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  • Researchist: PDF Reader screenshot 1
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About Researchist: PDF Reader

Researchist is the PDF reader designed for academic reading. Import a paper and it becomes more than a static document: references turn into links, every section gets an outline you can jump through,, and figures and tables are one tap away. READ WITHOUT FRICTION • A focused reading experience built for research papers • Open papers in tabs, or side by side in multiple windows • Highlight with Apple Pencil and attach notes • See all your highlights and notes together in one place, ready to review and share PAPER INTELLIGENCE (BETA) Researchist analyzes each paper using Apple Intelligence • Automatic table of contents, even for PDFs without one • A detailed outline under every heading: one line for what each passage does, linking straight back to it • Figures and tables extracted with their captions for quick reference • Title, authors, and metadata found automatically FOLLOW THE CITATION TRAIL • References and in-text citations are extracted and linked • Tap any citation to see the full reference without losing your place • See how often each work is cited throughout the paper • Jump from a reference to the linked paper with a single tap BUILD YOUR RESEARCH LIBRARY • Organize papers into collections • Personalize your library with color themes and cover styles • Import your existing library from Zotero • Find any paper or note from Spotlight • Create and manage notes with Shortcuts and Apple Intelligence via App Intents WORKS WITH ESSAYIST Researchist and Essayist share the same reference library through iCloud. Papers you add on one device or in either app are automatically available everywhere you work. PRIVATE BY DESIGN All AI analysis runs entirely on your device — your documents never leave it. Researchist collects no analytics by default and never uploads your papers. Network access is used only for public metadata lookup, downloading linked papers, and optional Zotero import. FREE AND PRO
Reading, highlighting, and notes are free. Researchist Pro unlocks Paper Intelligence, collections, quick access to linked articles, and color themes & cover styles. Paper Intelligence (Beta) requires an Apple Intelligence compatible device. Start your personal research knowledge base today. Terms of Use: https://www.essayist.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.essayist.app/privacy

What’s new

Version 1.1.1 · Updated October 22, 2026

Your academic PDF reader just got better: - iPhone Duo improvements - BibTeX Export: Export a single paper or an entire collection. Thank you for suggesting this one! - Share on social media: Conveniently share a paper on social media. - Share a paper with or without your annotations. We also improved how annotations from Researchist show up in other PDF apps. Have feedback or found an issue? Email us. We usually respond very quickly and your feedback helps improve and shape Researchist.

App privacy

The developer, Essayist Software Inc., reported these privacy practices to Apple.

Data Not Linked to You

The following data, which may be collected but is not linked to your identity, may be used for the following purposes:

  • Purchases: Purchase History
  • Usage Data: Product Interaction
  • Diagnostics: Other Diagnostic Data, Crash Data, Performance Data
  • Other Data: Other Data Types
  • Identifiers: Device ID

Used for: Analytics, App Functionality

Alternatives to Researchist: PDF Reader

Looking for apps like Researchist: PDF Reader? Here are 6 similar apps on the App Store. The highest rated is Craft: Notes, Documents, AI (4.8/5), and all 6 are free to download.

Researchist: PDF Reader vs. alternatives
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Researchist: PDF Reader – Free October 22, 2026
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Google AI Edge Eloquent 4.0 / 5 (25) Free Aug 21, 2026 Compare
Zotero 4.6 / 5 (435) Free Oct 3, 2026 Compare
Locally AI by LM Studio 4.7 / 5 (1,846) Free Oct 15, 2026 Compare
Google AI Edge Gallery 4.1 / 5 (165) Free Oct 8, 2026 Compare
Craft: Notes, Documents, AI 4.8 / 5 (6,632) Free Oct 10, 2026 Compare

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