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Mendeley vs Paperpile: catalog facts
Mendeley	Paperpile
Freemium Free with 2 GB of storage, with paid options.	Paid Paid subscription with a 30-day free trial.
Web, Browser extension	Android, iOS, Web, Browser extension
PDF reading, highlighting and annotation built in Generates references and citations	Built-in PDF viewer with annotation tools Citation plugins for Google Docs and Word
Owned by the publisher Elsevier Free storage is limited to 2 GB	Requires a Google account Sign-up only on Chrome for now, Safari and Firefox in beta
Downloadable app, Web application, Browser extension	Downloadable app, Web application, Browser extension
Closed source	Closed source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	Account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.