Research · head to head
Mendeley vs Paperpile
The short version
- Only Mendeley has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Mendeley free plan is capped at 2GB storage; unlimited storage requires the MAX plan at $14.99/month or $165/year; Paperpile sign-up is Chrome-only: the pricing page states you can only sign up for Paperpile on Chrome
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Mendeley and Paperpile actually diverge.
Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Research).
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Mendeley
- Free plan is capped at 2GB storage; unlimited storage requires the MAX plan at $14.99/month or $165/year
Paperpile
- Sign-up is Chrome-only: the pricing page states you can only sign up for Paperpile on Chrome
- All plans are billed annually with no monthly option, and multi-user licenses cannot mix Regular and Expert tiers
Pricing, plan by plan
Mendeley
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Mendeley review.
Paperpile
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Paperpile review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Paperpile if
Nothing in the data separates Paperpile from Mendeley on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Mendeley or Paperpile better?
- Neither clearly leads. Mendeley starts at Free and Paperpile at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Mendeley or Paperpile?
- Mendeley has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Mendeley and On request for Paperpile.
- Does Mendeley or Paperpile run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Mendeley for free?
- Yes. Mendeley has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Paperpile starts at On request.