The AI Research Tools Insider’s Guide
Every one of the 28 AI research tools we grade in one document: the top three, what they cost, the grades and the full list. Read it here, or keep a copy.
AI Research Tools
The Insider’s Guide
AI tools for finding, reading and summarizing sources, papers and documents.
- Elicit
- ChatPDF
- Semantic Scholar
- Ai2 Asta
- Inciteful
- Otio
Every one we grade, what they cost, the best buy at each budget and the three to look at first.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat these tools do, how many we grade and what to know before choosing
- 02Our top threeThe three we'd look at first, and who each one suits
- 03What they costWhat paid plans start at, the best buy at each budget and the free plans
- 04The gradesThe highest graded, and how the whole category does on each subject
- 05Keep or make?Which are worth paying for, and which you could make yourself
- 06Every toolAll of them, best graded first, with what each costs
- 07Quick answersThe questions people ask when choosing, each answered in a line or two
- 08About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from each tool’s own pages, their app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on the AI Research Tools page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What these tools do, how many we grade and what to know before choosing
28
AI research tools we grade, from their own pages
AI tools for finding, reading and summarizing sources, papers and documents.
Before you choose, here are 7 things to know about AI research tools, worked out from every one we grade.
- 1
We grade 28 AI research tools
26 of them are free or have a free plan, and 2 more let you try before paying. Everything in this guide comes from their own pages and our grades.
- 2
Paid plans start at $10 a month in the middle
From $5.75 (R Discovery) to $49 (Elicit), going by what each one's paid plans start at.
- 3
Best value: R Discovery, Semantic Scholar and Ai2 Asta
Nothing on our chart scores higher than these without costing more.
- 4
4 of 28 have iPhone and Android apps
28 run in a web browser and 3 have a Windows app. Check the one you need before you fall for anything.
- 5
The middle GPA is 2.4
2 score 3.0 or higher. The highest is Ai2 Asta, at 3.2.
- 6
Best free option: Ai2 Asta
Ai2 Asta has the highest GPA of the free ones, 3.2. AI research assistant for finding papers and analyzing data.
- 7
28 worth keeping, 0 you could make
By our keep-or-make rules, 28 do something you couldn't reasonably build yourself, 0 are simple enough to make with an AI app builder, and 0 are a close call.
Part 02 · Top three
Our top three
The three we'd look at first, and who each one suits
The three AI research tools we'd look at first. First place suits the most people; second and third are the best picks for the people it leaves out. Each has an Insider's Guide of its own.
1st
2.4GPAElicit
Free plan · from $49/mo
For: Most people looking for papers on a research question
Elicit searches more than 138 million academic papers from a research question, not exact keywords. Its free Basic plan includes unlimited search, unlimited paper summaries and chat with papers, plus Zotero import. A Research Agent writes cited reports, and a separate workflow handles screening and data extraction for systematic reviews. Know the limits: it runs in a browser, with a Chrome extension and no phone or desktop app listed. Research Agent and report usage is limited on Basic, the systematic review workflow starts at Pro, at $49 per user a month billed annually, and the $11 academic Plus plan appears only when Academic is selected on the pricing page.
The Elicit Insider’s Guide2nd
2.8GPAChatPDF
Free plan · from $89.99/yr
For: Anyone with a document to question, not papers to find
ChatPDF answers questions about a file you bring: a PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Markdown or text file, or a YouTube or website link, with the answer shown beside the source and clickable citations. The free plan covers 2 documents and 20 messages a day and works without an account, and it runs on the web, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. It is second because it reads what you give it more than it searches: its paper summaries are built from abstracts, and chatting with a full paper works only for open-access papers. Free files stop at 120 pages or 10 MB. Plus is $14.99 a month or $89.99 a year on the US App Store, and the website sets its own price per visitor.
The ChatPDF Insider’s Guide3rd
3.2GPASemantic Scholar
Free
For: Anyone who wants to pay nothing
Semantic Scholar is a search engine for scientific papers that is entirely free, with no paid plans, built by the nonprofit Allen Institute for AI. It indexes more than 200 million papers from all fields of science, and a free account adds a library, email alerts and Research Feeds that recommend new papers. It is third because its AI does less than the two above: the short TLDR summaries cover only computer science, biology and medicine, the Semantic Reader is in beta and covers mostly arXiv papers, and Ask This Paper works on a limited set of papers. There is no smartphone app; the site is designed to be used in mobile browsers.
The Semantic Scholar Insider’s Guide
Part 03 · Pricing
What they cost
What paid plans start at, the best buy at each budget and the free plans
$10
A month to start, in the middle of those that charge
Going by our grades, R Discovery, Semantic Scholar and Ai2 Asta give the most for the money among AI research tools: no tool on this chart scores higher without costing more.
Paid plans start at a middle price of $10 a month across the 21 that charge, from $5.75 (R Discovery) to $49 (Elicit). 4 more cost nothing at all.
10 of the 25 score above the category's average while starting at or below its middle price. 0 cost more than the middle price and score below the average.
The best buy at each budget
Free
Ai2 Asta, Semantic Scholar
Costs nothing. Nothing at that price or less scores higher.
Up to $10 a month
R Discovery, Otio, ChatPDF
Starts at $5.75 a month when paid by the year. Nothing at that price or less scores higher.
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 25 AI research tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. The green line is the best score at each price.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
The best free ones
- 3.2
Ai2 Asta
Free
- 3.2
Semantic Scholar
Free
- 2.8
ChatPDF
Free plan · Free plan · from $89.99/yr
- 2.8
Inciteful
Free
- 2.8
Otio
Free plan · Free plan · from $7/mo
- 2.8
R Discovery
Free plan · Free plan · from $69/yr
Part 04 · Grades
The grades
The highest graded, and how the whole category does on each subject
3.2
The highest GPA, Ai2 Asta's
Every tool gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. Here are the 12 highest graded AI research tools, then how the whole category does on each subject.
| Tool | Value | Free | Features | Ease | Platforms | GPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ai2 Asta | A | A | B | B | C | 3.2 |
| Semantic Scholar | A | A | C | B | B | 3.2 |
| ChatPDF | B | C | C | B | A | 2.8 |
| Inciteful | A | A | C | C | C | 2.8 |
| Otio | B | C | B | B | B | 2.8 |
| R Discovery | B | C | B | B | B | 2.8 |
| STORM | A | A | D | B | C | 2.8 |
| ChatDOC | B | C | C | B | B | 2.6 |
| Consensus | C | C | B | B | B | 2.6 |
| Keenious | C | B | C | B | B | 2.6 |
| Liner | C | C | B | C | A | 2.6 |
| Paperguide | C | C | A | C | B | 2.6 |
How the whole category does
Each bar is every AI research tool we grade, cut by the letter it got on that subject.
- Value for moneyavg 2.4
- Free plan and trialavg 2.4
- Featuresavg 2.5
- Ease of useavg 2.5
- Platforms and integrationsavg 2.8
Part 05 · Keep or make
Keep or make?
Which are worth paying for, and which you could make yourself
0
Simple enough to make yourself, of 28
Some software does something you couldn’t reasonably build yourself. Some is simple enough that an AI app builder could make the core of it in an afternoon. Here’s where AI research tools land, by the same rules for every tool.
28
Keep it
It does something you could not reasonably make for yourself, or it costs nothing.
0
Your call
You could make the core of it, and you would give something up.
0
You could make this
What it does is the kind of thing an AI app builder makes well, and it charges every month.
Worth keeping
Ai2 Asta
Ai2 Asta is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
Semantic Scholar
Semantic Scholar is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
ChatPDF
To replace ChatPDF you would be making an AI model, which you can rent by the request but not make. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Inciteful
Inciteful is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
Part 06 · Every tool
Every tool
All of them, best graded first, with what each costs
28
Tools, best graded first
Every AI research tool we grade, with its GPA and what it costs. Each one has a page of its own on toolgpa.com, with its Insider’s Guide.
- 1Ai2 AstaFree3.2
- 2Semantic ScholarFree3.2
- 3ChatPDFFree plan · from $89.99/yr2.8
- 4IncitefulFree2.8
- 5OtioFree plan · from $7/mo2.8
- 6R DiscoveryFree plan · from $69/yr2.8
- 7STORMFree2.8
- 8ChatDOCFree trial · from $89.9/yr2.6
- 9ConsensusFree plan2.6
- 10KeeniousFree plan · from $10/mo2.6
- 11LinerFree plan · from $14.99/mo2.6
- 12PaperguideFree plan · from $12/mo2.6
- 13ScholarcyFree plan · from $90/yr2.6
- 14alphaXivFree plan · from $8/mo2.4
- 15AnaraFree plan · from $8/mo2.4
- 16AnswerThisFree plan · from $14/mo2.4
- 17AskYourPDFFree plan · from $11.99/mo2.4
- 18Connected PapersFree plan · from $6/mo2.4
- 19Edison ScientificFree plan2.4
- 20ElicitFree plan · from $49/mo2.4
- 21LogicallyFree plan · from $12/mo2.4
- 22SciSpaceFree plan · from $12/mo2.4
- 23HumataFree plan · from $9.99/mo2.2
- 24ResearchRabbitFree plan · from $10/mo2.2
- 25SciteFree trial · from $20/mo2.2
- 26UndermindFree plan · from $16/mo2.2
- 27LitmapsFree plan · from $10/mo2.0
- 28OpenReadFree plan2.0
Part 07 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask when choosing, each answered in a line or two
9
Questions, each answered in a line or two
What are the best AI research tools?
Elicit first, ChatPDF second, Semantic Scholar third. Elicit is for most people looking for papers on a research question.
Which AI research tools give the most for the money?
R Discovery, Semantic Scholar and Ai2 Asta. Each is the highest-scoring tool at its price or below: Ai2 Asta scores 2.7 out of 4 and is free; Semantic Scholar scores 2.7 out of 4 and is free; R Discovery scores 3.0 out of 4 and starts at $5.75 a month when paid by the year.
Which are the best free AI research tools?
Of the 4 AI research tools here with no paid plan at all, Ai2 Asta and Semantic Scholar score highest, at 2.7 out of 4.
Which AI research tools are best for under $10 a month?
R Discovery, Otio and ChatPDF, with a score of 3.0 out of 4: the highest among the 16 that start at $10 a month or less.
Which AI research tools are best for under $20 a month?
R Discovery, Otio, ChatPDF, Paperguide and 2 more, with a score of 3.0 out of 4: the highest among the 24 that start at $20 a month or less.
Which AI research tools cost the most for what they offer?
On this chart, Litmaps (starts at $10 a month, scores 2.0 out of 4, and 11 tools score higher for less), ResearchRabbit (starts at $10 a month, scores 2.0 out of 4, and 11 tools score higher for less) and Humata (starts at $9.99 a month, scores 2.3 out of 4, and 9 tools score higher for less).
How much do AI research tools cost?
The middle starting price is $10 a month: half of the 21 AI research tools with a recurring price start below that and half above.
How is the score on this chart worked out?
It is the average of three of the five grades ToolGPA gives every tool: features, ease of use, and platforms and integrations, with an A worth 4 and an F worth 0.
How does ToolGPA grade AI research tools?
Five grades, A to F, for value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them.
Part 08 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- AI Research Tools, kept up to dateEvery tool in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/categories/ai-research
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "AI Research Tools: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 9, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/categories/ai-research
Know someone choosing between AI research tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/categories/ai-research/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The top three AI research tools have guides of their own, and so does every category near this one.
- Elicit Insider's GuideAI research assistant for literature search and systematic reviews2.4 GPA
- ChatPDF Insider's GuideAsk questions about PDFs and get answers with citations2.8 GPA
- AI Assistants Insider's Guide58 AI assistants, graded and compared
- AI Agents Insider's Guide52 AI agents, graded and compared
- AI Meeting Notes Insider's Guide49 AI meeting note takers, graded and compared
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what each tool’s pages, app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Product names are trademarks of their owners, and no maker made, paid for or approved this guide. Prices and plans change: check each maker’s own site before you buy.