Paperpile review
A complete citation workflow for researchers working across PDFs, browsers, Google Docs, and Word.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Paperpile is a web-based reference-management application for researchers and academic teams. It collects references from academic databases and publisher websites, organizes them with folders, labels, search, and duplicate detection, and keeps research PDFs in the same workspace. Users can read, highlight, annotate, and cite sources, while iOS and Android apps provide access to research libraries on mobile devices. Its strongest fit is for people who work regularly in Google Docs or Microsoft Word and want their reference library connected to the writing process.
Pricing is organized around two paid individual plans. Regular costs $4.15 per user per month with annual billing and includes reference collection, PDF storage and reading, major citation styles and BibTeX, plus basic Word and Google Docs integrations. Expert costs $5.75 per user per month with annual billing and adds full-text PDF search, PDF notes and annotations, shared folders and libraries, supplementary file support, advanced integrations, and custom citation styles. The Enterprise and Institutions plan adds SAML single sign-on, advanced security and privacy settings, a custom MSA and SLA, vendor security reviews, and HIPAA. A 30-day free trial is available.
Paperpile’s main strength is the connection between source capture, PDF work, and citation output. Integrations include Google Drive, OneDrive, Google Scholar, PubMed, arXiv, CrossRef, and Overleaf, while BibTeX and LaTeX synchronization supports technical and academic workflows. Collaboration features such as shared folders, shared libraries, and collaborative annotations make the Expert plan more suitable for research teams. The product is less suitable for buyers seeking a free citation manager or month-to-month billing, and browser compatibility should be considered where Safari or Firefox is required because that support is described as beta.
Paperpile pros and cons
- Where it wins
- PDF storage, full-text search, highlighting, notes, and annotations
- Google Docs and Word plugins with automatic citation formatting
- Browser capture, duplicate detection, shared libraries, and mobile apps
- Where it doesn't
- No free plan is available
- Plans are billed annually, including monthly-equivalent pricing
- Safari and Firefox support is described as beta
Paperpile fact sheet, pricing and score →
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