# Papyrus vs Wikova

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Wikova at none against Papyrus's 2. Wikova also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Papyrus sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Wikova asks for nothing beyond the download.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Papyrus | Wikova |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 25 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Zhenda Fu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896207907) | [Wikova HQ](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896520921) |

## What reviewers say

### Papyrus

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

Organize, annotate, and cite research papers within a native Apple ecosystem. This workspace allows you to import PDFs and citation records, take notes, and manage your reading collections as structured projects. It offers local-first storage with optional cloud sync and various export formats.

**Highlights:** Read and annotate PDFs, Organize citation records, Take Markdown notes, Search entire library, Create structured projects, Local-first storage, Optional iCloud/WebDAV sync

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Papyrus Lifetime Unlock | $3.99 | one-time |
| Papyrus Lifetime Unlock | $5.99 | one-time |


### Wikova

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wikova/id6767924070)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Papyrus free?

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

### Is Wikova free?

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

### Do Papyrus or Wikova have ads?

Neither Papyrus nor Wikova shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Papyrus or Wikova?

Papyrus ships an update weekly, and Wikova weekly. Most recently, Papyrus was updated on October 12, 2026 and Wikova on October 13, 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.*