# Synapse Social vs PubMinder

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Synapse Social at none against PubMinder's 1. Synapse Social also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PubMinder sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Synapse Social asks for nothing beyond the download.

Synapse Social ships an update every 2 days, PubMinder every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Synapse Social | PubMinder |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/synapse-social/id6747992429/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **14** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | — |
| Size | 75 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Synapse Social LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1769426157) | [BRANDI LYNN CANTAREL](https://appshunter.io/developer/6785067075) |

## What reviewers say

### Synapse Social

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/synapse-social/id6747992429)

This app delivers a personalized feed of new research papers, helping researchers stay updated without constant searching. It learns your interests to notify you of relevant publications, offering summaries and methodologies to assess their value.

**Highlights:** Personalized research feeds, Track research questions, not just keywords, Follow journals, authors, and institutions, View paper summaries and methodologies, Track online attention for papers, Save and organize research

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### PubMinder

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pubminder/id6785066503)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Preprint Sources Unlock | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Synapse Social free?

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

### Is PubMinder free?

PubMinder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Synapse Social or PubMinder have ads?

Neither Synapse Social nor PubMinder shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Synapse Social or PubMinder?

Synapse Social ships an update every 2 days, and PubMinder every 5 weeks. Most recently, Synapse Social was updated on October 28, 2026 and PubMinder on October 25, 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.*