# Papers by ReadCube vs Workona

The clearest difference is ads: Papers by ReadCube at none against Workona's shown. Papers by ReadCube also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (551 vs 54). Workona's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.7 for Papers by ReadCube against 3.7 for Workona. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Papers by ReadCube has 551 ratings behind it against 54, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 41% of Papers by ReadCube's written reviews are positive against 37% of Workona's.

Papers by ReadCube ships an update every 2 months, Workona fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and June 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Papers by ReadCube | Workona |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.7 (551 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papers-by-readcube/id864042981/reviews)** | [3.7 (54 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/workona-project-organizer/id1514249129/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **551** | 54 |
| Positive reviews | **41.2% of reviews** | 37.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 77 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **14.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Digital Science & Research Solutions Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/864042984) | [Workona Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1514249128) |

## What reviewers say

### Papers by ReadCube

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papers-by-readcube/id864042981)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Workona

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/workona-project-organizer/id1514249129)

Organize all your project-related documents, links, and open tabs within dedicated workspaces. Access your work on the go, sync tabs from your desktop, and manage resources seamlessly from your mobile device.

**Highlights:** Organize projects in workspaces, Access cloud docs and links, Sync open desktop tabs, Manage resources on mobile, Full-featured work browser, Search saved resources

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Papers by ReadCube free?

Papers by ReadCube is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Workona free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Papers by ReadCube or Workona?

Papers by ReadCube is rated higher. Papers by ReadCube averages 3.7 out of 5 from 551 ratings, while Workona averages 3.7 from 54 ratings.

### Do Papers by ReadCube or Workona have ads?

Workona shows ads; Papers by ReadCube does not.

### Which is updated more often, Papers by ReadCube or Workona?

Papers by ReadCube ships an update every 2 months, and Workona fortnightly. Most recently, Papers by ReadCube was updated on September 25, 2026 and Workona on June 10, 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.*