# Papers by ReadCube vs Intell

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Intell at 12.4 against Papers by ReadCube's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads 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.

Papers by ReadCube ships an update every 2 months, Intell every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Papers by ReadCube | Intell |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.7 (557 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papers-by-readcube/id864042981/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **557** | — |
| Positive reviews | 48.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 4 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 79 MB | 29 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **12.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Digital Science & Research Solutions Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/864042984) | [Magnetic Products, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1790253294) |

## 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, Vision Pro support

**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


### Intell

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/intell-i-mag/id6740497016)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**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 Intell free?

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

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

Neither Papers by ReadCube nor Intell shows ads.

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

Papers by ReadCube ships an update every 2 months, and Intell every 4 weeks. Most recently, Papers by ReadCube was updated on October 29, 2026 and Intell on October 8, 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.*