Persimmon: Research Simplified

Browse and search arXiv/SocArXiv, use AI to break down complex topics, save and annotate papers, follow your favorite researchers, and stay up-to-date on research!

Welcome to Persimmon, the ultimate AI-assisted research exploration tool for iOS! In a world where scientific breakthroughs are accelerating faster than ever but many struggle to keep pace, Persimmon bridges the gap between cutting-edge research and everyday understanding. Designed for researchers, scientists, students, and anyone with a passion for discovery, the app transforms complex arXiv and SocArXiv paper abstracts into digestible, tailored insights using the language models of your choice. Whether you’re diving into machine learning, quantum computing, or macroeconomic trends, Persimmon makes research accessible, engaging, and available at your fingertips.

Why Persimmon?
The sheer volume of scientific research published today is staggering. Thousands of papers flood leading preprint servers like arXiv and SocArXiv each week, making it nearly impossible to stay informed without specialized knowledge. At the same time, scientific literacy is declining, with many people feeling disconnected from the innovations shaping our future. Persimmon tackles these challenges head-on by simplifying the process of exploring, understanding, and saving research papers – no PhD required!

Key Features:

• Customizable AI Summaries: Choose your preferred OpenAI-compatible language model (LLM) to generate summaries. Control costs and model preferences with your own API configurations.
• Switch Between Providers: Seamlessly toggle between multiple LLM providers (e.g., OpenAI, Mistral, DeepSeek, Claude, custom models) using secure, on-device saved settings.
• Tailored to Your Level: Set your expertise level (beginner, intermediate, or expert) for each topic to receive summaries that match your understanding.
• arXiv & SocArXiv Search Made Easy: Find papers instantly with full-text search across arXiv and SocArXiv. Filter by categories to discover what interests you.
• Offline Access: Save your favorite papers to read without an internet connection.
• Daily Updates: Never miss a breakthrough! Get automatic notifications for the latest arXiv and SocArXiv papers in your chosen fields.
• Privacy First: Persimmon respects your privacy. There’s no data collection, tracking, or analytics.
• Breezy Performance: Built entirely in SwiftUI with minimal dependencies, Persimmon is snappy, intuitive, and optimized for iOS.
• AI-Optional: Prefer raw data? Use Persimmon as a no-frills preprint browser.

How It Works:

1. Set Your Interests: Select arXiv/SocArXiv categories or topics that fascinate you.
2. Choose Your AI Model: Configure your preferred LLM and expertise level to personalize summaries.
3. Explore & Save: Dive into abstracts, search papers, or save key findings for offline access.
4. Stay Informed: Get daily notifications to keep up with the latest advancements in your field.

Privacy & Control:
We believe knowledge should be private and empowering. Persimmon stores all configurations and preferences securely on your device – accounts are absolutely not required. Optional cloud syncing of preferences is available via Persimmon Cloud. Your exploration stays yours.

Persimmon is completely free to use, with a setup time under 30 seconds. At best, it becomes your go-to tool for staying ahead of the curve. At worst, you’ve got a sleek, private browser for preprints. Either way, we’re excited to help you unlock the world of research.

Join the movement to make science accessible to all. Download Persimmon now and start exploring the future of knowledge – one paper at a time.