Trial and purchase

Try every feature free for 14 days, then buy once to keep them. It is a one-time purchase, not a subscription, and one purchase covers Windows, Mac and iPad.

Applies to Mendeley and Zotero editions Windows · Mac · iPad Partly included in the purchase

How it works

  • 14-day free trial of every feature. It never turns into a charge on its own.
  • One-time purchase after that. There is no subscription, and updates are included.
  • One purchase, every system: buying unlocks the same edition on Windows, Mac and iPad wherever you sign in with the same Mendeley or Zotero account.
  • Two separate products: Rectoly for Mendeley and Rectoly for Zotero are bought separately. A Mendeley purchase does not unlock the Zotero edition, and the other way round.
  • Always free: everything inside the sample paper, reading what is already on your device, and exporting. See What stays free after the trial.

Where to find it

The Purchase screen opens when you use a feature that needs the trial or the purchase. You can also open it yourself:

  • Mac · iPadThe trial banner in the library (Start trial / Buy), or Settings › Purchase.
  • WindowsThe chip in the top bar (Free trial, Trial: N days left or Trial ended), or Settings › Purchase › Show purchase options.

Start the free trial

  1. Sign in with your Mendeley or Zotero account. The trial belongs to that account.
  2. On the Purchase screen, press Start the 14-day free trial.
  3. Everything is unlocked for 14 days. The days left show on the banner or chip.

The trial is once per Mendeley or Zotero account and is shared across systems: starting it on iPad and then signing in on Windows gives you the same trial with the same days left, not a new one.

Use the trial with your own library: check that your papers open and that your highlights come back in Mendeley or Zotero on your computer.

Before you start the trial, you can download and open your first paper for free.

Buy

  1. On the Purchase screen, press Unlock everything (one-time purchase).
  2. Pay:
    • iPadThrough the App Store.
    • MacThrough the Mac App Store if you got Rectoly there. If you bought the Mac version on rectoly.com, payment happens in your browser through Paddle, as on Windows.
    • WindowsBuy opens a checkout page in your browser. Payment is handled by Paddle, our reseller.
  3. WindowsLeave Rectoly open while you pay. It unlocks by itself a few seconds after payment ("Complete the purchase in your browser").

After buying, the status in Settings › Purchase reads Purchased.

Restore a purchase

On a new device, after reinstalling, or on another system, sign in with the same Mendeley or Zotero account. A purchase made with that account normally unlocks automatically at launch.

If it doesn't, open the Purchase screen and press Restore purchases.

  • Mac · iPadApp Store purchases are also restored from your Apple Account.

Use this purchase with other accounts Windows

WindowsIf you use more than one Mendeley or Zotero account on the same PC, you can add your purchase to the others:

  1. Sign in with the other accounts on this PC (see Adding an account).
  2. Go to Settings › Purchase › Use this purchase with other accounts.
  3. Press Add next to an account and confirm.

WindowsAn added account has the purchase wherever it signs in, including iPad and Mac. Adding cannot be undone, and one purchase covers a limited number of accounts; the screen shows how many are left.

What stays free after the trial

When the trial ends without a purchase, nothing you already have becomes unreachable:

  • PDFs and annotations already on the device stay readable.
  • Exporting stays free (see Export and Archives).
  • Everything inside the sample paper stays free.
  • PDFs you opened from your device before can be reopened for free (see Opening a PDF without signing in).
  • Mac · iPadRestoring from iCloud backup stays free.

These need the purchase: syncing new and changed papers, downloading new PDFs, opening new PDFs from your device, Reading Mode, two panes, creating and editing annotations, sending them back to Mendeley or Zotero, and the watched folder. Each guide page says what is included in the purchase.

  • Mac · iPadWhen the trial ends, the watched folder is unset.
  • WindowsWhen the trial ends, the watched folder is no longer read, but your chosen folder is kept.

Refunds

  • Purchases made on rectoly.com (Windows and Mac, through Paddle) can be refunded in full within 14 days, without giving a reason.
  • Refunds for App Store and Google Play purchases are decided by Apple or Google.

See the Refund Policy for details. Questions: rectoly.app@gmail.com.

Updated September 20, 2026