Comparison

Papers by ReadCube vs MQuant® StripScan

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

Head to head
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

ReadCube is the simplest way to read, manage and discover research literature. ReadCube on your iPhone and iPad are the perfect companions to the ReadCube web and 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 ReadCube 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 ReadCube 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 ReadCube desktop and web apps or your other mobile devices Simplify your research life – try ReadCube for free on your iPhone, iPad, and computer. We love feedback from our users - please email support@readcube.com with any suggestions or issues. Thanks for using ReadCube!

About

MQuant® StripScan

This app provides digital readout for test strips, replacing manual color matching for pH and chemical concentration measurements. It offers guided measurement processes, automatic data saving, and visualization tools for enhanced analysis and traceability.

Highlights
  • Digital test strip readout
  • Guided measurement process
  • Automatic data saving
  • Visualizations and analysis
  • Instrumental readout
  • Warning for interferences
Features
Read full description

Use the MQuant StripScan® app for fast and reliable determination of pH or chemical concentrations in aqueous solutions using MQuant® test strips.  The app guides through the measurement process, determines the measurement result by camera, and saves and visualizes measurements automatically.  • No more guessing: Instrumental readout rather than color-matching by eye. • Digital precision: Reliable and reproducible results, with warnings if critical measurement interferences are detected. • Data storage and traceability: Enriched datasets are stored automatically. Forget pen and paper! • Visualizations and analyses: Organize and group your data for better clarity on your measurement results.

Screenshots

Papers by ReadCube4 screens
MQuant® StripScan4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Papers by ReadCube at 3.7 against MQuant® StripScan's 1.6. Papers by ReadCube also leads on review sentiment (48% vs 8%) and ratings volume (557 vs 12). MQuant® StripScan's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Papers by ReadCube holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 1.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Papers by ReadCube has 557 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of Papers by ReadCube's written reviews are positive against 8% of MQuant® StripScan's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Papers by ReadCube ships an update every 2 months, MQuant® StripScan every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Papers by ReadCube versus MQuant® StripScan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPapers by ReadCubeMQuant® StripScan
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (557 ratings) — better1.6 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews48.4% of reviews — better8.3% of reviews
Number of ratings557 — better12
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size79 MB42 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperDigital Science & Research Solutions Inc.Merck KGaA (Darmstadt, Germany)

Customer experience

Papers by ReadCube

All ratings555 ratings
Positive65.9%
Neutral10.3%
Negative23.8%
Written reviews353 reviews
Positive48.4%
Neutral18.1%
Negative33.4%

MQuant® StripScan

All ratings4 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive8.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative91.7%

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

MQuant® StripScan

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Papers by ReadCube

No in-app purchases

None

MQuant® StripScan

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Papers by ReadCube free?
Papers by ReadCube is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MQuant® StripScan free?
MQuant® StripScan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Papers by ReadCube or MQuant® StripScan?
Papers by ReadCube is rated higher. Papers by ReadCube averages 3.7 out of 5 from 557 ratings, while MQuant® StripScan averages 1.6 from 12 ratings.
Do Papers by ReadCube or MQuant® StripScan have ads?
Neither Papers by ReadCube nor MQuant® StripScan shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Papers by ReadCube or MQuant® StripScan?
Papers by ReadCube ships an update every 2 months, and MQuant® StripScan every 5 months. Most recently, Papers by ReadCube was updated on November 1, 2026 and MQuant® StripScan on November 2, 2026.

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