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.


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