# Academia.edu vs Scribd

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 (#140 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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.

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.

Academia.edu ships an update every 2 weeks, Scribd fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Academia.edu | Scribd |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (17K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/academiaedu/id1385234213/reviews)** | [2.8 (275 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scribd-170m-plus-documents/id6448807714/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **17K** | 275 |
| Positive reviews | **73.7% of reviews** | 13.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | — | **#140** |
| Size | 52 MB | 156 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Academia.edu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1385234212) | [Scribd](https://appshunter.io/developer/332135353) |

## What reviewers say

### Academia.edu

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/academiaedu/id1385234213)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Academia Premium - Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Academia Premium - Annual | $98.99 | per year |
| Academia Premium - Annual | $98.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scribd-170m-plus-documents/id6448807714)

**Currently charting:** #140 Top Grossing · Education (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Scribd Membership | $3.99 | per month |
| Scribd Membership | $3.99 | per month |
| Scribd Membership | $6.99 | per month |
| Scribd Membership | $6.99 | per month |
| Scribd Membership | $7.99 | per month |
| Scribd Membership | $9.99 | per month |
| Scribd Membership | $11.99 | per month |
| Scribd Membership | $11.99 | per month |
| Everand Membership | $11.99 | per month |
| Everand Membership | $16.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


## Frequently asked 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 15, 2026 and Scribd on October 13, 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.*