Comparison

Academia.edu vs Scribd

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

Head to head
About

Academia.edu

Access a vast library of open-access research papers on your mobile device. Discover new studies, track mentions and readership of your work, and connect with fellow scholars. Explore millions of academic papers on diverse topics.

Highlights
  • Discover and read research
  • Save research papers
  • Track mentions and readership
  • Search scholarly topics
  • Connect with scholars
  • View colleague activity
Features
Read full description

Get the world’s largest open access library in your pocket with the Academia mobile app. Use the app to: - Discover, read and save new research - See who has mentioned you in their work. - See who is reading you papers and profiles. - Search for scholarly research on thousands of topics. - Find and connect with like-minded scholars - See what friends and colleagues are working on Academia.edu has over 23 million academic papers to explore from by millions of researchers around the world. Download the app to access your Academia.edu account whenever and wherever your curiosity strikes. __ Academia.edu Terms of Use: https://www.academia.edu/terms

About

Scribd

Access a vast library of over 200 million documents covering diverse topics, from government records and research papers to DIY guides and user manuals. Understand anything with shared knowledge from a global community. Read offline and sync across devices.

Highlights
  • Access 200M+ documents
  • Official government documents
  • Research papers and dissertations
  • User manuals and DIY guides
  • Offline PDF downloads
  • Sync across multiple devices
  • Includes Everand and SlideShare
Features
Read full description

Home to the world’s documents. Specialized knowledge, and answers you won’t find anywhere else. Get to the source with over 200 million documents [and counting] on every topic and niche, including: Official government documents Research papers Academic dissertations Medical reports DIY hobbies User manuals Case studies And more You’ve seen it all, now understand it all. Make sense of anything with information on just about everything, shared by a global community of thinkers. All content on Scribd can be synced across multiple devices. Features for the document reader: Download pdf documents to read offline. Save your documents. Our monthly subscription starts at $11.99 and automatically renews unless the subscription is canceled at least 24 hours prior to the next billing date. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase. A Scribd monthly subscription also includes access to Everand (ebooks and audiobooks) and SlideShare (presentations) at no extra cost. Download the free Scribd app and start exploring today! Our privacy policy can be found at https://www.scribd.com/privacy Our terms of use can be found at https://www.scribd.com/terms

Screenshots

Academia.edu4 screens
Scribd4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Academia.edu at 74% against Scribd's 14%. Academia.edu also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.8) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). Scribd's advantage is chart position (#143 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Academia.edu sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Scribd sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Academia.edu holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Academia.edu has 17K ratings behind it against 275, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Academia.edu's written reviews are positive against 14% of Scribd's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Academia.edu ships an update every 2 weeks, Scribd fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Academia.edu versus Scribd: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAcademia.eduScribd
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (17K ratings) — better2.8 (275 ratings)
Positive reviews73.7% of reviews — better13.9% of reviews
Number of ratings17K — better275
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank—#143 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB156 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperAcademia.eduScribd

Customer experience

Academia.edu

All ratings16,564 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral2.2%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews902 reviews
Positive73.7%
Neutral6.4%
Negative19.8%

Scribd

All ratings275 ratings
Positive41.1%
Neutral4.0%
Negative54.9%
Written reviews237 reviews
Positive13.9%
Neutral5.5%
Negative80.6%

User reviews

Academia.edu

From 17K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Helpful for research and learning
  • 📚 Comprehensive academic resources
  • 🔍 Useful for finding relevant papers
  • 🌐 Connects researchers globally
  • 💡 Innovative academic platform

Room to improve

  • 💰 Sudden price increase for Premium
  • 🔍 Unintuitive search and navigation
  • 🔒 Sign-in issues and frequent log-outs
  • 📤 Unwanted notifications and emails
  • 🔍 Difficult to access full papers without subscription

Scribd

From 275 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 Excellent content library
  • 💯 Great value for money
  • 🤓 Helpful for research and learning
  • 🙌 Seamless reading experience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes
  • 🔒 Difficult to cancel subscription
  • 💰 Unexpected charges after cancellation
  • 🤯 Confusing navigation between Scribd and Everand

Bugs and requests

Academia.edu

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • PDF files not loading properly
  • Crashing and freezing issues
  • Inconsistent behavior across platforms

Requested features

5 requests
  • Landscape mode support
  • Improved search and filtering options
  • Ability to bookmark and organize papers
  • Better integration with other research tools
  • More transparent pricing and subscription options

Scribd

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login issues due to constant redirects
  • Inability to download or access certain content
  • Syncing problems between devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Offline reading mode
  • Ability to highlight and annotate content
  • Improved search and discovery features
  • Support for older device models

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Academia.edu

Subscriptions3
  • Academia Premium - Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Academia Premium - Annual$98.991 Year
  • Academia Premium - Annual7 Days trial$98.991 Year
10 purchases

Scribd

Subscriptions10
  • Scribd Membership$3.991 Month
  • Scribd Membership1 Month trial$3.991 Month
  • Scribd Membership$6.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Scribd Membership1 Month trial$6.991 Month
  • Scribd Membership1 Month trial$7.991 Month
  • Scribd Membership$9.991 Month
  • Scribd Membership1 Month trial2 variants$11.991 Month
  • Scribd Membership2 variants$11.991 Month
  • Everand Membership2 variants$11.991 Month
  • Everand Membership2 variants$16.991 Month

Questions

Is Academia.edu free?
Academia.edu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Scribd free?
Scribd is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Academia.edu or Scribd?
Academia.edu is rated higher. Academia.edu averages 4.8 out of 5 from 17K ratings, while Scribd averages 2.8 from 275 ratings.
Do Academia.edu or Scribd have ads?
Neither Academia.edu nor Scribd shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Academia.edu or Scribd?
Academia.edu ships an update every 2 weeks, and Scribd fortnightly. Most recently, Academia.edu was updated on October 14, 2026 and Scribd on October 13, 2026.

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