Comparison

Papers by ReadCube vs Stardust Recorder

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

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

About

Stardust Recorder

Features
Read full description

Stardust Recorder is a private voice transcription app that runs entirely on your iPhone. Your recordings, transcripts, and summaries never leave your device. No accounts. No servers. Just you and your voice. WHY STARDUST We built Stardust because voice transcription apps shouldn't require sending your audio to someone else's servers. Your conversations, your interviews, your private thoughts — these belong to you. Stardust uses on-device machine learning to transcribe in 99+ languages, generate summaries with Apple Intelligence, and extract action items from any recording. Everything happens on your phone's processor. Nothing is uploaded. KEY FEATURES · Whisper transcription running locally on your iPhone — no cloud · Apple Intelligence summaries generated on the Neural Engine · 99+ languages with auto-detect (Stardust Pro adds explicit language picker for 22 languages) · On-device encryption (ChaCha20-Poly1305) for every recording · Encryption keys stored in iOS Keychain — never in iCloud · Tag and search across your library · Export to text, Markdown, PDF, DOCX, JSON, or directly to Apple Notes · Real-time waveform visualization during recording · Scrub and replay with audio controls · Action items can be sent to Apple Reminders or Calendar PRIVACY BY DESIGN · No accounts, no sign-up, no email required · No analytics or tracking SDKs · No advertising · Your audio never leaves your device · Your transcripts never leave your device · Your summaries never leave your device · No servers receive your content — we don't have any FREE TIER · 15 recordings per 30-day period (recordings under 30 seconds don't count) · 30-minute maximum per recording · Whisper Base model with 99+ language auto-detect · Plain text export STARDUST PRO Unlock everything: · Unlimited recordings · No length limits · Whisper Tiny, Small, and Medium models · Explicit language picker (22 languages) · Audio file import · All export formats (Markdown, PDF, DOCX, JSON, Notes) · 5 additional themes · Cross-recording search · iCloud sync · Apple Watch quick-record Two purchase options: · Lifetime — one payment, forever · Monthly — auto-renewing subscription WHAT YOU NEED · iPhone running iOS 17 or later · Apple Intelligence requires an Apple Intelligence-capable device (iPhone 15 Pro, 16/16 Pro, or later) running a supported iOS version BUILT BY Stardust Recorder is built by Astir Technology, an indie studio in Sydney, Australia. We're committed to privacy, simplicity, and beautiful design. Questions, feedback, or feature requests? Email contact@astir.technology — we read every message. Welcome to Stardust. Privacy Policy: https://stardust-legal.vercel.app/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Papers by ReadCube4 screens
Stardust Recorder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Papers by ReadCube at none against Stardust Recorder's 2. Papers by ReadCube also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price and ads 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. Stardust Recorder sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Papers by ReadCube asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Papers by ReadCube versus Stardust Recorder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPapers by ReadCubeStardust Recorder
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (551 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews41.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings551 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB147 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperDigital Science & Research Solutions Inc.Abrar Miah

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

Stardust Recorder

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Papers by ReadCube

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Stardust Recorder

Subscriptions1
  • Stardust Pro$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Stardust Pro$12.99

Questions

Is Papers by ReadCube free?
Papers by ReadCube is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Stardust Recorder free?
Stardust Recorder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Papers by ReadCube or Stardust Recorder have ads?
Neither Papers by ReadCube nor Stardust Recorder shows ads.

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