# Papers by ReadCube vs ivySCI

The clearest difference is rating: ivySCI at 4.6 against Papers by ReadCube's 3.7. ivySCI also leads on review sentiment (80% vs 41%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Papers by ReadCube's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (551 vs 9). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ivySCI sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Papers by ReadCube asks for nothing beyond the download.

ivySCI holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Papers by ReadCube has 551 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Papers by ReadCube's written reviews are positive against 80% of ivySCI's.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Papers by ReadCube | ivySCI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.7 (551 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papers-by-readcube/id864042981/reviews) | **[4.6 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ivysci/id1600901406/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **551** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | 41.2% of reviews | **80.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 77 MB | 74 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Digital Science & Research Solutions Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/864042984) | [Nanjing IvyScience Information Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1600901408) |

## 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


### ivySCI

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ivysci/id1600901406)

This app helps researchers manage and read scientific papers efficiently. It automatically extracts metadata, offers AI-assisted reading and proofreading, and allows for easy note-taking and citation integration with word processors.

**Highlights:** Automatic PDF metadata identification, AI-assisted reading and Q&A, Built-in translation and dictionary, Reference extraction and download, Image extraction and side-by-side viewing, Cloud-synced notes across devices, Word processor citation plugin

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ivySCI VIP Monthly Service | $2.99 | per month |
| Annual VIP Subscription | $29.99 | per year |
| Annual AI Pro Subscription | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Papers by ReadCube free?

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

### Is ivySCI free?

ivySCI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

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

ivySCI is rated higher. Papers by ReadCube averages 3.7 out of 5 from 551 ratings, while ivySCI averages 4.6 from 9 ratings.

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

Neither Papers by ReadCube nor ivySCI shows ads.

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

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