# Octavo Reader vs Papyrus

The clearest difference is update cadence: Octavo Reader at daily against Papyrus's weekly. Papyrus's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

Octavo Reader ships an update daily, Papyrus weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Octavo Reader | Papyrus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papyrus-research-library/id6766133716/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **2** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Daily** | Weekly |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 1 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.5 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Desheng Xu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1833833819) | [Zhenda Fu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896207907) |

## What reviewers say

### Octavo Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/octavo-reader/id6751176618)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Papyrus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papyrus-research-library/id6766133716)

This native research workspace allows users to read, annotate, organize, and cite PDFs. It offers features for writing directly on pages with Apple Pencil, taking notes beside sources, and organizing research into themed notebooks. The app facilitates turning reading into writing by grouping papers for manuscripts and managing projects.

**Highlights:** Read and annotate PDFs, Write on pages with Apple Pencil, Take Markdown notes beside sources, Organize research into themed notebooks, Group papers for manuscript projects, Search full text and annotations, Import PDFs and BibTeX/RIS files

**Features:** Safari Extension, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Octavo Reader free?

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

### Is Papyrus free?

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

### Do Octavo Reader or Papyrus have ads?

Neither Octavo Reader nor Papyrus shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Octavo Reader or Papyrus?

Octavo Reader ships an update daily, and Papyrus weekly. Most recently, Octavo Reader was updated on October 25, 2026 and Papyrus on October 31, 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.*