Paperpile
Paperpile is a reference manager for collecting, organizing, and writing with research papers.
What Paperpile is
Paperpile is a reference manager for collecting, organizing, and writing with research papers. It can import references, extract PDF metadata, organize libraries with folders and labels, find duplicates, repair metadata, and search the collection; its plans include unlimited storage for research PDFs. Citation support includes more than 10,000 styles and plugins for Google Docs and Microsoft Word. Researchers can share folders and libraries, set access permissions, and collaborate on PDF annotations and citations. Its Android and iOS apps sync with the web library and support highlights, notes, and drawn annotations. The mobile app also enables searches across 150 million articles from sources including PubMed, arXiv, and CrossRef, with one-tap PDF saving. Integrations include Google Drive sync, Overleaf, browser extensions, and academic databases and publishers. Plans are billed annually, with Regular at $4.15 a month and Expert at $5.75 a month; a 30-day trial is available. New sign-ups are currently available on Chrome, while Safari and Firefox access is in beta.
Good
- Includes unlimited storage for research PDFs.
- Supports more than 10,000 citation styles.
- Offers Google Docs and Microsoft Word citation plugins.
- Mobile apps sync and support PDF annotation.
- Shared folders and libraries support collaboration.
Watch out
- No free plan is listed.
- Plans are billed annually.
- Safari and Firefox access is in beta.
- New sign-ups are currently available on Chrome.
Who it suits
Paperpile suits students, researchers, and teams managing paper libraries, PDFs, and citations. It may also fit collaborators who want shared libraries and annotation tools across web and mobile apps.
Verdict
Paperpile brings reference organization, PDF management, citation tools, and collaboration together across web and mobile. Its annual plans and current browser availability are important considerations for prospective users.
Plans and prices
From Paperpile's own pricing page, checked 2 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | $4.15 a month | Collect and organize references · Store and read PDFs · Major citation styles and BibTeX · Basic Word, Google Docs, academic database, and publisher integrations · All plans billed annually; the page shows $4.15*/ month and $8.30. |
| Expert | $5.75 a month | Everything in Regular · Full-text PDF search · Notes and PDF annotations · Shared folders and libraries · Supplementary files · Advanced integrations and custom citation styles · All plans billed annually; the page shows $5.75*/ month and $11.50. |
| Enterprise and Institutions | Priced on request | Everything in Expert · SAML single sign-on · Advanced security and privacy settings · Custom MSA and SLA · Vendor security reviews · HIPAA · Custom pricing — get a quote today. |
The facts
Each one read from Paperpile's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Authentication and Drive access
- Paperpile says it authenticates with Google without accessing or storing the user's password and accesses only files uploaded through Paperpile in Google Drive.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Citations
- Paperpile says it supports citation styles for major standards and journals, with more than 10,000 styles, plus Google Docs and Microsoft Word citation plugins.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Collaboration
- Paperpile describes shared folders, shared libraries, access permissions, and collaborative PDF annotations and citations.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Enterprise security
- The Enterprise and Institutions plan lists SAML single sign-on, advanced security and privacy settings, vendor security reviews, and HIPAA.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The pricing page lists Google Drive sync, Overleaf integration, browser extensions, academic database and publisher integrations, and OneDrive sync in beta.checked 2 Oct 2026
- PDF storage
- The plan comparison lists unlimited storage for research PDFs.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Paperpile describes itself as a home for research papers and says its goal is to simplify collecting, managing, and writing papers.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Reference management
- The pricing page lists reference import, PDF metadata extraction, folders and labels, library search, duplicate detection, and metadata repair.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Research discovery
- The mobile app page says users can search 150 million articles across sources including PubMed, arXiv, and CrossRef and save PDFs with one tap.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Support
- Paperpile directs questions to [email protected].checked 2 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Browser support
- The site says new sign-ups are currently available on Chrome and that Safari and Firefox access is in beta.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Mobile apps
- Paperpile offers iOS and Android apps that sync the research library with the web app and support PDF highlights, notes, and hand-drawn annotations.checked 2 Oct 2026
The company
- Company history and location
- Paperpile says it was founded in 2012 by three computational biologists and gives its mailing address as Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 2012checked 23 Sep 2026
- Headquarters
- Cambridge, Massachusetts, USAchecked 23 Sep 2026
Money
- Discounts and billing
- The pricing page says plans are billed annually and lists a 50% academic discount and group discounts of up to 20% on Expert plans.checked 2 Oct 2026
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