PERRLA vs Paperpile: Which Is Better for Students in 2026?

Short answer

Paperpile is a reference manager built around Google. It saves your sources, keeps the PDFs you upload in your Google Drive, and inserts citations and bibliographies in Google Docs and Word. PERRLA is paper-formatting software. It sets up and formats your whole paper in APA, MLA, or Turabian, and keeps your references, PDFs, and notes together in your PERRLA account.

If you mostly need a place to collect sources and drop in citations, Paperpile is a solid, affordable choice. If you want the entire paper formatted, not just the citations, PERRLA does more of the work.

At a glance

What it formats: PERRLA formats the whole paper – title page, headers, margins, heading levels, citations, and the reference list. Paperpile formats citations and bibliographies.
Styles: PERRLA is built for APA 7, MLA 9, and Turabian 9. Paperpile offers APA, MLA, Chicago, and thousands of journal styles.
Where you write: PERRLA works in Microsoft Word (desktop and web), Google Docs, and PERRLA Online, with a Chrome extension for saving sources as you research. Paperpile has plugins for Google Docs and Word.
Where your PDFs live: Paperpile keeps the files you upload in your Google Drive. PERRLA keeps them in your PERRLA account: 2 GB with PERRLA, 10 GB with PERRLA Pro, and no limit with PERRLA Unlimited.
Price: Paperpile is billed annually, starting at $4.15 a month with its academic discount. PERRLA is $12.95 a month, $79.95 a year, or $129.95 for 2 years, with a 7-day free trial.

The biggest difference: citations or the whole paper

Paperpile’s job is references and citations. You still set up the rest of the paper yourself: the title page, margins, spacing, heading levels, and everything around the reference list.

PERRLA starts you in a correctly formatted paper and keeps it that way as you write. Headings, citations, the reference list, tables, figures, and appendices are all handled in APA, MLA, or Turabian. PERRLA’s reference engine is human-built and human-tested against the published APA, MLA, and Turabian manuals.

Where your research files live

Paperpile keeps the PDFs you upload in your Google Drive. That’s convenient if you already live in Google. If you use a school Google account, though, those files sit in an account your school controls, so it’s worth knowing what happens to it after you graduate.

PERRLA keeps your files in your PERRLA account, attached to the references they belong to. You can read and annotate them in PERRLA’s Reference Annotator, organize them into Collections, and cite from them in Word, Google Docs, or PERRLA Online. Every plan includes 2 GB. PERRLA Pro raises that to 10 GB, and PERRLA Unlimited has no storage limit, with files up to 100 MB each.

Switching from another tool

If your reference manager can export a .bib file, PERRLA can import it. If you also use Zotero, PERRLA connects to it directly and brings across your files, notes, highlights, tags, and collections.

Who each is for

Paperpile fits students and researchers who work mostly in Google, want an inexpensive reference manager, and are comfortable formatting the rest of the paper themselves.

PERRLA fits students who write a lot of APA, MLA, or Turabian papers and want the whole paper formatted: nursing students, graduate students, and doctoral writers whose research library grows for years.

FAQ

Can I use PERRLA in Google Docs?

Yes. PERRLA works in Google Docs, Microsoft Word (desktop and web), and PERRLA Online, and your library follows you across all of them.

Does PERRLA store my PDFs?

Yes. Files you attach to your references are stored in your PERRLA account. PERRLA includes 2 GB, PERRLA Pro includes 10 GB, and PERRLA Unlimited has no storage limit. Compare the plans.

Is there a free trial?

Yes. Try PERRLA free for 7 days, no credit card required.

Paperpile details from paperpile.com, September 2026.