# Paperpile vs Lab.Hacks

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Paperpile | Lab.Hacks |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (129 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paperpile/id1187562736/reviews) | **[4.9 (136 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/labhacks/id1462593060/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 129 | **136** |
| Positive reviews | 71.6% of reviews | **96.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 242 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 16.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Paperpile LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1187562735) | [Lab.hacks GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1746977613) |

## What reviewers say

### Paperpile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paperpile/id1187562736)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent reference library management
- 🔄 Seamless cross-device synchronization
- ✍️ Intuitive PDF annotation and highlighting
- 🎨 Clean and minimalist user interface
- 📱 Strong iPad and mobile integration

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**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

**Requested features**

- Dark mode implementation
- Edit citation metadata on mobile app
- Change PDF file functionality
- Save to downloads feature
- Dictionary/lookup function for reading


### Lab.Hacks

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/labhacks/id1462593060)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lab.hacks Ad-free monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Lab.hacks Ad-free annual | $28.99 | per year |
| Donate 1$ | $0.99 | one-time |
| Donate 5$ | $3.99 | one-time |
| Donate 10$ | $8.99 | one-time |
| Donate 20$ | $17.99 | one-time |
| Donate 50$ | $44.99 | one-time |
| Donate 100$ | $89.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*