ReadCube
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy it if research literature is core to your company's output . Moderna and Boehringer Ingelheim case studies back that up.
Comparison
ReadCube vs Paperpile
ReadCube lands on Depends, and Paperpile lands on Worth it.
Paperpile
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you're a student or academic who writes in Google Docs . it's fast, cheap, and reviewers repeatedly call it the most intuitive reference manager.
| Compare | ReadCube | Paperpile |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Worth it |
| Best for | Research-driven companies and R&D teams | Google Docs / Workspace users |
| Who it's not for | Casual readers with a handful of PDFs | Anyone needing a free tool . use Zotero |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.⁷ | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | No support evidence found | No support-quality evidence in sources |
| Public sentiment | G2 users consistently praise ReadCube, but Reddit threads show mixed sentiment, especially about the Papers app's post-acquisition direction.¹ | Users praise its speed, clean interface, and Google Docs citing; main gripes are library-size limits, broad permissions, and network blocks. |
| Biggest gotcha | The $3/mo entry price is a 2022 listing; current pricing may differ . verify before committing⁸ | Web- and Google-account dependent; schools and workplaces have blocked it mid-writing. |
Pick ReadCube when
- Research-driven companies and R&D teams
- Pharma, biotech and medical affairs groups
- Labs sharing and annotating papers together
- Individual scientists managing large PDF libraries
When ReadCube is not a fit
- Casual readers with a handful of PDFs
- Small teams without a real literature workflow . overkill
- Anyone wanting a free tool; Zotero and Mendeley do the basics
- Buyers needing pricing clarity . public tiers are vague
Pick Paperpile when
- Google Docs / Workspace users
- Grad students and academics
- Labs sharing PDF libraries
- Literature review and grant writers
When Paperpile is not a fit
- Anyone needing a free tool . use Zotero
- Libraries of 5,000+ papers
- Users on locked-down school or work networks
- Non-Google shops wanting mature Word support
Sources
- ReadCube Reviews . G2g2.comreview
review
- ReadCube Pricingabout.readcube.comofficial
- ReadCube . Digital Science product pagedigital-science.comofficial
- Moderna Case Studyabout.readcube.comofficial
- ReadCube Security Statementabout.readcube.comsecurity
- ReadCube Papers Pricing . 360Quadrants360quadrants.comreview
- ReadCube Papers vs Zotero . TrustRadiustrustradius.comreview
- Open Source ReadCube Alternatives . AlternativeToalternativeto.netreview
- Paperpile Pricingpaperpile.comofficial
- Paperpile subscriptions explainedpaperpile.comofficial
- Paperpile - Google Workspace Marketplaceworkspace.google.comofficial
- Zotero vs Paperpile: Complete Comparison (2026)paperguide.aireview
- Paperpile Reviews 2026 - Capterracapterra.comreview
- Paperpile Reviews, Pros and Cons - Software Advicesoftwareadvice.comreview