ChatPDF vs Explainpaper (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick ChatPDF: it is second in our ranking of AI research tools, and it grades higher too, 2.8 against 2.4.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
ChatPDF grades higher on value for money and platforms. Explainpaper grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ChatPDF
Ask questions about PDFs and get answers with citations
Explainpaper
Highlight confusing text in a paper and get a plain explanation
Which one is for you
Pick ChatPDF if
- Fits if you want quick answers from a paper or a textbook chapter, with no sign-up
- Works for students turning course notes into flashcards for Anki or Quizlet
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free, at 2 documents and 20 messages a day, files of 120 pages and folders of 5
- Skip it if you want a full literature search, as its paper summaries are built from abstracts only
- Watch out: chatting with a full paper works only for open-access papers
- Not for you if you want the price in writing first, since the website sets Plus prices per visitor
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $14.99 on the US App Store against $89.99 for the year
Pick Explainpaper if
- Fits if you're a student who hits a paragraph in a paper that makes no sense
- Works for readers who keep their papers in Zotero
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: basic AI models only
- Pricey if you want figure and equation explanations, outlines or saved highlights, which are Pro at $12 a month
- Skip it if you want to search for papers, as it only helps you read one
- Watch out: the Teams plan has no published price, and there are no apps beyond the browser
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAChatPDFGood | 2.4GPAExplainpaperFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPlus is $89.99 a year on the US App Store, about $7.50 a month, the low end of this category, and it lifts the caps on questions, documents and file size altogether. Pay monthly and it's $14.99. The wrinkle: the website sets Plus prices per visitor, so web checkout may not match. | CPro is $12 a month billed yearly ($16 monthly), which puts it in the dearer quarter of a category whose middle is $10. |
| Free plan and trial | CYou can use it without making an account at all. The caps are the ordinary sort, though: 2 documents and 20 messages a day, files of 120 pages or 10 MB, folders of 5 files. One evening of reading and you're done. The better model is kept for Plus. | BFree forever with unlimited highlight explanations, follow-up questions and Zotero import, on basic models. A student could live on it, but the stronger model is Pro. Pro has a 7-day trial. |
| Features | CChat beside the page with clickable citations, folders to ask across files, YouTube and website links, flashcards, slides, a writer. The gaps are the listing's own, and they sit in the research half: paper summaries are built from abstracts, and full-paper chat only works on open-access papers. | CExplanations, follow-ups, figures, equations, outlines and saved highlights. The listing shows figures, outlines and saved highlights as Pro-only, and it covers just reading a paper. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, so the B rests on the listing: open the site, drop in a PDF, start asking, no account needed. Folders and saved history are the only parts that want you signed in. | BNo store rating on record. Upload a paper, highlight what you don't follow, and read the answer. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, plus a developer API. Flashcards export to Anki, Quizlet and Brainscape, slides to PowerPoint, writing to Word or Markdown. | CWeb only, with Zotero library import the single integration. No apps are listed. |
| Best for | quick answers from a PDF, no sign-up | getting a plain explanation of a confusing paragraph |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: ChatPDF and Explainpaper. How we grade
Price against what you get
ChatPDF starts at $7.50 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Explainpaper starts at $12 a month and scores 2.3.
ChatPDF scores higher and starts $4.50 a month lower. Of the other AI research tools on the chart, none scores higher than ChatPDF for less, and 13 score higher than Explainpaper for less.
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
Where they differ
- ChatPDF also covers AI search and citations.
- Explainpaper also covers documents and highlights.
At a glance
| ChatPDF | Explainpaper | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $89.99 per year or $14.99 per month (US App Store in-app purchase) | $12 per month, billed yearly ($16 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | 2 documents a day, usable without an account. A free account adds saved history and multi-file folders. Free files are capped at 120 pages or 10 MB. | Unlimited highlight explanations and follow-up questions, with basic AI models and Zotero library import. |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial of Pro |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | ChatPDF GmbH | Explainpaper |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | explainpaper.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Explainpaper
- Free accounts get basic AI models; the stronger model needs Pro.
- Saved highlights and figure explanations are Pro only.
- The Teams plan has no published price.
Key features
ChatPDF
- Chat with documents
- Ask questions about a PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Markdown or text file with the chat and the document side by side. Clickable citations scroll to the passage an answer came from.
- Multi-file folders
- Put files in a folder to ask questions across all of them in one conversation. Folders and saved chat history need a free account.
- AI Research
- Ask a question to find academic papers and get a summary with citations, built from the papers' abstracts. Filters narrow results to recent or influential work.
- YouTube and website chat
- Paste a YouTube or website link to ask questions about it. Video answers include clickable timestamps and an interactive transcript.
- Flashcards, slides and writing
- Makes flashcards that export to Anki, Quizlet, Brainscape or CSV, and slides that export to PowerPoint. The AI Writer drafts text with citations and exports to Word or Markdown.
- Developer API
- A backend API adds PDFs by URL or file upload and answers questions about them, with optional page references. API files are limited to 2,000 pages or 32 MB.
Explainpaper
- Highlight to explain
- Select text in an uploaded paper and receive a simpler explanation of that passage.
- Follow-up questions
- Ask further questions about a passage; available on the free plan.
- Figures and equations
- On Pro, click a graph, figure or equation to get it explained.
- Paper outlines
- Pro generates an outline with clickable page references.
- Saved highlights
- Pro keeps your highlights and the explanations you received.
- Zotero import
- Bring in your Zotero library on any plan.
Plans
ChatPDF
Free$0
2 documents and 20 messages a day, with files of up to 120 pages or 10 MB and folders of up to 5 files.
Plus$14.99
per month on the US App Store; $89.99 for the yearly plan
Unlimited questions and documents, files of up to 2,000 pages or 150 MB, 50 PDFs per folder and the higher-quality model.
Explainpaper
Free$0
Unlimited highlight explanations, follow-up questions and Zotero import, on basic AI models.
Pro$12
per month, billed yearly ($16 billed monthly)
Explains graphs, figures and equations; automatic outlines; saved highlights; questions about the paper.
TeamsCustom
Everything in Pro, plus team management, priority support and volume discounts.
Ways to pay less
ChatPDF
- Annual discount
About 50% off with the yearly plan
On the US App Store the yearly Plus plan is $89.99 against $14.99 a month. That works out to about $7.50 a month, half the monthly rate.
Explainpaper
- Annual discount
Save 25% with yearly billing
The pricing page lists Pro at $12 a month billed yearly against $16 a month billed monthly, labeled as a 25% saving.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ChatPDF or Explainpaper?
As of Nov 12, 2026, ChatPDF is cheaper to start with: $7.50 a month when paid by the year, against $12 a month for Explainpaper. ChatPDF starts at $89.99 per year or $14.99 per month (US App Store in-app purchase), and Explainpaper starts at $12 per month, billed yearly ($16 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, ChatPDF or Explainpaper?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both ChatPDF and Explainpaper have a free plan.
Which platforms do ChatPDF and Explainpaper run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only ChatPDF lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.