Softwr

Research · head to head

Paperpile vs REDCap

Paperpile logo

Paperpile

Research

Reference management essentials

From
$4.15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
REDCap logo

REDCap

Research

Research data capture licensed free to non-profits, and not licensable at all to companies

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Paperpile no monthly billing option; annual billing only; REDCap a for-profit company cannot hold a licence or self-host REDCap, so a biotech or CRO that liked it at university simply cannot deploy it the same way and must buy a commercially licensed hosted version instead.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Paperpile and REDCap actually diverge.

Attributes where Paperpile and REDCap differ
AttributePaperpileREDCap
Starting price$4.15/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWebWeb, Linux, Windows

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Research).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Paperpile

Nothing recorded that REDCap does not also cover.

Only in REDCap

  • Form and survey designer
  • Longitudinal projects
  • Data quality rules
  • Randomisation
  • Audit trail and e-signature
  • API and exports

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Paperpile

  • Organizing research papers and managing academic citationsnot REDCap
  • Creating citations in multiple styles and BibTeX for writingnot REDCap
  • Collaborating on research through shared reference librariesnot REDCap
  • Integrating citations into Google Docs and Microsoft Wordnot REDCap

REDCap

  • An academic research group at an institution that already runs REDCap, where a new study database costs nothing beyond the time to build itnot Paperpile
  • A hospital collecting patient reported outcomes where data must stay on institutional infrastructure rather than a vendor cloudnot Paperpile
  • An investigator initiated trial that needs randomisation, an audit trail and statistical export without a commercial EDC budgetnot Paperpile
  • A multi site academic collaboration where each site can be given scoped access to a single longitudinal projectnot Paperpile

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Paperpile

  • No monthly billing option; annual billing only
  • Regular plan lacks full-text PDF search and annotations
  • Safari and Firefox browser extensions currently in beta
  • Chrome signup initially required

REDCap

  • A for-profit company cannot hold a licence or self-host REDCap, so a biotech or CRO that liked it at university simply cannot deploy it the same way and must buy a commercially licensed hosted version instead.
  • Because each institution hosts its own instance, support, uptime, backup and version currency vary by university, and a researcher has no recourse to Vanderbilt when the local instance is two years out of date.
  • It is free of licence fee but not free of cost: the hosting institution carries server, security, patching and support staffing, which is why some institutions charge internal recharges per project.
  • Validation for regulated use is the deploying institution responsibility, so an instance is not Part 11 compliant simply because REDCap supports the features; someone locally has to produce and maintain the evidence.
  • The interface and reporting are dated compared with commercial survey and EDC tools, and complex logic is built through data dictionary spreadsheets rather than a modern visual builder, which slows non technical study teams.

Pricing, plan by plan

Paperpile

$4.15/month
  • Regular$4.15/month
    • Basic reference management
    • PDF storage and citation generation
    • Integrations with Word, Google Docs, and academic databases
  • Expert$5.75/month
    • All Regular features
    • Full-text PDF search
    • Notes and annotations

REDCap

On request
  • REDCap non-profit licence$undefined/year
    • No licence fee to non-profit and government institutions that join the consortium
    • Institution must install and host it on its own infrastructure
    • For-profit organisations may not hold a licence or self-host

Which should you pick?

Choose Paperpile if

Nothing in the data separates Paperpile from REDCap on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Paperpile review

Choose REDCap if

  • You need form and survey designer.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Windows.
  • You also want longitudinal projects.
REDCap review

Questions people ask

Is Paperpile or REDCap better?
Neither clearly leads. Paperpile starts at $4.15/month and REDCap at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Paperpile or REDCap?
Paperpile starts at $4.15/month and REDCap at On request.
Does Paperpile or REDCap run on more platforms?
Paperpile runs on Web. REDCap runs on Web, Linux, Windows.
What is Paperpile best used for?
Paperpile is most often used for organizing research papers and managing academic citations, creating citations in multiple styles and bibtex for writing, collaborating on research through shared reference libraries, integrating citations into google docs and microsoft word. Of those, organizing research papers and managing academic citations and creating citations in multiple styles and bibtex for writing are not what REDCap is typically brought in for.
What can Paperpile do that REDCap cannot?
REDCap covers Form and survey designer, Longitudinal projects, Data quality rules, Randomisation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Paperpile: How much does Paperpile cost?

Paperpile costs $4.15 per month for the Regular plan or $5.75 per month for the Expert plan, both billed annually.

Source
REDCap: Is REDCap really free?

The licence is free to non-profit institutions and government organisations that join the consortium, but they must host and support it themselves, so there is real internal cost.

Paperpile: Is there a free trial available for Paperpile?

Yes, Paperpile offers a 30-day free trial for both plans.

Source
REDCap: Can my company use REDCap?

Not by holding a licence or self-hosting. For-profit organisations must use a separately licensed commercial hosted route.

Paperpile: Does Paperpile offer academic or group discounts?

Yes, students, faculty, and researchers receive 50% off, and group discounts up to 20% off Expert plans are available when purchasing multiple seats.

Source
REDCap: Is REDCap 21 CFR Part 11 compliant?

It has the features to support Part 11 use, but compliance depends on how the hosting institution configures, validates and documents its own instance.

Paperpile: What billing options does Paperpile offer?

Paperpile accepts credit cards and PayPal, with additional payment options by location. Purchase orders are accepted for Enterprise customers.

Source
REDCap: Who supports it?

Your local institutional REDCap administrator, not Vanderbilt. Support quality varies by site.

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