# alphaXiv vs Paperlane

The clearest difference is rating: Paperlane at 5.0 against alphaXiv's 4.7. Paperlane also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 4 days). alphaXiv's advantage is ratings volume (17 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

Paperlane holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: alphaXiv has 17 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

alphaXiv ships an update every 4 days, Paperlane daily. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | alphaXiv | Paperlane |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alphaxiv/id6782411985/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paperlane-paper-reader/id6809901760/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **17** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 61 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [alphaXiv Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/6782411987) | [Xingze Wang](https://appshunter.io/developer/6809901762) |

## What reviewers say

### alphaXiv

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alphaxiv/id6782411985)

This app helps researchers stay updated with the latest AI studies from arXiv. It offers AI-powered summaries, literature reviews, and visual explanations of complex papers. Users can also annotate papers and track their research interests.

**Highlights:** Trending research feed, AI-powered literature reviews, Interactive paper reader with notes, AI Visual Blogs for paper explanations, Personalized research recommendations

**In-app purchases:** none


### Paperlane

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paperlane-paper-reader/id6809901760)

Discover, understand, and organize research papers with visual summaries and AI-powered explanations. Read offline, save notes, and personalize your research feed based on your interests. Sync your library across devices with optional accounts.

**Highlights:** Visual research paper summaries, AI-powered explanations, Offline reading and search, Note-taking and highlighting, Personalized research feed, Library syncing across devices

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is alphaXiv free?

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

### Is Paperlane free?

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

### Which has better reviews, alphaXiv or Paperlane?

Paperlane is rated higher. alphaXiv averages 4.7 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while Paperlane averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do alphaXiv or Paperlane have ads?

Neither alphaXiv nor Paperlane shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, alphaXiv or Paperlane?

alphaXiv ships an update every 4 days, and Paperlane daily. Most recently, alphaXiv was updated on October 24, 2026 and Paperlane on October 29, 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.*