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Alternatives · AI Research

ChatPDF alternatives

ChatPDF compared with 10 alternatives: AskYourPDF, Humata, ChatDOC, Gemini Notebook, SciSpace and 5 more.

ChatPDF has a free plan. Paid plans start at $89.99 per year or $14.99 per month (US App Store in-app purchase). 9 of the 10 alternatives are free or have a free plan. One more offers a free trial.

10 tools · Listings checked up to Oct 5, 2026 · Where the facts come from

At a glance

ToolPriceFree planRuns on
ChatPDFThis toolFree plan · from $89.99/yrYesWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
AskYourPDFFree plan · from $11.99/moYesWeb, iOS, Android, Browser extension
HumataFree plan · from $9.99/moYesWeb
ChatDOCFree trial · from $89.9/yrTrial onlyWeb, Browser extension
Gemini NotebookFree plan · from $4.99/moYesWeb, iOS, Android
SciSpaceFree plan · from $12/moYesWeb, iOS, Browser extension
alphaXivFree plan · from $8/moYesWeb, iOS, Browser extension
AnaraFree plan · from $8/moYesWeb, macOS, iOS, Browser extension
OpenReadFree planYesWeb
OtioFree plan · from $7/moYesWeb, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Browser extension
ScholarcyFree plan · from $90/yrYesWeb, Browser extension

How each one differs from ChatPDF

  1. AskYourPDF

    Chat with PDFs and other documents and get cited answers

    • AskYourPDF starts at $11.99 per month, billed yearly ($14.99 billed monthly). ChatPDF starts at $89.99 per year or $14.99 per month (US App Store in-app purchase).
    • Only AskYourPDF lists a browser extension.
    • Only ChatPDF lists macOS and Windows apps.
    • ChatPDF also covers AI search.

    Suits: Students and researchers who want cited answers from long papers and books

    AskYourPDF vs ChatPDFAskYourPDF pricing and details

  2. Humata

    Document Q&A with cited answers across your uploaded files

    • Humata starts at $9.99 per month, billed monthly (covers up to 3 users). ChatPDF starts at $89.99 per year or $14.99 per month (US App Store in-app purchase).
    • Only ChatPDF lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
    • ChatPDF also covers AI search.

    Suits: Asking questions across many long PDFs and getting cited answers

    Humata vs ChatPDFHumata pricing and details

  3. ChatDOC

    Chat with PDFs and documents, with answers traced to the source

    • ChatDOC starts at $89.9 per 360 days (a 30-day plan is also sold). ChatPDF starts at $89.99 per year or $14.99 per month (US App Store in-app purchase).
    • ChatPDF has a free plan. ChatDOC does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only ChatDOC lists a browser extension.
    • Only ChatPDF lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
    • ChatPDF also covers AI search.

    Suits: Checking each AI answer against the passage it came from

    ChatDOC vs ChatPDFChatDOC pricing and details

  4. Gemini Notebook

    Google's AI research assistant that answers from your own sources

    • Gemini Notebook starts at $4.99 per month (Google AI Plus). ChatPDF starts at $89.99 per year or $14.99 per month (US App Store in-app purchase).
    • Only ChatPDF lists macOS and Windows apps.
    • Gemini Notebook also covers notes.
    • ChatPDF also covers research and citations.

    Suits: Students and researchers working from a set of their own documents

    Gemini Notebook vs ChatPDFGemini Notebook pricing and details

  5. SciSpace

    AI research platform for literature review and reading papers

    • SciSpace starts at $12 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly). ChatPDF starts at $89.99 per year or $14.99 per month (US App Store in-app purchase).
    • Only SciSpace lists a browser extension.
    • Only ChatPDF lists macOS, Windows and Android apps.
    • SciSpace also covers AI agents.

    Suits: Students and researchers who want search, reading and writing tools in one place

    SciSpace vs ChatPDFSciSpace pricing and details

  6. alphaXiv

    arXiv reading and discovery site with an AI research assistant

    • alphaXiv starts at $8 per month (alphaXiv Go). ChatPDF starts at $89.99 per year or $14.99 per month (US App Store in-app purchase).
    • Only alphaXiv lists a browser extension.
    • Only ChatPDF lists macOS, Windows and Android apps.
    • alphaXiv also covers highlights.
    • ChatPDF also covers citations.

    Suits: Following new machine learning and AI research on arXiv

    alphaXiv vs ChatPDFalphaXiv pricing and details

  7. Anara

    AI research assistant that cites the exact source passage

    • Anara starts at $8 per seat / month, billed yearly ($10 billed monthly). ChatPDF starts at $89.99 per year or $14.99 per month (US App Store in-app purchase).
    • Only Anara lists a browser extension.
    • Only ChatPDF lists Windows and Android apps.
    • Anara also covers web clipper and AI agents.

    Suits: Researchers who want answers grounded in their own library of papers

    Anara vs ChatPDFAnara pricing and details

  8. OpenRead

    AI platform for searching, reading and comparing papers

    • Only ChatPDF lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
    • OpenRead also covers notes.
    • ChatPDF also covers citations.

    Suits: Readers who want paper search, questions and notes in one place

    OpenRead vs ChatPDFOpenRead pricing and details

  9. Otio

    AI research workspace for chatting across many sources

    • Otio starts at $7 per month (Lite), billed monthly or $84 per year. ChatPDF starts at $89.99 per year or $14.99 per month (US App Store in-app purchase).
    • Only Otio lists a Linux app.
    • Only Otio lists a browser extension.
    • Only ChatPDF lists an Android app.
    • Otio also covers notes and AI agents.

    Suits: Researchers synthesizing dozens of papers into a literature review

    Otio vs ChatPDFOtio pricing and details

  10. Scholarcy

    Summarizes research papers into interactive flashcards

    • Scholarcy starts at $90 per year, or $9.99 per month billed monthly. ChatPDF starts at $89.99 per year or $14.99 per month (US App Store in-app purchase).
    • Only Scholarcy lists a browser extension.
    • Only ChatPDF lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
    • ChatPDF also covers chat assistant and AI search.

    Suits: Screening a stack of papers before deciding which to read in full

    Scholarcy vs ChatPDFScholarcy pricing and details

Limits worth knowing in ChatPDF

  • The website shows Plus prices only in an upgrade dialog and sets them per visitor; the prices here are US App Store in-app purchases, and web checkout may differ.
  • The free plan covers 2 documents a day, and the site's limits cap free use at 20 messages a day and files of 120 pages or 10 MB.
  • AI Research summaries are built from abstracts, and chatting with a full paper works only for open-access papers.
  • The best model is reserved for Plus; ChatPDF says it routes queries between GPT-4o and GPT-4o-mini.
ChatPDF pricing and details

Common questions

What are the alternatives to ChatPDF?

The alternatives to ChatPDF in this directory are AskYourPDF, Humata, ChatDOC, Gemini Notebook, SciSpace, alphaXiv, Anara, OpenRead, Otio and Scholarcy. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with ChatPDF.

Is there a free alternative to ChatPDF?

Yes. AskYourPDF, Humata, Gemini Notebook, SciSpace, alphaXiv, Anara, OpenRead, Otio and Scholarcy have a free plan alongside paid ones.

Which ChatPDF alternatives work on Linux?

The ChatPDF listing does not include a Linux app. Otio lists one.

When were these prices checked?

Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 4, 2026 to Oct 5, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.