# Researchist vs Rectoly for Mendeley

The clearest difference is update cadence: Rectoly for Mendeley at daily against Researchist's fortnightly. Rectoly for Mendeley also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 27.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Researchist sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $39.99 per year and Rectoly for Mendeley sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Researchist ships an update fortnightly, Rectoly for Mendeley daily. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Researchist | Rectoly for Mendeley |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rectoly-for-mendeley/id6798338667/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **1** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Daily** |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 113 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | 27.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Essayist Software Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1537845386) | [Takaki Takemura](https://appshunter.io/developer/6793454900) |

## What reviewers say

### Researchist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/researchist-pdf-reader/id6749282472)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Researchist Pro (Yearly) | $39.99 | per year |


### Rectoly for Mendeley

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rectoly-for-mendeley/id6798338667)

This app enhances the PDF reading and annotation experience for researchers, particularly those using Mendeley. It offers features like a reflowable reading mode, in-line annotation with Apple Pencil, text-to-speech, and tools for organizing research themes and figures.

**Highlights:** Reflowable Reading Mode, In-line PDF Annotation, Read Aloud (Text-to-Speech), Research Themes organization, Cross-paper annotation search, Manuscript side-by-side view, Mendeley Library Sync

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 14-day Trial | Free | one-time |
| Rectoly Pro (one-time) | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Researchist free?

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

### Is Rectoly for Mendeley free?

Rectoly for Mendeley is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Researchist or Rectoly for Mendeley have ads?

Neither Researchist nor Rectoly for Mendeley shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Researchist or Rectoly for Mendeley?

Researchist ships an update fortnightly, and Rectoly for Mendeley daily. Most recently, Researchist was updated on October 21, 2026 and Rectoly for Mendeley on October 10, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*