Papers by ReadCube vs References On Tap
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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!
References On Tap
This app helps you find, display, and import reference information and PDFs from various academic databases. Organize your references into groups, perform advanced searches, and sync your library across devices. It offers both a one-time purchase for core features and a subscription for cloud syncing.
- Search academic databases (arXiv, Google Scholar, PubMed, etc.)
- Import reference information and PDFs
- Organize references in static and smart groups
- Advanced boolean and full-text search options
- Sync libraries across iOS and macOS devices via iCloud
- Share references for reading or import
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••• Check out Bookends - References' big brother ••• References searches arXiv, Google Books, Google Scholar, JSTOR, the Library of Congress, PubMed, PubMed Central, and Semantic Scholar to find, display, and import reference information and pdfs of the full article (if you have access privileges). You can search your personal reference library, organize your references in groups (static and smart), and share references in a form suitable for reading or importing into desktop reference management applications. Many features are optimized for reference retrieval and management (advanced boolean searches, search for Full Text or Free Full text, recall recent searches, etc.). Use iCloud to sync all your libraries and attachments across iOS and macOS devices, and have full access to your references and sources when you're on the go. Standard, one-time purchase ($4.99): • No limit on searches or importing. Premium, yearly subscription ($4.99). Requires a Standard purchase. • Cloud sync with all your iOS and macOS devices. Subscription is for one year and can be auto-renewable. The subscription can be managed in iOS -> Settings > iTunes & App Store > Subscriptions. The subscription might renew if it wasn't canceled more than 24 hours before the renewal date. If the subscription is not renewed, Premium will be disabled. Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: References On Tap at 4.7 against Papers by ReadCube's 3.7. References On Tap also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 41%). Papers by ReadCube's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). 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
Both are free to download. References On Tap sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Papers by ReadCube asks for nothing beyond the download.
References On Tap holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 551 and 304 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Papers by ReadCube's written reviews are positive against 50% of References On Tap's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Papers by ReadCube | References On Tap |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (551 ratings) | 4.7 (304 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 41.2% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 551 — better | 304 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 77 MB | 68 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Digital Science & Research Solutions Inc. | ReferencesOnTap |
Customer experience
Papers by ReadCube
References On Tap
Bugs and requests
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
References On Tap
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Papers by ReadCube
No in-app purchases
References On Tap
- Premium$4.991 Year
- Standard$4.99
Questions
Is Papers by ReadCube free?
Is References On Tap free?
Which has better reviews, Papers by ReadCube or References On Tap?
Do Papers by ReadCube or References On Tap have ads?
Which is updated more often, Papers by ReadCube or References On Tap?
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