# Persimmon vs alphaXiv

The clearest difference is update cadence: alphaXiv at every 4 days against Persimmon's every 3 weeks. alphaXiv also leads on ratings volume (17 vs 2). Persimmon's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Persimmon holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: alphaXiv has 17 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Persimmon ships an update every 3 weeks, alphaXiv every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Persimmon | alphaXiv |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/persimmon-research-simplified/id6747952930/reviews)** | [4.7 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alphaxiv/id6782411985/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **17** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 23 MB | 61 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.1 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Momenta Lab LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1615879512) | [alphaXiv Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/6782411987) |

## What reviewers say

### Persimmon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/persimmon-research-simplified/id6747952930)

This app simplifies complex scientific research papers from arXiv and SocArXiv using AI. It offers customizable summaries tailored to your expertise level and allows you to search, save, and get daily updates on new publications. You can also use it as a basic preprint browser without AI.

**Highlights:** AI-powered paper summaries, Customizable AI models and expertise levels, Search arXiv and SocArXiv, Save papers for offline access, Daily updates and notifications, Privacy-focused, no data collection

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### alphaXiv

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alphaxiv/id6782411985)

This app helps researchers stay updated with the latest AI studies from arXiv. It offers AI-powered summaries, literature reviews, and visual explanations of complex papers. Users can also annotate papers and track their research interests.

**Highlights:** Trending research feed, AI-powered literature reviews, Interactive paper reader with notes, AI Visual Blogs for paper explanations, Personalized research recommendations

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Persimmon free?

Persimmon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is alphaXiv free?

alphaXiv is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Persimmon or alphaXiv?

Persimmon is rated higher. Persimmon averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while alphaXiv averages 4.7 from 17 ratings.

### Do Persimmon or alphaXiv have ads?

Neither Persimmon nor alphaXiv shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Persimmon or alphaXiv?

Persimmon ships an update every 3 weeks, and alphaXiv every 4 days. Most recently, Persimmon was updated on October 24, 2026 and alphaXiv on October 24, 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.*