# Paperpile — user reviews > 81 indexed App Store user reviews of Paperpile by Paperpile LLC, rated 4.50/5 from 129 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paperpile/id1187562736/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paperpile/id1187562736.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 104 · 4★ 8 · 3★ 5 · 2★ 5 · 1★ 7 ## What do users think of Paperpile? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 👍 Excellent reference library management - 🔄 Seamless cross-device synchronization - ✍️ Intuitive PDF annotation and highlighting - 🎨 Clean and minimalist user interface - 📱 Strong iPad and mobile integration - 🏷️ Effective tagging and organization system - 🔗 Great Google Docs integration - 📚 Superior to Mendeley, Zotero, and Endnote - ⚡ Fast and responsive PDF viewer - 🔐 Institutional proxy support for PDF downloads **Cons** - 🐛 Frequent crashes and instability - ⏱️ Lack of updates for extended periods - 📱 Mobile app significantly behind web version features - 🔋 High battery drain on iPad - 🌙 No dark mode support - 🔗 Limited browser support (Chrome only) - 📝 Cannot edit metadata on mobile app - 🔐 Limited authentication options (Google login only) - 📤 File size limitations (50-100MB) - 🔄 Sync issues and login problems - ⚠️ Highlighting issues on iPad with overlapping annotations - 💾 Annotations disappearing after closing PDFs **Commonly reported bugs** - App crashes frequently on iPad and iOS devices - Highlighting disappears when revisiting papers - Overlapping annotations delete together when removing one - Sync failures requiring logout/login cycles - Annotations not syncing between iPad and web versions - PDF metadata recognition failures when adding papers - Settings reset when returning to previously edited files - App incompatible with older iOS versions (iOS 12) - Login authentication errors with university accounts - App crashes without reliable internet connection - Search functionality broken after updates - Annotations not saving/loading on iOS 14.4.2 **Most requested features** - Dark mode implementation - Edit citation metadata on mobile app - Change PDF file functionality - Save to downloads feature - Dictionary/lookup function for reading - Cite while you write feature - BibTeX export capability - Ability to upload PDFs directly from mobile app - Support for Safari and other browsers - Desktop application version - Shared library access in mobile app - Advanced sorting options (by title, author, date) - Custom color options for annotations - Paste images into PDFs - Shape snapping for drawing tools - University email authentication - Paper rating system beyond stars ## Newest reviews (14 of 81) ### 2/5 — Basic features missing *2026-01-02, version 1.3.7* Desktop paperpile is great but the app is missing some basic features like changing the PDF file, saving to downloads, editing metadata (!). Also in serious need of dark mode! Unfortunately the app hasn’t been updated in two years.. ### 4/5 — 주석 오류 *2025-08-17, version 1.3.7* 주석 하이라이트가 겹쳐 있으면 삭제할 때 별도로 표시한 주석이라도 한꺼번에 삭제되는 오류가 있습니다. ### 2/5 — Highlighting on iPadOS still disappearing *2025-03-28, version 1.3.7* Every time I revisit a paper, I have to correct missing highlights because parts or entire segments of highlights are missing. It’s almost like I’m rereading the entire document. Please fix ### 2/5 — Not updated for a year *2025-03-19, version 1.3.7* lots of great features in the website are not in the mobile app yet, such as shared folder. I really hoped the developers can update the app. ### 2/5 — No sign in option with my university email on IOS *2025-01-20, version 1.3.7* Really disappointing that there is just sign in option for gmail account on IOS apps!, i wish did not buy the annual membership! ### 2/5 — Sync issues *2024-09-29, version 1.3.7* This used to be great. Now I can’t sync without logging out and in and there seems to be no fix in sight. ### 3/5 — Need a way to switch library in the app *2024-09-09, version 1.3.7* This app is not usable any more because we upgraded our shared folder to shared library. And then it is not accessible from the app! ### 4/5 — Dictionary Missing *2024-08-23, version 1.3.7* The app is fantastic for reading papers. I would give 5 stars if it can have the “look up” function. Wish the developers can enable this function. ### 2/5 — Love the app, hate the problems *2024-05-29, version 1.3.7* I am an everyday user of this app, both in its intended use as a reference manager and also as a very good PDF reader. There are just several things which degrade my user experience heavily in regular use. I. There’s no option to edit existing entries. Why? You do this on your website, which you’ve helpfully not let me access on mobile because you have this inferior app. Utterly nonsensical, and your insistence on me using the app by not letting me use the website is worthy of losing four stars alone. By your own admission, this app lacks the full features of the website. So why in the world would you make the website inaccessible to mobile users??? This is a puzzling and frankly stupid decision on your part. You either a) let me access the website so I can use the features that I am PAYING for, or b) actually finish the app, as it’s been a few years now and you just aren’t even close. II. The file size limit is frustrating and just completely unnecessary. For two reasons. 1), do you REALLY need every file to be online? It’s nice but you can get rid of this by just storing files over 100mb on the iPad itself in the app’s directory (probably with a little warning mark indicating that it is not available online). This is an opportunity for you to actually add a feature on the app that wouldn’t be available on the website. Regardless 2), you store the files I upload to my google drive. Unless google made some stupid decisions recently, they have no such limit. Further, the app’s actual size limit is closer to 50mb than the 100mb you claim, which leads me to believe the limit has more to do with deficiencies in coding than with server space. You should fix this before you charge your customers, yes? There are a few other small issues but they wouldn’t even be able to knock off a star. I am serious in saying this is a great app and it has no reason at all to have to have to be rated this low. You dropped the ball. Dearly, now pick it up and fix it. ### 5/5 — Top notch app, great for MacBook & iPad *2023-04-13, version 1.3.3* I started using mendeley recently going into residency as suggested by a peer; soon I find it frustrating that it does not integrate to the iPad and the web finder is often slow. I stumbled onto this app and I’m so impressed. I know have all the journal articles that I want to read in one place, and I could easily switch between my MacBook and iPad ### 4/5 — Started great, but... *2023-03-30, version 1.3.3* This app is both a godsend and a frustration at the same time. With no recent update, I find the app is crashing with more and more frequency as my iPad updates to a higher, newer iPadOS. Please catch up so the app works as well as it used to. ### 5/5 — Very useful *2022-11-07, version 1.3.3* I enjoy using it ### 5/5 — 잘 만든 앱 *2022-06-14, version 1.3.3* 필요한 기능들이 대부분 들어가있습니다. 다만, 사전기능도 추가하면 완벽할 것 같습니다. ### 4/5 — Great but a little bare bones *2022-04-11, version 1.3.3* I prefer this reference manager over all of the others on the market, but I do find it lacking in a few features that would add so much to the user experience. For one, it would be great if we could upload PDF files of journal articles directly from the iPhone or iPad app instead of having to go on the Chrome web app to do so (because of the way my institution proxy access works, automatic downloads only work around ~80% of the time). It would also be nice to see some more configuration options in the settings menu. I also want the ability to manually edit citation fields. In the case of some older papers going back decades, the digital archiving isn’t perfect so my collection of citations doesn’t look as neat & tidy as I’d like. These minor grievances aside, it is really a great system and I will continue to rely on Paperpile for my references. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — The app doesn‘t work *2024-11-23, version 1.3.7* I used to enjoy this app in iOS. But it simply doesn’t work for about couple of months. And the lastest update version is too old… need to fix this problem. ### 1/5 — I am really angry *2024-03-16, version 1.3.7* It took me too much effort to adjust the opacity of the texts and equations across multiple PDF files, only to find out that all these settings were reset when I returned to these files later on. This is truly a no-go. ### 1/5 — Very unstable *2023-09-17, version 1.3.6* Keeps crashing ### 1/5 — Crash on iOS *2023-04-28, version 1.3.5* As titled. Why is it necessary at all to update the app only to make it useless?? ### 1/5 — Can’t log in to university account on Mobile. *2022-03-23, version 1.3.3* I use Paperpile through the online application and chrome extension, and it is generally a good citation manager. However, the padOS / iOS application is unusable due to the inability to log in to my university account which has an authentication layer. The Google login has an authentication error for all login attempts, and if I attempt to circumvent that issue by logging in online on my iPad I get the infuriating prompt that I should download the app. For this to be worth my while, one of two things needs to happen. 1. Disable the painfully obnoxious prompt to download the app when on a mobile device, or 2. get the (university) authentication layer to work when using the google login option. ### 1/5 — App version is a naff *2022-03-03, version 1.3.3* I have used the desk top version with little trouble, it’s been an essential asset to writing my university assignments. This version is counter intuitive, buggy, never syncs, and crashed more times than it doesn’t. It is completely unreliable. It’s much more complicated a proposition to use now. Can’t decide whether to switch to a more reliable app in the Apple eco system or endure the hassle of having to search and upload papers on a different device. ### 1/5 — Adding papers is buggy. *2022-01-05, version 1.3.3* I really want to like Paperpile on IPad but its just doesn’t work. Adding papers is a hit and miss on iPad (where it would just work seamlessly on desktop) on papers from popular journals. I have updated to the most recent version at this point in writing. Most times it just doesn’t recognize the paper and gives either the wrong information or a looping cursor. Tried sending to paperpile on both the webpage of the paper or sending the pdf instead and both methods do not work. ### 1/5 — Can't edit *2021-08-09, version 1.3.2* App lasted eitrally 10 minutes before I deleted it. First I could not figure out how to edit the citation info, then why is it only google login! ### 1/5 — Crashes for some reason if you don’t have reliable internet connection *2021-04-17, version 1.3.0* Crashes for some reason if you don’t have reliable internet connection ### 1/5 — Why couldn’t I search by book names after update??? *2021-04-15, version 1.3.0* As title. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Best app for large library of references *2026-05-13, version 1.3.7* Excellent app which handles large reference libraries MUCH better than Mendeley, Endnote, Zotero etc.. ### 5/5 — cool *2025-07-08, version 1.3.7* for the first time ever I have a structure in the scientific papers,user friendly, search, annotations,.. the best tool ### 5/5 — Simple and efficient *2025-01-23, version 1.3.7* I like this app because it’s simple ### 5/5 — Absolute favorite *2024-10-19, version 1.3.7* Please keep up the updates! We appreciate it! ### 5/5 — Great App with Some Great Features *2024-07-15, version 1.3.7* Have been using this daily now for quite some time and love it compared to other offerings in the market. Would be great if there were some more features to help sort documents (eg ability to rate papers rather than just a star). Would also love if I could use on all my browsers, limiting to needing chrome + the extension means I can’t access this on my work computer. ### 5/5 — Honestly the best thing ever created *2024-05-15, version 1.3.7* The only good thing on this planet ### 5/5 — worth every cent! *2024-04-22, version 1.3.7* I have been looking for a reference manager which syncs automatically between my laptop and iPad. I have used all the more famous ones like Mendeley, Zotero, etc. This one is by far the cleanest, easiest to work with and instantly syncs across multiple devices. You can highlight text, and freely write or draw on PDFs and seemlessly organize references. I wish more researchers started to use it so you could do shared work more easily. ### 5/5 — No contest *2023-12-07, version 1.3.7* I prefer pen and paper but this is game changing. Honestly, forget Mendeley, Endnote and Zotero. This is the best reference manager I’ve ever had. Takes a while to update though and syncing is annoying. ### 5/5 — Makes life so EASY! *2023-09-13, version 1.3.6* This is a wonderful reference manager! I’ve been needing to find a great manager that allows me to organize and sort my papers as I wish and this app does just that! I love how easy it is to organize my references as well as sort out certain papers based on a label. It was so easy to sign in to my university account to get access to all the journals out there AND I don’t have to re-sign in! It’s so seamless everytime!! I also think that annotating the document is pretty easy and smooth. There is one thing I will say though that I wish Paperpile did offer, and that is the ability to “cite while you write”. I know some other managers offer that and I really think it would be a great way to level up this application to a different level. Overall, a really great reference manager that I enjoy! ### 5/5 — Keep crashed on ios12 ipad mini2 *2023-06-25, version 1.3.6* Great app! Not sure why after installing the app, i cannot open the app on ipad mini2/iOS 12, and kept crashing. Could you help to troubleshoot. Thanks --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-09.*