Read and annotate your Zotero papers — right in Reading Mode. Highlights, notes, and Apple Pencil ink sync back to Zotero automatically.
Rectoly is the research-focused PDF reader built for Zotero users. Your library stays in Zotero — Rectoly makes reading and annotating on iPhone and iPad a genuine pleasure.
READING MODE
Academic papers are often formatted in two columns, making them hard to read on a phone. Reading Mode reflows the content into a single, clean column — without losing access to the original PDF. Jump back to the exact page anytime. Navigate by table of contents, search the whole paper, and customize the toolbar.
ANNOTATE IN READING MODE
Unlike other readers, Rectoly lets you highlight, underline, add sticky notes and comments, and draw with Apple Pencil — all while staying in Reading Mode. No need to switch back to the raw PDF just to mark something up.
APPLE PENCIL HANDWRITING
Write directly on the PDF or on the Reading Mode text. Handwriting syncs across your devices as a Zotero attachment, and a change history lets you go back to an earlier version at any time.
SPLIT VIEW AND WORKBENCH (iPAD)
Keep Reading Mode open while glancing at a figure, the original layout, or another section — side by side, all within a single window. On iPad, the Workbench pins a figure beside the text while you read on. No multi-window setup required.
ZOTERO SYNC
Annotations you create are written back to Zotero automatically. Highlights from Zotero Desktop or other apps appear in Rectoly automatically. Your reading position syncs too, so you can pick up on iPad right where you left off on the desktop. Group libraries are supported.
WORKS OFFLINE
Downloaded PDFs and annotations are stored locally. Read anywhere, anytime — even without an internet connection.
14-DAY FREE TRIAL → ONE-TIME PURCHASE
Try every Pro feature for free for 14 days. Unlock with a one-time payment — no subscription, no recurring charges.
Ratings & Reviews
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A fix release: Reading Mode no longer reads some papers twice, annotation sync no longer gets stuck on image annotations, and diagnostic reports keep their logs.
• Reading Mode: on some publisher PDFs that carry an older text layer underneath the page, every paragraph appeared twice. Those duplicate lines are now removed.
• Annotation sync: image annotations no longer leave automatic re-sending paused. Writes that Zotero rejects are reported once instead of retried, and the retry budget is counted per paper, so one failing paper no longer pauses the others.
• Diagnostics: log files are stored where iOS won't purge them, so a diagnostic report no longer arrives without its logs.
Version 2.2.0
The developer, Takaki Takemura, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Usage Data
Diagnostics
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
The developer indicated that this app supports the following accessibility features. Learn More