Comparison

Paperpile vs Lab.Hacks

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Paperpile

Organize and manage your research papers effortlessly. Collect, read, and annotate PDFs from millions of academic journals. Beat paper chaos with a tidy digital library.

Highlights
  • Search millions of academic papers
  • Collect PDFs with one tap
  • Organize with folders and labels
  • Read and annotate PDFs
  • Highlight and add notes
  • Browser integration for saving
Features
Read full description

Get a head start for you research and finally beat the paper chaos on your desk. With Paperpile you have all your research PDFs in one place — nice and tidy. Paperpile makes it easier than ever to collect, manage, read, and annotate your papers. FIND & COLLECT - Search millions of papers from 20,000+ academic journals right in the app. - Add new papers to your collection with one tap and the PDF will be downloaded automatically. - Save directly from your browser to your Paperpile library - User your university's off-campus proxy access to get restricted content behind paywalls. MANAGE & ORGANIZE - Bring structure to your library with folders and subfolders - Organize your library visually with colored labels - Mark important papers with stars. - Search your library to find the paper you need fast. READ & ANNOTATE - Read like on paper with a fast and slick PDF viewer experience - Highlight important sections in different colors - Add notes and never forget an important idea. - Add hand-drawn annotations - with your fingers or your Apple Pencil The Paperpile App requires a Paperpile account.

About

Lab.Hacks

This app serves as a laboratory assistant, offering a collection of essential tools, calculators, and guides for students, researchers, and technicians. It simplifies everyday lab tasks with features like dilution calculators, timers, and protocols, all accessible offline.

Highlights
  • Dilution, molarity, and unit conversion calculators
  • Smart lab timers
  • Quick reference tables
  • Step-by-step protocols and guides
  • Offline access
  • Minimalist design
Features
Read full description

Lab.hacks is your ultimate companion for everyday work in the laboratory. Whether you're a student, researcher, or lab technician, Lab.hacks provides you with a growing collection of essential tools, calculators, and practical hacks designed to make your lab life easier. Features: • Handy calculators for dilutions, molarity, unit conversions & more • Smart lab timers and quick reference tables • Step-by-step protocols and how-to guides • Offline access – always available when you need it • Minimalist design for maximum focus • No login required – just open and start using From pipetting shortcuts to buffer recipes – Lab.hacks brings efficiency to your fingertips. Stop wasting time searching for formulas and start working smarter in the lab! Get Lab.hacks now and discover how small tools can make a big difference. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Paperpile3 screens
Lab.Hacks4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Paperpile at none against Lab.Hacks's 8. Paperpile also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.6). Lab.Hacks's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (96% vs 72%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Lab.Hacks sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Paperpile asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lab.Hacks holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 129 and 136 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Paperpile's written reviews are positive against 96% of Lab.Hacks's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Paperpile versus Lab.Hacks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPaperpileLab.Hacks
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (129 ratings)4.9 (136 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.6% of reviews96.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings129136 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size242 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPaperpile LLCLab.hacks GmbH

Customer experience

Paperpile

All ratings129 ratings
Positive86.8%
Neutral3.9%
Negative9.3%
Written reviews81 reviews
Positive71.6%
Neutral4.9%
Negative23.5%

Lab.Hacks

All ratings136 ratings
Positive98.5%
Neutral0.7%
Negative0.7%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive96.3%
Neutral3.7%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Paperpile

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • 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
Show 7 more
  • 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

Requested features

17 requests
  • Dark mode implementation
  • Edit citation metadata on mobile app
  • Change PDF file functionality
  • Save to downloads feature
  • Dictionary/lookup function for reading
Show 12 more
  • 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

Lab.Hacks

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Paperpile

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

Lab.Hacks

Subscriptions2
  • Lab.hacks Ad-free monthly$2.991 Month
  • Lab.hacks Ad-free annual$28.991 Year
One-time6
  • Donate 1$$0.99
  • Donate 5$$3.99
  • Donate 10$$8.99
Show 3 more
  • Donate 20$$17.99
  • Donate 50$$44.99
  • Donate 100$$89.99

Questions

Is Paperpile free?
Paperpile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lab.Hacks free?
Lab.Hacks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Paperpile or Lab.Hacks?
Lab.Hacks is rated higher. Paperpile averages 4.5 out of 5 from 129 ratings, while Lab.Hacks averages 4.9 from 136 ratings.
Do Paperpile or Lab.Hacks have ads?
Lab.Hacks shows ads; Paperpile does not.
Which is updated more often, Paperpile or Lab.Hacks?
Paperpile ships an update every 2 months, and Lab.Hacks every 2 months. Most recently, Paperpile was updated on October 15, 2026 and Lab.Hacks on October 12, 2026.

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