VerbTeX LaTeX Editor vs Papers by ReadCube
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
VerbTeX LaTeX Editor
Create and manage LaTeX projects on your iOS device. Generate PDFs offline or online with support for various compilers and bibliography tools. Features include cloud synchronization, Git integration, and custom font support.
- Offline PDF compilation
- Multiple LaTeX compilers (PdfLaTeX, XeLaTeX, LuaLaTeX)
- BibTeX/Biber support
- Cloud synchronization (Verbosus)
- Dropbox/Box synchronization
- Git integration
- iCloud integration
- Zotero/Mendeley integration
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VerbTeX Pro is the secure LaTeX Editor for your iOS device. It allows you to create and manage LaTeX projects directly on your iOS device and generate a PDF offline (Verbnox) or online (Verbosus). This software is provided "as is" without warranties or conditions of any kind, either expressed or implied. Features: * 2 Modes: Local (stores .tex documents on your device) and Cloud (synchronizes your projects with Verbosus) * Offline compilation (Local Mode, enable in Settings) * Use PdfLaTeX, XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX to generate a PDF * Use BibTeX or Biber for bibliographies * Automatic Dropbox synchronization (Local Mode) * Automatic Box synchronization (Local Mode) * Git integration (Local Mode) * iCloud integration (Local Mode) * Zotero integration (Local Mode) * Mendeley integration (Local Mode) * AI assistant (available in supported regions) * Custom keyboard shortcuts * Inverse search (jump from PDF to .tex file) * Syntax highlighting * Line numbers * Autosave * Hotkeys (see below) * File upload incl. subfolders (Local Mode) * Web-Interface (Cloud Mode) * Two factor authentication (Cloud Mode, in combination with Copiosus) * No ads Additional features in VerbTeX Pro: * Code completion (commands) * Unlimited number of projects (Local Mode) * Unlimited number of documents per project (Local Mode) * Unlimited number of file uploads per project (Local Mode) * Unlimited number of projects (Cloud Mode) * Unlimited number of documents per project (Cloud Mode) * Support development of free iOS apps If you experience any performance issues when loading a project or while using the editor please try * to disable syntax highlighting and line numbers by choosing Settings -> Syntax Highlighting * to split up your project into multiple .tex files by using the include{...} command of LaTeX Import or export existing projects (Local Mode): * Git integration lets you create a new or clone an existing repository. * Automatic Dropbox or Box synchronization (Settings -> Link to Dropbox or Box). Synchronization is done once a minute. Use any .ttf/.otf font (Local Mode): If you want to use a custom font or a font that is not installed you can import it via Git integration, via Dropbox, via Box or manually via Finder. In your project you can use the font like this: \documentclass{article} \usepackage{fontspec} \setmainfont{fontname.otf} \begin{document} \section{Main Heading} Это тест \end{document} You can write chinese in PdfTeX using the CJKutf8 package as shown in the following example: \documentclass{article} \usepackage{CJKutf8} \begin{document} \begin{CJK}{UTF8}{gbsn} 这是一个测试 \end{CJK} \end{document} You can write chinese in XeTeX using the xeCJK package as shown in the following example: \documentclass{article} \usepackage{xeCJK} \begin{document} 这是一个测试 \end{document} Hotkeys in editor (can be changed in editor - settings - keyboard shortcuts): ctrl+,: Settings ctrl+s: Save ctrl+g: Generate result ctrl+f: Search ctrl+p: Preview ctrl+n: New document ctrl+d: Delete document ctrl+.: Next document Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula
Papers by ReadCube
Manage, read, and discover research literature on your mobile devices. Annotate PDFs, organize your library with custom lists and tags, and receive personalized recommendations for new papers. Syncs seamlessly with desktop and web applications.
- Read and manage research papers
- Annotate PDFs with notes and highlights
- Organize library with custom lists and tags
- Discover new research with personalized recommendations
- Search and download articles
- Sync across devices
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ReadCube is the simplest way to read, manage and discover research literature. ReadCube on your iPhone and iPad are the perfect companions to the ReadCube web and desktop software, enabling you to access your papers anywhere – read on the go, organize your library, and annotate PDFs with notes and highlights. Enhanced PDF: • Tap-able inline citations, reference lists, and author names so you can quickly find cited articles and related information • Supplements are automatically attached where available • Fullscreen or double-page PDF viewing plus multi-touch zoom/navigation for an optimal reading experience • Multi-color highlighting and note taking tools Easily find new papers: • Search the ReadCube databases within the app • Quickly download new articles with a single tap when you’re on campus or with your institutional proxy • Import directly from Safari, email attachments, and other apps • In your preferred browser, use any search engine to find article PDFs • Use the “Open In…” option from the browser or any app to add PDFs to your ReadCube library • Metadata is automatically resolved - no more guessing with cryptic file names Personalized Recommendations: • Discover relevant new papers based on your library or lists – you’ll never miss another important paper again! Stay organized: • Create custom lists and sort articles into one or multiple lists • Quickly search your entire library (and all annotations) • Add any number of #tags to further customize your library organization • Sync everything – papers, notes, highlights – between the ReadCube desktop and web apps or your other mobile devices Simplify your research life – try ReadCube for free on your iPhone, iPad, and computer. We love feedback from our users - please email support@readcube.com with any suggestions or issues. Thanks for using ReadCube!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: VerbTeX LaTeX Editor at 4.5 against Papers by ReadCube's 3.7. VerbTeX LaTeX Editor also leads on review sentiment (71% vs 49%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Papers by ReadCube's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (556 vs 168). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. VerbTeX LaTeX Editor sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Papers by ReadCube asks for nothing beyond the download.
VerbTeX LaTeX Editor holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 168 and 556 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of VerbTeX LaTeX Editor's written reviews are positive against 49% of Papers by ReadCube's.
VerbTeX LaTeX Editor ships an update fortnightly, Papers by ReadCube every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | VerbTeX LaTeX Editor | Papers by ReadCube |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (168 ratings) — better | 3.7 (556 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 71.1% of reviews — better | 49.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 168 | 556 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 79 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Verbosus.com | Digital Science & Research Solutions Inc. |
Customer experience
VerbTeX LaTeX Editor
Papers by ReadCube
User reviews
VerbTeX LaTeX Editor
From 168 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and efficient LaTeX editing
- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
- ✅ Compiles LaTeX to PDF well
- 💡 Good for on-the-go writing
- 🌟 Free and functional
Room to improve
- ⚠️ Requires internet connection for compilation
- 🚫 Limited offline compilation capabilities
- 📂 Poor file management and organization
- 🗂️ Lacks iCloud Drive and Files app integration
- 🖼️ Difficulty inserting images
Papers by ReadCube
From 556 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Seamless syncing across devices
- 📚 Excellent for organizing and managing research papers
- 🔍 Helpful search and discovery features
- 💻 Good integration with desktop and web versions
- 📝 Useful annotation and highlighting tools
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy annotation and handwriting tools
- 🔍 Inconsistent search and metadata retrieval
- 💾 Unreliable cloud sync and data loss issues
- 🖍️ Limited annotation features compared to competitors
- 🕰️ Slow development and lack of updates
Bugs and requests
VerbTeX LaTeX Editor
Reported bugs
83 issues- Cannot clone git
- Does not work with subfiles package
- New version does not support adding files
- PDF generation fails with BibTeX log
- Cannot insert images
Show 78 moreShow fewer
- App closes unexpectedly without saving
- Dropbox sync issues
- Cannot open or save to iCloud files
- File folder location is hard to set
- App freezes on project page (cloud feature)
- Crashes when trying to access preferences
- Cannot open Dropbox files with non-UTF-8 encoding
- Compilation issues with older versions
- Cannot edit tex files in local mode
- Display bugs when switching between US and JPN input
- PDF conversion fails with Japanese input
- Cannot open existing tex files
- Shows only folders, not files, in Dropbox
- Error when trying to use \includegraphics
- Problems with Cyrillic fonts display
- Umlaute not displaying correctly
- Plotting functions not displayed realistically
- Cannot compile plain documents quickly
- File organization is unclear
- Cannot edit .tex files created in local mode
- Cannot use script to transfer or continue editing on computer without cloud account
- PDF generation fails with BibTeX log
- Cannot open or save to iCloud files
- App freezes on project page (cloud feature)
- Crashes when trying to access preferences
- Cannot open Dropbox files with non-UTF-8 encoding
- Compilation issues with older versions
- Cannot edit tex files in local mode
- Display bugs when switching between US and JPN input
- PDF conversion fails with Japanese input
- Cannot open existing tex files
- Shows only folders, not files, in Dropbox
- Error when trying to use \includegraphics
- Problems with Cyrillic fonts display
- Umlaute not displaying correctly
- Plotting functions not displayed realistically
- Cannot compile plain documents quickly
- File organization is unclear
- Cannot edit .tex files created in local mode
- Cannot use script to transfer or continue editing on computer without cloud account
- PDF generation fails with BibTeX log
- Cannot open or save to iCloud files
- App freezes on project page (cloud feature)
- Crashes when trying to access preferences
- Cannot open Dropbox files with non-UTF-8 encoding
- Compilation issues with older versions
- Cannot edit tex files in local mode
- Display bugs when switching between US and JPN input
- PDF conversion fails with Japanese input
- Cannot open existing tex files
- Shows only folders, not files, in Dropbox
- Error when trying to use \includegraphics
- Problems with Cyrillic fonts display
- Umlaute not displaying correctly
- Plotting functions not displayed realistically
- Cannot compile plain documents quickly
- File organization is unclear
- Cannot edit .tex files created in local mode
- Cannot use script to transfer or continue editing on computer without cloud account
- PDF generation fails with BibTeX log
- Cannot open or save to iCloud files
- App freezes on project page (cloud feature)
- Crashes when trying to access preferences
- Cannot open Dropbox files with non-UTF-8 encoding
- Compilation issues with older versions
- Cannot edit tex files in local mode
- Display bugs when switching between US and JPN input
- PDF conversion fails with Japanese input
- Cannot open existing tex files
- Shows only folders, not files, in Dropbox
- Error when trying to use \includegraphics
- Problems with Cyrillic fonts display
- Umlaute not displaying correctly
- Plotting functions not displayed realistically
- Cannot compile plain documents quickly
- File organization is unclear
- Cannot edit .tex files created in local mode
- Cannot use script to transfer or continue editing on computer without cloud account
Requested features
32 requests- Autosave functionality
- Better external keyboard support (e.g., Command+G for search)
- Search and replace functionality
- PDF preview with jump-to-editor feature
- Display last edited passage in PDF preview
Show 27 moreShow fewer
- iCloud Drive integration
- Access to 'On My iPad' and Apple's Files app
- Import existing LaTeX projects and documents
- Command suggestions/autofill for commands
- Ability to edit .sty/.cls files
- Dark mode support
- Highlighting brackets
- Shortcuts for common math symbols
- Specify areas for math and text display
- View PDF and source simultaneously
- Work on source files saved in other apps' shared file systems
- Zooming PDF display
- Line number references
- Syntax highlighting color customization
- Support for Japanese articles (jarticle class)
- Support for Cyrillic fonts and UTF-8 encoding
- Improved file sharing and PC transfer methods
- Auto-save on PDF preview
- Export .tex files easily
- Add shortcuts for common functions and equations
- Built-in documentation for supported packages
- More intuitive interface for file management
- Support for additional cloud storage like OneDrive
- Ability to zoom PDF display
- Support for Xelatex and pdftex
- Ability to manage project files (folders, images)
- Support for TikZ
Papers by ReadCube
Reported bugs
5 issues- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Sync issues causing data loss and duplication
- Unreliable PDF downloads and access
- Inconsistent behavior of annotation tools
- Compatibility problems with newer devices and OS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Add eraser tool for handwritten annotations
- Improve PDF viewing and navigation experience
- Implement better organization and folder management
- Integrate citation and bibliography tools
- Provide more customization options
In-app purchases
VerbTeX LaTeX Editor
- Upgrade: Subscription$3.991 Month
- Upgrade: Forever$8.99
Papers by ReadCube
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is VerbTeX LaTeX Editor free?
Is Papers by ReadCube free?
Which has better reviews, VerbTeX LaTeX Editor or Papers by ReadCube?
Do VerbTeX LaTeX Editor or Papers by ReadCube have ads?
Which is updated more often, VerbTeX LaTeX Editor or Papers by ReadCube?
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