a month, lite plagiarism and Journal Fit reports, and 300 MB of library storage. Paid plans start at $12 per month, billed annually ($144).
How much does Paperpal cost?
Paperpal lists 4 plans. Free: $0. Prime: $12 per month, billed annually ($144); $25 billed monthly. Pro: $29 per month, billed annually ($348); $59 billed monthly. Enterprise / Institution: custom pricing. Prices were read from paperpal.com on Oct 9, 2026.
What platforms does Paperpal work on?
Paperpal is available on Web. It also has a browser extension.
Does Paperpal offer any discounts?
Paperpal publicly lists the following: About half off with annual billing; Prime Multi-year Saver: one payment for 2 or 3 years; Student discount through an institution email.
Does Paperpal have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Paperpal is listed for Web.
Does Paperpal have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Paperpal is listed for Web.
Is Paperpal open source?
Paperpal is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 9, 2026.
What does Paperpal integrate with?
Paperpal's listing names Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Overleaf and DeepL. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Does Paperpal have a student discount?
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.
Who makes Paperpal?
Paperpal is made by Cactus Communications.
What are the alternatives to Paperpal?
The closest alternatives to Paperpal in our directory are Writefull, Trinka, Grammarly, QuillBot and Jenni AI. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Paperpal.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 9, 2026.