Alternatives · AI Research
Citely alternatives
As of Nov 13, 2026, the highest-graded Citely alternative is Scholarcy (2.6 GPA). It's also the best free one.
Citely compared with 5 alternatives: Scite, Scholarcy, Paperguide, SciSpace and Keenious.
Citely is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $14 per month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly). 4 of the 5 alternatives are free or have a free plan. One more offers a free trial.
Listings checked up to Nov 13, 2026 · Where the facts come from
Black Friday: is there a Citely sale?
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Free plan | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| CitelyThis tool | Free trial · from $14/mo | Trial only | Web |
| Scite | Free trial · from $20/mo | Trial only | Web, Browser extension |
| Scholarcy | Free plan · from $90/yr | Yes | Web, Browser extension |
| Paperguide | Free plan · from $12/mo | Yes | Web, Browser extension |
| SciSpace | Free plan · from $12/mo | Yes | Web, iOS, Browser extension |
| Keenious | Free plan · from $10/mo | Yes | Web |
Price against what you get
Citely starts at $14 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. 4 of the 5 alternatives on this chart score higher and start lower: Scholarcy, Paperguide, SciSpace and Keenious.
Scite scores higher without starting lower.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
How each one differs from Citely
Scite
Research assistant that shows how papers have been cited
- Scite starts at $20 per month, billed monthly.
- Scite also lists a browser extension.
- Scite also covers chat assistant.
Suits: Checking whether a paper's findings were supported or disputed by later work
Scholarcy
Summarizes research papers into interactive flashcards
- Scholarcy starts at $90 per year, or $9.99 per month billed monthly.
- Scholarcy has a free plan, which Citely lacks.
- Scholarcy also lists a browser extension.
- Scholarcy does not cover AI search, which Citely does.
Suits: Screening a stack of papers before deciding which to read in full
Paperguide
AI research platform for literature and systematic reviews
- Paperguide starts at $12 per seat / month, billed annually ($8 with the academic discount).
- Paperguide has a free plan, which Citely lacks.
- Paperguide also lists a browser extension.
- Paperguide also covers chat assistant, AI agents and long-form writing.
Suits: Teams running systematic reviews that need documented screening decisions
SciSpace
AI research platform for literature review and reading papers
- SciSpace starts at $12 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly).
- SciSpace has a free plan, which Citely lacks.
- SciSpace also lists an iOS app and a browser extension.
- SciSpace also covers chat assistant and AI agents.
Suits: Students and researchers who want search, reading and writing tools in one place
Keenious
Academic search that recommends papers from your own text
- Keenious starts at $10 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly).
- Keenious has a free plan, which Citely lacks.
- Keenious also covers chat assistant.
Suits: Students looking for sources that match a draft essay or assignment
Limits worth knowing in Citely
- Usage runs on credits, and each plan caps how many characters one check can cover.
- Monthly and Yearly plans renew automatically; the refund policy gives no refund once more than 10 credits are used.
- One-time packages are non-refundable and their credits expire after 1 month (Trial) or 3 years (Believer).
- It verifies references but does not manage a library or help write the paper.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to Citely?
The alternatives to Citely in this directory are Scite, Scholarcy, Paperguide, SciSpace and Keenious. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Citely.
Is there a free alternative to Citely?
Yes. Scholarcy, Paperguide, SciSpace and Keenious have a free plan alongside paid ones.
Which Citely alternatives work on iOS?
The Citely listing does not include an iOS app. SciSpace lists one.
When were these prices checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 5, 2026 to Nov 13, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.