Every score is worked out from the vendor's own pages · How we score →Disclosure
SAASINSPECTOR
Directory · 31 tools reviewed

Best AI Research Tools

Find the best AI research tools that search the literature, read and summarize papers, run systematic reviews and keep your citations in order. Each one is rated on what its maker publishes and on the academic price, since many sell a separate plan for students and universities that costs far less than the one shown first. How we score.

Choose the kind you need

13 Literature search tools ranked

Ranked by score · price shown: cheapest paid plan per month (academic rate if offered)
★ Top literature search toolof 13 literature search tools
Elicit$19 · 99% published
7.8/10

Systematic literature reviews and academic research

Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papersShows if later papers support or dispute a paper5Export formats+15 more
What makes up the score7.8

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papers7.0
Reading and analysing papers10.0
Systematic reviews8.5
Pricing7.0
Citing and writingweakest5.8
Access, teams and privacy7.5
Read the Elicit review
02Paperguide100% published7.7/10$19Best forStudents and researchers who want search, reading, references and writing in one research app
Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papers+17 more
What makes up the score7.7

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papersweakest5.5
Reading and analysing papers8.5
Systematic reviews8.5
Pricing7.0
Citing and writing8.8
Access, teams and privacy9.0
Read the Paperguide review
03SciSpace96% published6.9/10$20Best forAcademic research, literature review, paper discovery
Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papers+17 more
What makes up the score6.9

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papers5.5
Reading and analysing papers10.0
Systematic reviewsweakest0.0
Pricing7.0
Citing and writing7.9
Access, teams and privacy7.0
Read the SciSpace review
04AnswerThis100% published6.8/10$35Best forAcademics, researchers, medical professionals, students, and pharma/biotech teams needing citation-backed literature reviews
Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papers+17 more
What makes up the score6.8

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papers7.0
Reading and analysing papers8.5
Systematic reviews8.0
Pricingweakest4.0
Citing and writing7.5
Access, teams and privacy6.0
Read the AnswerThis review
05Consensus100% published6.7/10$20Best forResearchers, clinicians, students, and faculty conducting literature reviews
Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papers+17 more
What makes up the score6.7

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papers7.0
Reading and analysing papers8.5
Systematic reviewsweakest0.0
Pricing7.0
Citing and writing5.5
Access, teams and privacy9.0
Read the Consensus review
06R Discovery94% published6.5/10$12Best forResearchers needing AI-assisted literature discovery, writing, and publishing tools
Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papers+17 more
What makes up the score6.5

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papers8.5
Reading and analysing papers6.5
Systematic reviewsweakest0.0
Pricing8.0
Citing and writing5.8
Access, teams and privacy7.5
Read the R Discovery review
07Semantic ScholarBest free plan99% published6.0/10FreeBest forResearchers and academics seeking AI-powered literature discovery and citation analysis
Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papers+17 more
What makes up the score6.0

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papers4.5
Reading and analysing papersweakest5.0
Systematic reviews0.0
Pricing10.0
Citing and writing7.2
Access, teams and privacy7.5
Read the Semantic Scholar review
08Scite100% published5.8/10$20Best forIndividual researchers, labs, and small teams doing deep research
Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papers+17 more
What makes up the score5.8

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papers8.5
Reading and analysing papers6.5
Systematic reviews0.0
Pricing7.0
Citing and writingweakest3.2
Access, teams and privacy6.0
Read the Scite review
09Undermind100% published5.4/10$20Best forAcademic and serious ongoing research
Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papers+17 more
What makes up the score5.4

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papers7.0
Reading and analysing papers8.5
Systematic reviews0.0
Pricing7.0
Citing and writingweakest0.0
Access, teams and privacy5.0
Read the Undermind review
10KeeniousLowest price100% published5.1/10$10Best forAcademic researchers, students, and institutions seeking AI-assisted literature discovery
Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papers+17 more
What makes up the score5.1

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papers7.0
Reading and analysing papersweakest3.5
Systematic reviews0.0
Pricing9.0
Citing and writing3.2
Access, teams and privacy5.0
Read the Keenious review
11Litmaps99% published4.0/10$12.50Best forAcademic researchers tracking and visualizing scientific literature
Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papers+17 more
What makes up the score4.0

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papers6.0
Reading and analysing papersweakest0.0
Systematic reviews0.0
Pricing8.0
Citing and writing4.5
Access, teams and privacy5.5
Read the Litmaps review
12ResearchRabbit100% published4.0/10$12.50Best forResearchers conducting literature reviews and citation network discovery
Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papers+17 more
What makes up the score4.0

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papers4.5
Reading and analysing papersweakest0.0
Systematic reviews0.0
Pricing8.0
Citing and writing6.0
Access, teams and privacy6.0
Read the ResearchRabbit review
13Connected Papers89% published3.8/10$10Best forResearchers who want to map the papers around a key paper visually
Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papers+17 more
What makes up the score3.8

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papers4.5
Reading and analysing papersweakest0.0
Systematic reviews0.0
Pricing9.0
Citing and writingnot published–
Access, teams and privacy4.0
Read the Connected Papers review

8 Paper readers ranked

Ranked by score · price shown: cheapest paid plan per month (academic rate if offered)
★ Top paper readerof 8 paper readers
Anara$12 · 100% published
7.3/10

Researchers, PhD candidates, biopharma teams, clinical practitioners, and R&D engineers who need accurate, cited AI answers across large document libraries

Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papersShows if later papers support or dispute a paper2Works with Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote and others+15 more
What makes up the score7.3

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papers5.5
Reading and analysing papers10.0
Systematic reviewsweakest0.0
Pricing8.0
Citing and writing9.5
Access, teams and privacy7.0
Read the Anara review
02Scholarcy99% published6.0/10$10.21Best forStudents and researchers needing fast summarization and organization of academic papers
Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papers+17 more
What makes up the score6.0

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papers6.0
Reading and analysing papers6.5
Systematic reviewsweakest0.0
Pricing8.0
Citing and writing5.8
Access, teams and privacy7.5
Read the Scholarcy review
03Logically100% published5.5/10$30Best forStudents, researchers, academics, and professionals who need citation-backed writing and reference management
Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papers+17 more
What makes up the score5.5

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papers5.5
Reading and analysing papers8.0
Systematic reviewsweakest0.0
Pricing5.5
Citing and writing6.2
Access, teams and privacy4.0
Read the Logically review
04Google NotebookLM80% published4.9/10—Best forResearch, analysis, and learning from uploaded sources
Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papers+17 more
What makes up the score4.9

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papersweakest0.0
Reading and analysing papers10.0
Systematic reviews0.0
Pricingnot published–
Citing and writing2.5
Access, teams and privacy5.0
Read the Google NotebookLM review
05SciSummaryLowest price99% published4.4/10$7Best forResearchers, students, and academics who need fast, structured summaries of scientific papers
Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papers+17 more
What makes up the score4.4

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papersweakest0.0
Reading and analysing papers6.5
Systematic reviews0.0
Pricing9.0
Citing and writing4.0
Access, teams and privacy3.5
Read the SciSummary review
06Avidnote100% published3.8/10$19Best forResearchers and students managing academic papers
Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papers+17 more
What makes up the score3.8

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papersweakest3.0
Reading and analysing papers5.0
Systematic reviews0.0
Pricing7.0
Citing and writing2.0
Access, teams and privacy2.0
Read the Avidnote review
07Humata100% published3.5/10$9.99Best forSmall to large professional teams needing document processing
Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papers+17 more
What makes up the score3.5

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papersweakest0.0
Reading and analysing papers5.0
Systematic reviews0.0
Pricing9.0
Citing and writing0.0
Access, teams and privacy5.0
Read the Humata review
08Explainpaper99% published3.3/10$16Best forProfessional research and academic paper comprehension
Ask questions of a paperPulls data from many papers into a tableSummarises papersAnswers show the passage they came fromReads tables and figuresWrites a literature review for youSearches a database of papersAnswers a research question from the literatureMap of connected papersAlerts for new papers+17 more
What makes up the score3.3

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Finding papersweakest0.0
Reading and analysing papers5.0
Systematic reviews0.0
Pricing7.0
Citing and writing2.0
Access, teams and privacy3.5
Read the Explainpaper review

4 Systematic review platforms ranked

Ranked by score · price shown: cheapest paid plan per month (academic rate if offered)
★ Top systematic review platformof 4 systematic review platforms
Rayyan$8.33 · 98% publishedLowest price
8.2/10

Systematic review researchers, academics, healthcare professionals, and research institutions

Screening with include and exclude decisionsAI help with screeningRemoves duplicate referencesPRISMA flow diagramRisk of bias assessmentPulls data from many papers into a tableAnswers show the passage they came fromAsk questions of a paperSummarises papersReads tables and figuresShared projects with your teamUniversity or library licence+13 more
What makes up the score8.2

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Running the review10.0
Extraction and analysis7.0
Teams, access and privacy9.5
Pricing9.0
Finding papersweakest2.0
Citing and exports3.5
Read the Rayyan review
02Covidence100% published6.8/10$339/yrBest forSystematic reviews and evidence synthesis teams
Screening with include and exclude decisionsAI help with screeningRemoves duplicate referencesPRISMA flow diagramRisk of bias assessmentPulls data from many papers into a tableAnswers show the passage they came fromAsk questions of a paperSummarises papersReads tables and figures+15 more
What makes up the score6.8

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Running the review10.0
Extraction and analysisweakest3.0
Teams, access and privacy7.5
Pricing5.5
Finding papers0.0
Citing and exports7.5
Read the Covidence review
03Silvi100% published5.5/10$43.20Best forResearchers, academics, and scientific teams conducting systematic literature reviews
Screening with include and exclude decisionsAI help with screeningRemoves duplicate referencesPRISMA flow diagramRisk of bias assessmentPulls data from many papers into a tableAnswers show the passage they came fromAsk questions of a paperSummarises papersReads tables and figures+15 more
What makes up the score5.5

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Running the review8.0
Extraction and analysis5.0
Teams, access and privacy4.5
Pricing4.0
Finding papersweakest0.0
Citing and exports6.2
Read the Silvi review
04Sysrev98% published5.1/10$50Best forResearchers, academic institutions, and organizations conducting systematic literature reviews and document data extraction
Screening with include and exclude decisionsAI help with screeningRemoves duplicate referencesPRISMA flow diagramRisk of bias assessmentPulls data from many papers into a tableAnswers show the passage they came fromAsk questions of a paperSummarises papersReads tables and figures+15 more
What makes up the score5.1

Longer bar, heavier criterion. A hatched bar is one the vendor never published. A red one is a zero they did publish.

Running the reviewweakest5.0
Extraction and analysis3.0
Teams, access and privacy8.5
Pricing4.0
Finding papers4.0
Citing and exports7.0
Read the Sysrev review
published yespublished nonot published, scored at the midpoint

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⇄ Compare
01Rayyan logo

Rayyan

Systematic review researchers, academics, healthcare professionals, and research institutions

8.2
Rank #1 of 4 systematic review platforms
Best:Running the review10
Weakest:Finding papers2
Institution licence: yesPaper search: noScreening: yesResearch answers: yes
From $8.33Free plan
98% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
02Elicit logo

Elicit

Systematic literature reviews and academic research

7.8
Rank #1 of 13 literature search tools
Best:Reading and analysing papers10
Weakest:Citing and writing5.8
Institution licence: yesPaper search: yesScreening: yesResearch answers: yes
From $19Free plan
99% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
03Paperguide logo

Paperguide

Students and researchers who want search, reading, references and writing in one research app

7.7
Rank #2 of 13 literature search tools
Best:Access9
Weakest:Finding papers5.5
Institution licence: yesPaper search: yesScreening: yesResearch answers: yes
From $19Free plan
100% from published facts · checked 29 Oct
→
04Anara logo

Anara

Researchers, PhD candidates, biopharma teams, clinical practitioners, and R&D engineers who need accurate, cited AI answers across large document libraries

7.3
Rank #1 of 8 paper readers
Best:Reading and analysing papers10
Weakest:Systematic reviews0
Institution licence: noPaper search: yesScreening: noResearch answers: yes
From $12Free plan
100% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
05SciSpace logo

SciSpace

Academic research, literature review, paper discovery

6.9
Rank #3 of 13 literature search tools
Best:Reading and analysing papers10
Weakest:Systematic reviews0
Institution licence: yesPaper search: yesScreening: noResearch answers: yes
From $20No free plan
96% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
06AnswerThis logo

AnswerThis

Academics, researchers, medical professionals, students, and pharma/biotech teams needing citation-backed literature reviews

6.8
Rank #4 of 13 literature search tools
Best:Reading and analysing papers8.5
Weakest:Pricing4
Institution licence: yesPaper search: yesScreening: yesResearch answers: yes
From $35Free plan
100% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
07Covidence logo

Covidence

Systematic reviews and evidence synthesis teams

6.8
Rank #2 of 4 systematic review platforms
Best:Running the review10
Weakest:Finding papers0
Institution licence: yesPaper search: noScreening: yesResearch answers: no
From $339 per yearNo free plan
100% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
08Consensus logo

Consensus

Researchers, clinicians, students, and faculty conducting literature reviews

6.7
Rank #5 of 13 literature search tools
Best:Access9
Weakest:Systematic reviews0
Institution licence: yesPaper search: yesScreening: noResearch answers: yes
From $20Free plan
100% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
09R Discovery logo

R Discovery

Researchers needing AI-assisted literature discovery, writing, and publishing tools

6.5
Rank #6 of 13 literature search tools
Best:Finding papers8.5
Weakest:Systematic reviews0
Institution licence: yesPaper search: yesScreening: noResearch answers: yes
From $6Free plan
94% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
10Semantic Scholar logo

Semantic Scholar

Researchers and academics seeking AI-powered literature discovery and citation analysis

6.0
Rank #7 of 13 literature search tools
Best:Pricing10
Weakest:Systematic reviews0
Institution licence: yesPaper search: yesScreening: noResearch answers: no
FreeFree plan
99% from published facts · checked 26 Sep
→
11Scholarcy logo

Scholarcy

Students and researchers needing fast summarization and organization of academic papers

6.0
Rank #2 of 8 paper readers
Best:Pricing8
Weakest:Systematic reviews0
Institution licence: yesPaper search: yesScreening: noResearch answers: no
From $10 (€8.99)Free plan
99% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
12Scite logo

Scite

Individual researchers, labs, and small teams doing deep research

5.8
Rank #8 of 13 literature search tools
Best:Finding papers8.5
Weakest:Systematic reviews0
Institution licence: yesPaper search: yesScreening: noResearch answers: yes
From $20Free plan
100% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
13Silvi logo

Silvi

Researchers, academics, and scientific teams conducting systematic literature reviews

5.5
Rank #3 of 4 systematic review platforms
Best:Running the review8
Weakest:Finding papers0
Institution licence: noPaper search: noScreening: yesResearch answers: no
From $43 (€40)Free plan
100% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
14Logically logo

Logically

Students, researchers, academics, and professionals who need citation-backed writing and reference management

5.5
Rank #3 of 8 paper readers
Best:Reading and analysing papers8
Weakest:Systematic reviews0
Institution licence: noPaper search: yesScreening: noResearch answers: yes
From $30Free plan
100% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
15Undermind logo

Undermind

Academic and serious ongoing research

5.4
Rank #9 of 13 literature search tools
Best:Reading and analysing papers8.5
Weakest:Citing and writing0
Institution licence: noPaper search: yesScreening: noResearch answers: yes
From $20Free plan
100% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
16Keenious logo

Keenious

Academic researchers, students, and institutions seeking AI-assisted literature discovery

5.1
Rank #10 of 13 literature search tools
Best:Pricing9
Weakest:Systematic reviews0
Institution licence: yesPaper search: yesScreening: noResearch answers: yes
From $10Free plan
100% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
17Sysrev logo

Sysrev

Researchers, academic institutions, and organizations conducting systematic literature reviews and document data extraction

5.1
Rank #4 of 4 systematic review platforms
Best:Teams8.5
Weakest:Extraction and analysis3
Institution licence: yesPaper search: yesScreening: yesResearch answers: no
From $50Free plan
98% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
18Google NotebookLM logo

Google NotebookLM

Research, analysis, and learning from uploaded sources

4.9
Rank #4 of 8 paper readers
Best:Reading and analysing papers10
Weakest:Systematic reviews0
Institution licence: noPaper search: noScreening: noResearch answers: no
Price not publishedFree plan
80% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
19SciSummary logo

SciSummary

Researchers, students, and academics who need fast, structured summaries of scientific papers

4.4
Rank #5 of 8 paper readers
Best:Pricing9
Weakest:Systematic reviews0
Institution licence: noPaper search: noScreening: noResearch answers: no
From $7No free plan
99% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
20ResearchRabbit logo

ResearchRabbit

Researchers conducting literature reviews and citation network discovery

4.0
Rank #11 of 13 literature search tools
Best:Pricing8
Weakest:Systematic reviews0
Institution licence: yesPaper search: yesScreening: noResearch answers: no
From $12.50Free plan
100% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
21Litmaps logo

Litmaps

Academic researchers tracking and visualizing scientific literature

4.0
Rank #11 of 13 literature search tools
Best:Pricing8
Weakest:Systematic reviews0
Institution licence: yesPaper search: yesScreening: noResearch answers: no
From $12.50Free plan
99% from published facts · checked 26 Sep
→
22Avidnote logo

Avidnote

Researchers and students managing academic papers

3.8
Rank #6 of 8 paper readers
Best:Pricing7
Weakest:Systematic reviews0
Institution licence: noPaper search: yesScreening: noResearch answers: no
From $19Free plan
100% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
23Connected Papers logo

Connected Papers

Researchers who want to map the papers around a key paper visually

3.8
Rank #13 of 13 literature search tools
Best:Pricing9
Weakest:Systematic reviews0
Institution licence: yesPaper search: yesScreening: noResearch answers: no
From $10Free plan
89% from published facts · checked 29 Oct
→
24Humata logo

Humata

Small to large professional teams needing document processing

3.5
Rank #7 of 8 paper readers
Best:Pricing9
Weakest:Citing and writing0
Institution licence: noPaper search: noScreening: noResearch answers: no
From $9.99Free plan
100% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
25Explainpaper logo

Explainpaper

Professional research and academic paper comprehension

3.3
Rank #8 of 8 paper readers
Best:Pricing7
Weakest:Systematic reviews0
Institution licence: noPaper search: noScreening: noResearch answers: no
From $16Free plan
99% from published facts · checked 14 Sep
→
26Claude logo

Claude

Writers, researchers and developers who want voice, memory, projects and code execution free, with deep research on paid plans

7.8
Rank #12 of 20 AI assistants
Best:Where it works10
Weakest:Pricing6
Free plan: yesFree trial: noAPI: yes
From $20Free plan
100% from published facts · checked 16 Oct
→
27Gemini logo

Gemini

Google users who want an assistant that reads their Gmail, Calendar and Drive, with images and voice on the phone

7.9
Rank #9 of 20 AI assistants
Best:What it can do10
Weakest:Privacy and trust5.5
Free plan: yesFree trial: noAPI: yes
From $4.99Free plan
97% from published facts · checked 14 Oct
→
28Perplexity logo

Perplexity

Researchers who want cited answers, memory across sessions and an agent that works in a cloud sandbox

8.7
Rank #2 of 20 AI assistants
Best:What it can do10
Weakest:Pricing6
Free plan: yesFree trial: noAPI: yes
From $20Free plan
100% from published facts · checked 21 Sep
→
29Hebbia logo

Hebbia

Enterprise knowledge workers in finance, law, and consulting needing AI-powered document analysis at scale

Not scored yet
Free plan: noFree trial: noAPI: no
Price not publishedNo free plan
→
30Grok logo

Grok

People who want image generation, voice and a coding agent on a free plan, with SOC 2 on every plan

8.0
Rank #7 of 20 AI assistants
Best:Pricing8.5
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Buying guide

How to choose an AI research tool

Match the tool to the stage of your research: finding papers, reading and understanding them, or running a formal systematic review.

  1. 01

    Find, read or review

    Search tools such as Elicit, Consensus or Semantic Scholar find papers and summarise what they say. Paper readers such as Anara, Scholarcy or NotebookLM help you work through the papers you already have. Systematic review platforms such as Rayyan or Covidence run screening and extraction with a team, the way a formal review requires.

  2. 02

    Check the answers can be checked

    A research tool is only useful if you can trace every claim to its source. Look for answers that cite the exact paper and passage, a clear list of the databases it searches, and export to your reference manager, such as Zotero, in the format your field uses.

  3. 03

    Access and your own files

    Check whether it reads full texts or only abstracts, what it does with the PDFs you upload, and whether your institution already pays for a licence. Many of these tools have generous free plans for students.

Scoring

How we rate AI research tools

Every score on this page is out of 100 and worked out from what each vendor publishes, never from a demo or a sponsor. Each kind is scored on its own split of the points. Below: where the points go, every check behind them, and how the tools above did on each. Every rule, in full

Literature search tools: where the 100 points go

25Reading and analysing papers20Finding papers20Pricing15Citing and writing10Systematic reviews10Access, teams and privacy
25/ 100
Biggest share

Reading and analysing papers

Once you have the papers, can it help you understand them? Asking questions of a paper, summaries, pulling data out of many papers at once, and answers you can check against the text.

Ask questions of a paper5 pts
AnswerThisConsensusElicitKeeniousPaperguideR DiscoverySciSpaceSemantic ScholarUndermindConnected PapersLitmapsResearchRabbitScite
Pulls data from many papers into a table5 pts
AnswerThisConsensusElicitPaperguideSciSpaceSciteUndermindConnected PapersKeeniousLitmapsR DiscoveryResearchRabbitSemantic Scholar
Summarises papers3.8 pts
AnswerThisConsensusElicitPaperguideR DiscoverySciSpaceSciteSemantic ScholarConnected PapersKeeniousLitmapsResearchRabbitUndermind
Answers show the passage they came from3.8 pts
AnswerThisConsensusElicitKeeniousPaperguideR DiscoverySciSpaceSciteSemantic ScholarUndermindConnected PapersLitmapsResearchRabbit
Reads tables and figures3.7 pts
ElicitSciSpaceUndermindAnswerThisConnected PapersConsensusKeeniousLitmapsPaperguideR DiscoveryResearchRabbitSciteSemantic Scholar
Writes a literature review for you3.7 pts
AnswerThisConsensusElicitPaperguideR DiscoverySciSpaceSciteUndermindConnected PapersKeeniousLitmapsResearchRabbitSemantic Scholar

Highest here Elicit 10.0lowest Connected Papers 0.0 out of 10

20/ 100

Finding papers

Can it find the papers you need? Search across published research, answers to a research question that cite their sources, maps of connected papers and alerts when something new comes out.

Searches a database of papers6 pts
AnswerThisConnected PapersConsensusElicitKeeniousLitmapsPaperguideR DiscoveryResearchRabbitSciSpaceSciteSemantic ScholarUndermind
Answers a research question from the literature5 pts
AnswerThisConsensusElicitKeeniousPaperguideR DiscoverySciSpaceSciteUndermindConnected PapersLitmapsResearchRabbitSemantic Scholar
Map of connected papers3 pts
AnswerThisConnected PapersConsensusKeeniousLitmapsR DiscoveryResearchRabbitElicitPaperguideSciSpaceSciteSemantic ScholarUndermind
Alerts for new papers3 pts
ElicitLitmapsR DiscoverySciteSemantic ScholarUndermindAnswerThisConnected PapersConsensusKeeniousPaperguideResearchRabbitSciSpace
Shows if later papers support or dispute a paper3 pts
SciteAnswerThisConnected PapersConsensusElicitKeeniousLitmapsPaperguideR DiscoveryResearchRabbitSciSpaceSemantic ScholarUndermind

Highest here R Discovery 8.5lowest Connected Papers 4.5 out of 10

20/ 100

Pricing

What the cheapest paid plan costs, at the academic rate where the vendor publishes one. A free tool earns the most points.

Monthly price, cheapest paid plan (academic rate if offered)10 pts
Semantic Scholar$0Connected Papers$10Keenious$10Litmaps$12.5R Discovery$12ResearchRabbit$12.5Consensus$20Elicit$19Paperguide$19SciSpace$20Scite$20Undermind$20AnswerThis$35
Yearly price, sold by the year only10 pts

Not asked of the tools here.

Highest here Semantic Scholar 10.0lowest AnswerThis 4.0 out of 10

15/ 100

Citing and writing

Does it fit how you write? Your reference manager, the export formats you need, help with writing, and add-ins for your browser and word processor.

Works with Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote and others5.3 pts
AnswerThisZotero, Mendeley, EndNoteConsensusPaperguideZotero, Mendeley, EndNoteResearchRabbitSemantic ScholarZotero, Mendeley, EndNoteElicitZoteroLitmapsZoteroSciSpaceZoteroSciteZoteroKeeniousnoneUndermindnone
Export formats3.7 pts
AnswerThisElicitRIS, CSV, BIB, PDF, DOCXLitmapsBibTeX, RIS, CSVPaperguideRIS, CSV, BIB, PDF, DOCXR DiscoveryCSV, Excel, XMLResearchRabbitBibTeX, RIS, CSVSciSpaceCSV, RIS, BibTeX, Excel, XMLSemantic ScholarConsensusCSV, RISKeeniousRIS, BibTeXScitenoneUndermindnone
Helps you write and adds citations2.2 pts
AnswerThisPaperguideSciSpaceConnected PapersConsensusElicitKeeniousLitmapsR DiscoveryResearchRabbitSciteSemantic ScholarUndermind
Browser extension1.9 pts
ElicitPaperguideR DiscoverySciSpaceSciteSemantic ScholarAnswerThisConnected PapersConsensusKeeniousLitmapsResearchRabbitUndermind
Word or Google Docs add-in1.9 pts
KeeniousAnswerThisConnected PapersConsensusElicitLitmapsPaperguideR DiscoveryResearchRabbitSciteSemantic ScholarUndermind

Highest here Paperguide 8.8lowest Undermind 0.0 out of 10

10/ 100

Systematic reviews

Can it run a systematic review: screening with include and exclude decisions, AI help with screening, removing duplicates, a PRISMA diagram and risk of bias?

Screening with include and exclude decisions3 pts
AnswerThisElicitPaperguideConnected PapersConsensusKeeniousLitmapsR DiscoveryResearchRabbitSciSpaceSciteSemantic ScholarUndermind
AI help with screening2 pts
AnswerThisElicitPaperguideConnected PapersConsensusKeeniousLitmapsR DiscoveryResearchRabbitSciSpaceSciteSemantic ScholarUndermind
Removes duplicate references2 pts
ElicitPaperguideAnswerThisConnected PapersConsensusKeeniousLitmapsR DiscoveryResearchRabbitSciSpaceSciteSemantic ScholarUndermind
PRISMA flow diagram1.5 pts
AnswerThisElicitPaperguideConnected PapersConsensusKeeniousLitmapsR DiscoveryResearchRabbitSciSpaceSciteSemantic ScholarUndermind
Risk of bias assessment1.5 pts
AnswerThisConnected PapersConsensusElicitKeeniousLitmapsPaperguideR DiscoveryResearchRabbitSciSpaceSciteSemantic ScholarUndermind

Highest here Elicit 8.5lowest Connected Papers 0.0 out of 10

10/ 100

Access, teams and privacy

Can your university or library license it, can you share projects with your team, and does it keep your uploads out of its AI training?

University or library licence3 pts
AnswerThisConnected PapersConsensusElicitKeeniousLitmapsPaperguideR DiscoveryResearchRabbitSciSpaceSciteSemantic ScholarUndermind
Shared projects with your team2 pts
AnswerThisConsensusElicitLitmapsPaperguideR DiscoveryResearchRabbitSemantic ScholarUndermindConnected PapersKeeniousScite
API2 pts
ConsensusElicitPaperguideSciteSemantic ScholarUndermindAnswerThisConnected PapersKeeniousLitmapsR DiscoveryResearchRabbitSciSpace
Mobile app1 pts
R DiscoverySciSpaceAnswerThisConnected PapersConsensusElicitKeeniousLitmapsPaperguideResearchRabbitSciteSemantic ScholarUndermind
Works in languages other than English1 pts
ConsensusKeeniousPaperguideR DiscoverySciSpaceAnswerThisElicitLitmapsResearchRabbitSciteSemantic ScholarUndermind
Does not train AI on your data1 pts
AnswerThisConsensusKeeniousPaperguideResearchRabbitSciSpaceSciteUndermind

Highest here Paperguide 9.0lowest Connected Papers 4.0 out of 10

Paper readers: where the 100 points go

25Reading and analysing papers20Finding papers20Pricing15Citing and writing10Systematic reviews10Access, teams and privacy
25/ 100
Biggest share

Reading and analysing papers

Once you have the papers, can it help you understand them? Asking questions of a paper, summaries, pulling data out of many papers at once, and answers you can check against the text.

Ask questions of a paper5 pts
AnaraAvidnoteExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMHumataLogicallySciSummaryScholarcy
Pulls data from many papers into a table5 pts
AnaraGoogle NotebookLMScholarcyAvidnoteExplainpaperHumataLogicallySciSummary
Summarises papers3.8 pts
AnaraAvidnoteExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMHumataLogicallyScholarcySciSummary
Answers show the passage they came from3.8 pts
AnaraExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMHumataLogicallyScholarcySciSummaryAvidnote
Reads tables and figures3.7 pts
AnaraGoogle NotebookLMLogicallyScholarcySciSummaryAvidnoteExplainpaperHumata
Writes a literature review for you3.7 pts
AnaraAvidnoteGoogle NotebookLMLogicallyExplainpaperHumataScholarcySciSummary

Highest here Anara 10.0lowest Explainpaper 5.0 out of 10

20/ 100

Finding papers

Can it find the papers you need? Search across published research, answers to a research question that cite their sources, maps of connected papers and alerts when something new comes out.

Searches a database of papers6 pts
AnaraAvidnoteLogicallyScholarcyExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMHumataSciSummary
Answers a research question from the literature5 pts
AnaraLogicallyAvidnoteExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMHumataScholarcySciSummary
Map of connected papers3 pts
AnaraAvidnoteExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMHumataLogicallyScholarcySciSummary
Alerts for new papers3 pts
ScholarcyAnaraAvidnoteExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMHumataLogicallySciSummary
Shows if later papers support or dispute a paper3 pts
ScholarcyAnaraAvidnoteExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMHumataLogicallySciSummary

Highest here Scholarcy 6.0lowest Explainpaper 0.0 out of 10

20/ 100

Pricing

What the cheapest paid plan costs, at the academic rate where the vendor publishes one. A free tool earns the most points.

Monthly price, cheapest paid plan (academic rate if offered)10 pts
Humata$9.99SciSummary$7Anara$12Scholarcy$10.21Avidnote$19Explainpaper$16Logically$30
Yearly price, sold by the year only10 pts

Not asked of the tools here.

Highest here SciSummary 9.0lowest Logically 5.5 out of 10

15/ 100

Citing and writing

Does it fit how you write? Your reference manager, the export formats you need, help with writing, and add-ins for your browser and word processor.

Works with Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote and others5.3 pts
LogicallyZotero, Mendeley, EndNoteAnaraZotero, MendeleyExplainpaperZoteroScholarcyZoteroSciSummaryZoteroAvidnotenoneGoogle NotebookLMnoneHumatanone
Export formats3.7 pts
AnaraGoogle NotebookLMScholarcyAvidnotePDF, WordSciSummaryPDF, BibTeXExplainpapernoneHumatanoneLogicallynone
Helps you write and adds citations2.2 pts
AnaraLogicallyAvidnoteExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMHumataScholarcySciSummary
Browser extension1.9 pts
AnaraScholarcyAvidnoteExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMHumataLogicallySciSummary
Word or Google Docs add-in1.9 pts
AnaraLogicallyAvidnoteExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMHumataScholarcySciSummary

Highest here Anara 9.5lowest Humata 0.0 out of 10

10/ 100

Systematic reviews

Can it run a systematic review: screening with include and exclude decisions, AI help with screening, removing duplicates, a PRISMA diagram and risk of bias?

Screening with include and exclude decisions3 pts
AnaraAvidnoteExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMHumataLogicallyScholarcySciSummary
AI help with screening2 pts
AnaraAvidnoteExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMHumataLogicallyScholarcySciSummary
Removes duplicate references2 pts
AnaraAvidnoteExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMHumataLogicallyScholarcySciSummary
PRISMA flow diagram1.5 pts
AnaraAvidnoteExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMHumataLogicallyScholarcySciSummary
Risk of bias assessment1.5 pts
AnaraAvidnoteExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMHumataLogicallyScholarcySciSummary
10/ 100

Access, teams and privacy

Can your university or library license it, can you share projects with your team, and does it keep your uploads out of its AI training?

University or library licence3 pts
ScholarcyAnaraAvidnoteExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMHumataLogicallySciSummary
Shared projects with your team2 pts
AnaraExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMHumataLogicallyScholarcyAvidnoteSciSummary
API2 pts
AnaraHumataScholarcySciSummaryAvidnoteExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMLogically
Mobile app1 pts
AnaraGoogle NotebookLMAvidnoteExplainpaperHumataLogicallyScholarcySciSummary
Works in languages other than English1 pts
AnaraAvidnoteExplainpaperGoogle NotebookLMLogicallySciSummaryHumataScholarcy
Does not train AI on your data1 pts
AnaraAvidnoteGoogle NotebookLMHumataLogically

Highest here Scholarcy 7.5lowest Avidnote 2.0 out of 10

Systematic review platforms: where the 100 points go

40Running the review15Extraction and analysis15Teams, access and privacy15Pricing10Finding papers5Citing and exports
40/ 100
Biggest share

Running the review

Can it run the review itself? Screening with include and exclude decisions, AI help with screening, removing duplicate references, a PRISMA flow diagram and risk of bias assessment. This is what a review team buys it for, so it carries the most points.

Screening with include and exclude decisions12 pts
CovidenceRayyanSilviSysrev
AI help with screening8 pts
CovidenceRayyanSysrevSilvi
Removes duplicate references8 pts
CovidenceRayyanSilviSysrev
PRISMA flow diagram6 pts
CovidenceRayyanSilviSysrev
Risk of bias assessment6 pts
CovidenceRayyanSilviSysrev

Highest here Rayyan 10.0lowest Sysrev 5.0 out of 10

15/ 100

Extraction and analysis

Once papers are included, can it pull their data into a table, and show the passage every answer came from?

Pulls data from many papers into a table4.5 pts
CovidenceRayyanSilviSysrev
Answers show the passage they came from3 pts
RayyanSilviCovidenceSysrev
Ask questions of a paper3 pts
RayyanCovidenceSilviSysrev
Summarises papers2.3 pts
CovidenceRayyanSilviSysrev
Reads tables and figures2.2 pts
CovidenceRayyanSilviSysrev

Highest here Rayyan 7.0lowest Sysrev 3.0 out of 10

15/ 100

Teams, access and privacy

Can the whole team screen in shared projects, can your university or library license it, and does it keep your uploads out of its AI training?

Shared projects with your team5.3 pts
CovidenceRayyanSilviSysrev
University or library licence4.5 pts
CovidenceRayyanSysrevSilvi
API2.3 pts
RayyanSysrevCovidenceSilvi
Does not train AI on your data1.5 pts
CovidenceSilvi
Mobile app0.7 pts
RayyanCovidenceSilviSysrev
Works in languages other than English0.7 pts
RayyanCovidenceSilviSysrev

Highest here Rayyan 9.5lowest Silvi 4.5 out of 10

15/ 100

Pricing

What the cheapest plan costs, at the academic rate where the vendor publishes one, or by the year where it only sells yearly.

Monthly price, cheapest paid plan (academic rate if offered)7.5 pts
Rayyan$8.33Silvi$43.2Sysrev$50
Yearly price, sold by the year only7.5 pts
Covidence$339

Highest here Rayyan 9.0lowest Sysrev 4.0 out of 10

10/ 100

Finding papers

Can it also search for papers, or do you bring the references in from the databases yourself? Most review teams do the latter, so this carries fewer points.

Searches a database of papers4 pts
SysrevCovidenceRayyanSilvi
Answers a research question from the literature2 pts
RayyanCovidenceSilviSysrev
Map of connected papers1.5 pts
CovidenceRayyanSilviSysrev
Alerts for new papers1.5 pts
CovidenceRayyanSilviSysrev
Shows if later papers support or dispute a paper1 pts
CovidenceRayyanSilviSysrev

Highest here Sysrev 4.0lowest Silvi 0.0 out of 10

5/ 100

Citing and exports

Does it work with your reference manager and export in the formats you need?

Works with Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote and others2 pts
CovidenceSysrevEndNote, ZoteroSilviZoteroRayyannone
Export formats1.8 pts
CovidenceRIS, CSV, PubMedXMLRayyanSysrevEndNote XML, Excel, ParquetSilviCSV, Excel
Browser extension0.6 pts
SilviCovidenceRayyanSysrev
Word or Google Docs add-in0.6 pts
CovidenceRayyanSilviSysrev

Highest here Covidence 7.5lowest Rayyan 3.5 out of 10

✓ full points◐ some✕ none

AI Research guides

Narrower picks from the same 31 tools, for a specific budget or job.

Best Free AI Research Tools

The best AI Research tools with a genuinely free plan, not a trial that expires. Ranked by our review scores, with what each free tier actually gives you before you hit its ceiling.

Best AI Research Tools Under $10/mo

Capable AI Research tools that start under $10 a month, the affordable entry points when a free plan isn't enough but a serious subscription is overkill. Ranked by review score.

Best AI Research Tools Under $30/mo

The sweet-spot tier: AI Research tools starting under $30 a month, where most pro features unlock. These are the plans freelancers and small teams actually pay for, ranked by review score.

AI Research head-to-head

All comparisons →

The matchups readers in this category weigh most often, lined up row by row.

Anara vs ClaudeAnara vs Google NotebookLMAnara vs PerplexityAnara vs ConsensusElicit vs SciteClaude vs GeminiClaude vs PerplexityScite vs Semantic ScholarConsensus vs SciteClaude vs ConsensusElicit vs Semantic ScholarElicit vs Undermind
All 45 AI Research matchups

Frequently asked

What is the best AI research tool?

It depends on the kind you need: our top literature search tool is Elicit, our top paper reader is Anara and our top systematic review platform is Rayyan. Each has the highest Spec Score of its kind.

Is there a free AI research tool?

Yes, Anara, AnswerThis, Avidnote and 24 more offer a free plan. Check each tool's page for what's included.

How do you rate AI research tools?

Each kind is scored out of 100 on its own criteria, all worked out from what the vendor publishes. Literature search tools: reading and analysing papers 25, finding papers 20, pricing 20, citing and writing 15, systematic reviews 10, access, teams and privacy 10. Paper readers: reading and analysing papers 25, finding papers 20, pricing 20, citing and writing 15, systematic reviews 10, access, teams and privacy 10. Systematic review platforms: running the review 40, extraction and analysis 15, teams, access and privacy 15, pricing 15, finding papers 10, citing and exports 5.

How much does an AI research tool cost?

Paid plans start from about $4.99 to $339/mo across the tools we track, depending on features and usage.