# Rectoly for Zotero — Read & annotate research PDFs

> Read & annotate research PDFs (iPhone/iPad app by Takaki Takemura.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rectoly-for-zotero/id6803044396 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Takaki Takemura](https://appshunter.io/developer/6793454900)
- Category: Productivity, Education
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.6 · 17 MB
- Languages: American English, Arabic, Danish, Dutch, French (France), German (Germany), Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese and 10 more
- Released: 2026-09-06
- Data updated: 2026-09-09
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rectoly-for-zotero/id6803044396/reviews.md

## What is Rectoly for Zotero?

Rectoly is the research-focused PDF reader built for Zotero users. Your library stays in Zotero — Rectoly makes reading and annotating on iPhone and iPad a genuine pleasure.

READING MODE
Academic papers are often formatted in two columns, making them hard to read on a phone. Reading Mode reflows the content into a single, clean column — without losing access to the original PDF. Jump back to the exact page anytime. Navigate by table of contents, search the whole paper, and customize the toolbar.

ANNOTATE IN READING MODE
Unlike other readers, Rectoly lets you highlight, underline, add sticky notes and comments, and draw with Apple Pencil — all while staying in Reading Mode. No need to switch back to the raw PDF just to mark something up.

APPLE PENCIL HANDWRITING
Write directly on the PDF or on the Reading Mode text. Handwriting syncs across your devices as a Zotero attachment, and a change history lets you go back to an earlier version at any time.

SPLIT VIEW AND WORKBENCH (iPAD)
Keep Reading Mode open while glancing at a figure, the original layout, or another section — side by side, all within a single window. On iPad, the Workbench pins a figure beside the text while you read on. No multi-window setup required.

ZOTERO SYNC
Annotations you create are written back to Zotero automatically. Highlights from Zotero Desktop or other apps appear in Rectoly automatically. Your reading position syncs too, so you can pick up on iPad right where you left off on the desktop. Group libraries are supported.

WORKS OFFLINE
Downloaded PDFs and annotations are stored locally. Read anywhere, anytime — even without an internet connection.

14-DAY FREE TRIAL → ONE-TIME PURCHASE
Try every Pro feature for free for 14 days. Unlock with a one-time payment — no subscription, no recurring charges.

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 14-day Trial | Free | one-time |
| Rectoly Pro (one-time) | $19.99 | one-time |



## Version history (last 2 releases)

### 2.0.0 — 2026-09-07

Rectoly 2.0 is a major update that rebuilds Reading Mode, handwriting, and sync.

HANDWRITING SYNCS ACROSS DEVICES
Apple Pencil handwriting is stored as a Zotero attachment and synced between iPhone and iPad. In Reading Mode, handwriting is anchored to the text and follows it when you change the font size. iCloud backup and a change history let you recover handwriting you deleted.

READING POSITION AND STATUS SYNC
Pick up on iPad right where you left off in Zotero desktop or web. Unread, in-progress, and finished papers are tracked automatically, with progress shown in the library.

WORKBENCH AND SIDEBAR (iPAD)
The Workbench pins a figure beside the text while you read. A persistent sidebar shows thumbnails, annotations, and the outline. PDFs can scroll vertically or horizontally with facing pages, Zotero-style.

READING MODE IMPROVEMENTS
Figures, tables, and equations are detected and placed in the text, and references like "Figure 1" jump to the figure. Pinch to change the font size and the text reflows on the spot. Japanese papers are supported (footnotes gathered at the end, paragraphs continued). Papers without detectable headings and PDFs over 500 pages now open in Reading Mode.

SEARCH AND EXPORT
Search the whole paper, search across your library, and find similar passages in other papers. Export annotations as Markdown, LaTeX, Typst, or Zotero notes.

ALSO NEW
• Customizable toolbar
• Apple Pencil squeeze for the tool palette, hover for a preview
• "Open in Rectoly" from other apps' share sheets
• Multiple Zotero accounts
• Background downloads with completion notifications
• Annotations carry over to the original paragraph when a PDF is replaced
• Right-to-left interface languages
• Many bug fixes and performance improvements

ABOUT RECTOLY PRO
Reading Mode and Split View are now Pro features. If you started your trial before this update, you keep them for free.

### 1.0.0 — 2026-09-06

No release notes.

## More apps by Takaki Takemura

- [Onyx - Dark Mode](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/onyx-dark-mode/id6793454898)
- [Rectoly for Mendeley](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rectoly-for-mendeley/id6798338667)

All apps by Takaki Takemura: https://appshunter.io/developer/6793454900

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*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 2026-09-09.*