Comparison

Bookends vs Papers by ReadCube

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Bookends

Manage your research references and PDFs on your mobile device. Search online databases, import metadata, annotate PDFs, and organize your library. Offers basic functionality for free with optional one-time purchase and yearly subscription for advanced features like cloud sync and unlimited imports.

Highlights
  • Search online reference databases
  • Import metadata and PDFs
  • PDF annotation and markup
  • Barcode scanning for references
  • Cloud sync across devices
  • Share online libraries
  • Create multiple libraries
Features
Read full description

Bookends is the reference management app you've been looking for. The basic version offers: • Search online sites directly (arXiv, Google Books, Google Scholar, JSTOR, the Library of Congress, PubMed, PubMed Central, and Semantic Scholar) or use the built-in browser (EZProxy-compliant) to download reference metadata and PDFs (access privileges required). Searches can return a maximum of 20 references, and only 50 references can be stored in your personal database. • Use unique identifiers such as DOI, PMID, ISBN, or arXiv id to autofill references. • View the text of PDF annotations in a note stream, and create your own with our powerful PDF markup engine. • Barcode scanning, one per day. • And many more features designed to help you discover, organize, and use reference information. Standard, one-time purchase ($14.99): • No limit on searches or importing. Premium, yearly subscription ($14.99). Requires a Standard purchase. • Cloud sync with all your iOS devices and Bookends for Mac (separate purchase). • Share online libraries with colleagues. • Scan documents with Mellel Mobile*. • Create multiple libraries. • Unlimited barcode scanning. • Extract PDF annotations with deep links to annotations and text. • Convenient UI to add PDF notes to the library. • Automate your actions with Shortcuts. * iPad-only. Requires a Mellel Mobile Premium subscription. Subscription is for one year and has an auto-renew option. The subscription can be managed in iOS -> Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions. A subscription will renew if it isn't canceled at least 24 hours before the renewal date. If the subscription is not renewed, Premium will be disabled but Standard will continue to work. Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Papers by ReadCube

Manage, read, and discover research literature on your mobile devices. Annotate PDFs, organize your library with custom lists and tags, and receive personalized recommendations for new papers. Syncs seamlessly with desktop and web applications.

Highlights
  • Read and manage research papers
  • Annotate PDFs with notes and highlights
  • Organize library with custom lists and tags
  • Discover new research with personalized recommendations
  • Search and download articles
  • Sync across devices
Features
Read full description

Papers by ReadCube is the simplest way to read, manage and discover research literature. Papers on your iPhone and iPad are the perfect companions to the Papers desktop software, enabling you to access your papers anywhere – read on the go, organize your library, and annotate PDFs with notes and highlights. Enhanced PDF: • Tap-able inline citations, reference lists, and author names so you can quickly find cited articles and related information • Supplements are automatically attached where available • Fullscreen or double-page PDF viewing plus multi-touch zoom/navigation for an optimal reading experience • Multi-color highlighting and note taking tools Easily find new papers: • Search the Papers databases within the app • Quickly download new articles with a single tap when you’re on campus or with your institutional proxy • Import directly from Safari, email attachments, and other apps • In your preferred browser, use any search engine to find article PDFs • Use the “Open In…” option from the browser or any app to add PDFs to your Papers library • Metadata is automatically resolved - no more guessing with cryptic file names Personalized Recommendations: • Discover relevant new papers based on your library or lists – you’ll never miss another important paper again! Stay organized: • Create custom lists and sort articles into one or multiple lists • Quickly search your entire library (and all annotations) • Add any number of #tags to further customize your library organization • Sync everything – papers, notes, highlights – between the Papers desktop and web apps or your other mobile devices Simplify your research life – try Papers for free on your iPhone, iPad, and computer. We love feedback from our users - please email support@papersapp.com with any suggestions or issues. Thanks for using Papers!

Screenshots

Bookends4 screens
Papers by ReadCube4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Bookends at 4.7 against Papers by ReadCube's 3.7. Bookends also leads on review sentiment (76% vs 41%). Papers by ReadCube's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.6). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Bookends sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year. Papers by ReadCube asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bookends holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 394 and 551 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Bookends's written reviews are positive against 41% of Papers by ReadCube's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 28, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Bookends versus Papers by ReadCube: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookendsPapers by ReadCube
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (394 ratings) — better3.7 (551 ratings)
Positive reviews76.4% of reviews — better41.2% of reviews
Number of ratings394551 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.615.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size111 MB77 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperSonny Software, LLCDigital Science & Research Solutions Inc.

Customer experience

Bookends

All ratings394 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral2.3%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews127 reviews
Positive76.4%
Neutral8.7%
Negative15.0%

Papers by ReadCube

All ratings548 ratings
Positive66.6%
Neutral10.0%
Negative23.4%
Written reviews182 reviews
Positive41.2%
Neutral18.1%
Negative40.7%

User reviews

Bookends

From 394 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Seamless sync across devices
  • 👍 Excellent PDF annotation tools
  • 🔒 Reliable and stable
  • 💡 Powerful reference management features
  • 👍 Responsive and helpful developer support

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sync issues with iCloud and PDF files
  • 🔒 Subscription model for essential features
  • 👎 Outdated and clunky user interface
  • 🔒 Limited functionality on iOS without subscription

Papers by ReadCube

From 551 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Seamless syncing across devices
  • 📚 Excellent for organizing and managing research papers
  • 🔍 Helpful search and discovery features
  • 💻 Good integration with desktop and web versions
  • 📝 Useful annotation and highlighting tools

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy annotation and handwriting tools
  • 🔍 Inconsistent search and metadata retrieval
  • 💾 Unreliable cloud sync and data loss issues
  • 🖍️ Limited annotation features compared to competitors
  • 🕰️ Slow development and lack of updates

Bugs and requests

Bookends

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Incompatibility with iCloud Optimized Storage
  • Unreliable sync between desktop and mobile versions
  • Occasional data loss or corruption

Requested features

4 requests
  • Nested folders and tags for better organization
  • Automatic PDF metadata extraction
  • Improved search and filtering capabilities
  • Seamless integration with third-party services

Papers by ReadCube

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • Sync issues causing data loss and duplication
  • Unreliable PDF downloads and access
  • Inconsistent behavior of annotation tools
  • Compatibility problems with newer devices and OS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add eraser tool for handwritten annotations
  • Improve PDF viewing and navigation experience
  • Implement better organization and folder management
  • Integrate citation and bibliography tools
  • Provide more customization options

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Bookends

Subscriptions1
  • Premium3 Months trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Standard$14.99
None

Papers by ReadCube

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bookends free?
Bookends is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Papers by ReadCube free?
Papers by ReadCube is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bookends or Papers by ReadCube?
Bookends is rated higher. Bookends averages 4.7 out of 5 from 394 ratings, while Papers by ReadCube averages 3.7 from 551 ratings.
Do Bookends or Papers by ReadCube have ads?
Neither Bookends nor Papers by ReadCube shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bookends or Papers by ReadCube?
Bookends ships an update every 2 months, and Papers by ReadCube every 2 months. Most recently, Bookends was updated on August 28, 2026 and Papers by ReadCube on September 20, 2026.

Other comparisons