CORE vs ResearchHub (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CORE grades higher than ResearchHub: 3.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
CORE grades higher on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ResearchHub
Open-science platform with paid peer review and research funding
Which one is for you
Pick CORE if
- Fits if you want free full-text open access papers and no paywalls
- Works for developers who want a free research API
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need paywalled papers, as it covers open access content only
- Tight if you run heavy API use, as free use is rate limited and faster rates are typically paid, with no price published
- Watch out: dataset access for text mining is a benefit of the top Sustaining membership
- Skip it if you want AI summaries or chat, as none are listed
Pick ResearchHub if
- Fits if you want to fund or crowdfund a research project in the open
- Works for reviewers who would take token payment for peer review
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to search or summarise papers, because that is not what it does
- Not for you if you would rather not deal with a cryptocurrency token, as rewards and bounties run on one
- Watch out: pricing could not be verified from the pages read
- Too light for a paper-reading workflow, as no reading or citation tools are listed
How we grade them
| 3.2GPACOREVery good | 2.0GPAResearchHubFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree search and a free API, from a not-for-profit, with no paid plan for individuals. | CNo price on record: the pricing could not be verified from the pages read, so we leave it in the middle with no evidence either way. |
| Free plan and trial | ASearch and the API are free, with no registration, within rate limits that a normal person is unlikely to reach. | CThe listing says free but marks it unverified, and the home page shows sign-up and log-in with no plan details. |
| Features | COpen access search, an API, a recommender, datasets and repository tools. It holds open access papers only, and dataset access for text mining is a top membership benefit. | CA funding marketplace, paid peer review and open publishing. It does not search, summarise or map the literature, so it covers a different part of the category. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, but you search and read open papers with nothing to set up. The API is for developers. | CNo store rating on record and you need an account, plus a token for the rewards and bounties. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb and an API, with PubMed Central and Iris.ai. No desktop or phone app is listed. | CWeb only, with no apps, API or integrations listed. |
| Best for | searching open access research with a free API | funding and peer-reviewing open science |
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: CORE and ResearchHub. How we grade
Price against what you get
CORE has no paid plan and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. ResearchHub has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
CORE scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other AI research tools on the chart, none scores higher than CORE for less, and none scores higher than ResearchHub 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
- CORE also covers AI search.
- ResearchHub also covers documents.
At a glance
| CORE | ResearchHub | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Free search and a free API with no registration, within CORE's rate limits. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Knowledge Media Institute, The Open University | ResearchHub |
| Price read from | core.ac.uk | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
CORE
- Free API use is rate limited; faster rates for organizations are typically paid, with no price published.
- Dataset access for text mining is a benefit of the top Sustaining membership level.
- It covers open access content only, so paywalled papers are not available.
ResearchHub
- Pricing could not be verified from the pages read.
- Rewards and bounties run on a cryptocurrency token.
Key features
CORE
- Open access search
- One search across metadata and full texts from repositories and journals, over 400 million records according to the About page.
- API
- Real-time machine access to metadata and full texts, usable for commercial purposes under the terms and documented with examples.
- Recommender and Discovery
- Listed under content discovery services, alongside FreshFinds; the Recommender suggests related papers across the repository network.
- Dataset and FastSync
- Listed under access to raw data: a dataset of the corpus for text and data mining, and a FastSync service, beyond the API.
- Repository tools
- A dashboard, OAI identifier resolver and FAIR certification help repositories manage how their content appears.
ResearchHub
- Funding marketplace
- Links funders with researchers through preregistration, open peer review, capital commitment and linked results.
- Paid peer review
- Reviewers are rewarded for reviews; the page cites under 10 days average turnaround.
- Open publishing
- Articles published openly with no paywall, through the RH Journal.
- ResearchCoin
- An ERC20 token used for bounties and rewards.
Plans
CORE
Free$0
Search and API access within published rate limits; registering organizations get a faster rate that is typically not free.
ResearchHub
Pricing could not be confirmed. See researchhub.com.
Ways to pay less
CORE
- Other savings
30-day free trial for institutions
CORE says it offers a 30-day free trial of the API for Institution and Enterprise users, subject to eligibility checks at registration.
ResearchHub
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, CORE or ResearchHub?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both CORE and ResearchHub are free to use.
Which has a free plan, CORE or ResearchHub?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both CORE and ResearchHub have a free plan.
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.