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Mendeley vs ReadCube Papers: catalog facts
Mendeley	ReadCube Papers
Freemium Free with 2 GB of storage, with paid options.	Paid Paid product with a free trial.
Web, Browser extension	Web, Browser extension
PDF reading, highlighting and annotation built in Generates references and citations	PDF annotation combined with reference management Imports papers with full metadata and citations
Owned by the publisher Elsevier Free storage is limited to 2 GB	Paid after the trial Much of the product is aimed at companies and research teams
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 September 23, 2026

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