Paperpile vs PetFree
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
PetFree
This app connects pet owners and delivery drivers to create safer neighborhoods and improve delivery efficiency. Pet owners can share alerts about pets and collaborate on safety, while drivers can map pet-prone areas to optimize routes and avoid hazards.
- Pet incident alerts
- Lost pet notices
- Pet owner collaboration
- Hazard mapping for drivers
- Delivery route optimization
- Interactive incident map
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Pet owners and delivery drivers, unite! Welcome to PetFree, the app that brings you together for safer neighbourhoods and smoother deliveries. For Pet Owners: Stay in the loop about pet-related incidents nearby with PetFree. Get instant alerts regarding lost pets, share notices about your own furry friends, and collaborate with fellow pet owners to ensure a secure environment for pets. Let's build a community that watches out for our four-legged companions. For Delivery Drivers: Navigate pet-populated areas effortlessly. PetFree lets delivery drivers mark zones with potential pet interactions, optimizing routes and reducing risks. Your contributions create a pet-aware map that fosters a better relationship between drivers and pets, all while ensuring efficient deliveries. App Highlights: Hazard Mapping: Delivery pros can mark areas with potential pet-related challenges, ensuring a smooth coexistence and safer journeys. Delivery Insights: Access delivery schedules based on peak pet activity times, optimizing routes for safety and efficiency. Interactive Map: Visualize incidents and potential hazards on the map, making real-time decisions easier than ever. PetFree is your tool for a pet-friendly future. Join us in creating secure surroundings for pets and hassle-free deliveries. Experience the next level of pet-aware deliveries and neighbourhood safety. Download PetFree now and be part of the movement. Because safe pets mean seamless deliveries!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: PetFree at 5.0 against Paperpile's 4.5. PetFree also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 72%). Paperpile's advantage is ratings volume (131 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
PetFree holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Paperpile has 131 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Paperpile's written reviews are positive against 100% of PetFree's.
Paperpile ships an update every 2 months, PetFree daily. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and August 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Paperpile | PetFree |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (131 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 71.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 131 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 242 MB | 48 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Paperpile LLC | Ali Raza Noorani |
Customer experience
Paperpile
PetFree
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
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- 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
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- 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
PetFree
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Paperpile
No in-app purchases
PetFree
No in-app purchases









