# PaperAgent vs Rectoly for Zotero

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PaperAgent at none against Rectoly for Zotero's 2. Rectoly for Zotero's advantage is update cadence (daily vs weekly). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Rectoly for Zotero sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. PaperAgent asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for PaperAgent against 5.0 for Rectoly for Zotero. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

PaperAgent ships an update weekly, Rectoly for Zotero daily. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PaperAgent | Rectoly for Zotero |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paperagent/id6759149962/reviews) | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rectoly-for-zotero/id6803044396/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **2** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 41 MB | 53 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [欣 罗](https://appshunter.io/developer/1876082738) | [Takaki Takemura](https://appshunter.io/developer/6793454900) |

## What reviewers say

### PaperAgent

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paperagent/id6759149962)

This app helps AI researchers, engineers, and students efficiently discover, understand, and track academic papers. It aggregates sources, provides smart summaries, and allows for in-depth reading and personalized paper management.

**Highlights:** Multi-source paper aggregation, AI-generated summaries and key points, Full-text analysis and structured information extraction, Personalized paper collection and tracking, Daily updates on new and trending papers

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Rectoly for Zotero

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rectoly-for-zotero/id6803044396)

This app enhances the research PDF reading experience for Zotero users. It offers a reflowable reading mode, in-line annotation tools, and on-device translation. Additional features include read-aloud functionality, split-view for side-by-side comparisons, and tools for extracting figures and tables.

**Highlights:** Reflowable Reading Mode, In-line Annotations, On-device Translation, Read Aloud, Split View, Figure & Table Extraction, Zotero Sync

**Features:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 14-day Trial | Free | one-time |
| Rectoly Pro (one-time) | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PaperAgent free?

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

### Is Rectoly for Zotero free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PaperAgent or Rectoly for Zotero?

PaperAgent and Rectoly for Zotero are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.

### Do PaperAgent or Rectoly for Zotero have ads?

Neither PaperAgent nor Rectoly for Zotero shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PaperAgent or Rectoly for Zotero?

PaperAgent ships an update weekly, and Rectoly for Zotero daily. Most recently, PaperAgent was updated on October 31, 2026 and Rectoly for Zotero on November 5, 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.*