# Papers by ReadCube vs Scrible Extension

The clearest difference is rating: Scrible Extension at 5.0 against Papers by ReadCube's 3.7. Papers by ReadCube's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 17 months) and ratings volume (551 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

Scrible Extension holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Papers by ReadCube has 551 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Papers by ReadCube ships an update every 2 months, Scrible Extension every 17 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Papers by ReadCube | Scrible Extension |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.7 (551 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papers-by-readcube/id864042981/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scrible-extension/id1633472220/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **551** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 41.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 17 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 77 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Digital Science & Research Solutions Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/864042984) | [Scrible, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1622074512) |

## 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


### Scrible Extension

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scrible-extension/id1633472220)

This browser extension allows users to save, highlight, and comment on web pages, PDFs, and articles. It integrates with a cloud-based research platform to organize and search saved content, offering features like automatic citation capture and bibliography creation for educational users.

**Highlights:** Save webpages, PDFs, and articles instantly, Highlight key passages, Add comments and thoughts, Tag articles for organization, Automatic annotation loading on revisited pages, Full-text search of saved library, Automatic citation capture (Edu Plan)

**Features:** Safari Extension

**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 Scrible Extension free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Papers by ReadCube or Scrible Extension?

Scrible Extension is rated higher. Papers by ReadCube averages 3.7 out of 5 from 551 ratings, while Scrible Extension averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Papers by ReadCube or Scrible Extension have ads?

Neither Papers by ReadCube nor Scrible Extension shows ads.

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

Papers by ReadCube ships an update every 2 months, and Scrible Extension every 17 months. Most recently, Papers by ReadCube was updated on September 25, 2026 and Scrible Extension 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.*