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R Discovery

Paper discovery app with an AI assistant, PDF chat and audio

Free plan · from $69/yrAI ResearchChecked Oct 5, 20264.8 on the App Store
Visit discovery.researcher.life

What is R Discovery?

R Discovery is a literature search and reading app from Cactus Communications. It offers a personalized feed of papers, an AI assistant that answers questions with references from more than 300 million papers, PDF chat, a literature review workflow, and audio and translated versions of papers. It runs on the web, on iOS and Android and as a Chrome extension, and a second paid plan, Paperpal Prime, bundles it with Paperpal writing tools and Mind the Graph illustrations.

R Discovery has a free plan. Paid plans start at $69 per year, or $12 billed monthly (US prices). See every plan

Good for

  • Researchers who want a daily feed of new papers in their field
  • Reading on a phone: the iOS and Android apps include audio versions of papers
  • Readers who want papers translated into their own language
  • Paperpal users who want search and writing tools on one subscription

Worth knowing

  • Free accounts get 3 AI Assistant uses and 3 Chat PDF uses a day, with 5 file uploads a month.
  • Literature maps, content feeds, multiple projects and Zotero or Mendeley sync are listed for paid plans only.
  • The site bills in local currencies, so prices vary by country. The US prices here are from the pricing page's own price data and agree with the US App Store listing.
  • Refunds are limited to 30 days after purchase on annual plans and 7 days on monthly plans.

Key features

Ask R Discovery
An AI assistant that answers research questions with references drawn from more than 300 million papers. Free accounts get 3 uses a day.
Chat PDF
Upload a paper, or pick one already on R Discovery, and ask questions about it. The free plan allows 3 uses a day and 5 file uploads a month.
Literature Review
Finds relevant papers and synthesizes findings, gaps and themes across them. The feature page says it is available only on a desktop or laptop.
Personalized feed and alerts
A feed of papers matched to chosen interests, with alerts for new publications in a field. Personalized recommendations and curated content feeds are part of Prime.
Audio papers and translation
Listen to papers read aloud and read them in more than 30 languages. Use is limited on the free plan and unlimited on Prime.
Library and reference manager sync
Save papers to reading lists. Prime syncs those lists to Zotero or Mendeley automatically and lets collaborators share them.

R Discovery pricing

Starts at
$69 per year, or $12 billed monthly (US prices)
Free plan
Standard recommendations, 3 AI Assistant uses a day, 3 Chat PDF uses a day with 5 file uploads a month, and limited audio and translation.
Free trial
None listed
Free$0Standard recommendations, 3 AI Assistant uses a day, and 3 Chat PDF uses a day with 5 file uploads a month. No credit card required.
Prime$69per year (shown as $6 a month, billed yearly); $12 billed monthlyUnlimited AI Assistant, Chat PDF and Literature Review, literature maps and Zotero or Mendeley sync. Crossed-out prices: $119 a year and $19 a month.
Paperpal Prime$144per year (shown as $12 a month, billed yearly); $25 billed monthlyEverything in Prime plus Paperpal writing tools, plagiarism and reference checks, Mind the Graph illustrations and research skill courses.

Read from discovery.researcher.life on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with R Discovery before you buy.

Pricing in detail

Ways to pay less

  • Annual discountYearly billing costs about half of monthly

    In the US price data, Prime is $69 a year against $12 a month, and Paperpal Prime is $144 a year against $25 a month. Both work out to about 52% less over a year.

    Stated on discovery.researcher.life

How people rate the R Discovery app

4.8

out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app

  1. 5 stars89%
  2. 4 stars7%
  3. 3 stars2%
  4. 2 stars1%
  5. 1 star1%

921 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 5, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing

R Discovery reviews, and where to read more

Works with

R Discovery alternatives

All R Discovery alternatives comparedAll AI research tools

Common questions

Is R Discovery free?

R Discovery has a free plan. Standard recommendations, 3 AI Assistant uses a day, 3 Chat PDF uses a day with 5 file uploads a month, and limited audio and translation. Paid plans start at $69 per year, or $12 billed monthly (US prices).

How much does R Discovery cost?

R Discovery lists 3 plans. Free: $0. Prime: $69 per year (shown as $6 a month, billed yearly); $12 billed monthly. Paperpal Prime: $144 per year (shown as $12 a month, billed yearly); $25 billed monthly. Prices were read from discovery.researcher.life on Oct 5, 2026.

What platforms does R Discovery work on?

R Discovery is available on Web, iOS and Android. It also has a browser extension.

Does R Discovery offer any discounts?

R Discovery publicly lists the following: Yearly billing costs about half of monthly.

How is R Discovery rated?

R Discovery's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 out of 5 from 921 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 5, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.

Does R Discovery have a Windows app?

No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. R Discovery is listed for Web, iOS and Android.

Does R Discovery have a macOS app?

No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. R Discovery is listed for Web, iOS and Android.

Is R Discovery open source?

R Discovery is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.

What does R Discovery integrate with?

R Discovery's listing names Zotero, Mendeley, ChatGPT, GetFTR, LibKey, Paperpal and Mind the Graph. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.

Who makes R Discovery?

R Discovery is made by Cactus Communications.

What are the alternatives to R Discovery?

The closest alternatives to R Discovery in our directory are Semantic Scholar, SciSpace, Consensus, ResearchRabbit and Paperguide. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with R Discovery.

Sources for this page

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.