Research · head to head
Paperpile vs Mendeley
The short version
- Only Mendeley has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Paperpile sign-up is Chrome-only: the pricing page states you can only sign up for Paperpile on Chrome; Mendeley free plan is capped at 2GB storage; unlimited storage requires the MAX plan at $14.99/month or $165/year
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Paperpile and Mendeley 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.
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
Mendeley
- Free plan is capped at 2GB storage; unlimited storage requires the MAX plan at $14.99/month or $165/year
Pricing, plan by plan
Paperpile
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Paperpile review.
Mendeley
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Mendeley 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 Paperpile or Mendeley better?
- Neither clearly leads. Paperpile starts at On request and Mendeley at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Paperpile or Mendeley?
- Mendeley has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Paperpile and Free for Mendeley.
- Does Paperpile or Mendeley 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.