Covidence vs DistillerSR (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Covidence grades higher than DistillerSR: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Covidence grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Covidence
Web platform for screening and extracting data in systematic reviews
DistillerSR
Literature review software for systematic reviews and surveillance
Which one is for you
Pick Covidence if
- Fits if you're running a systematic review with two reviewers screening
- Works for a team that already keeps its references in EndNote, Zotero or Mendeley
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you're a student: the page says there's no separate student discount
- Tight if you run more than three reviews, as that means several packages or a site license
- Skip it if you just want to read papers, since it only does review screening
- Watch out: each license covers a set number of reviews for 12 months
- Watch out: the trial is 500 records, and there are no apps beyond the browser
Pick DistillerSR if
- Fits if you run reviews that need a full audit trail for regulators
- Works for university teams who would buy the Faculty or Research Project plan
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to try before paying, because no free tier or trial is stated
- Tight if you are a student: the Student plan covers 1 project
- Pricey if you are faculty: Faculty is $94 a month for 5 projects, and plans are bought through sales
- Watch out: corporate and government pricing is a quote form only
How we grade them
| 2.2GPACovidenceFair | 1.8GPADistillerSRWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$339 a year for one review, $907 for up to three. That works out to about $28 a month for one review, inside the research category's dearest tenth, which starts at $20. | DStudent is $19.95 a month, Faculty $94 and Research Project $194, against a category middle of $10. Corporate pricing is quote only. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free trial with 500 records. The page does not say whether a card is needed, and 500 records is smaller than most reviews. | FNo free tier or free trial is stated on the pages read. |
| Features | BImport, dual screening, extraction, quality assessment, mobile screening and PRISMA numbers. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the review work itself. | BReview lifecycle management, AI screening, an audit trail, reference alerts, full-text retrieval and BI and API links. The listing names no gap in the core review work. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You set up a review, invite reviewers and set criteria before anything happens. | CNo store rating on record, and a review project has to be configured before use. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley, RefWorks and RevMan. No desktop or app-store apps are listed. | BWeb, with links to PubMed, EBSCO, OVID, Power BI and Tableau, and an API. No phone or desktop apps are listed. |
| Best for | screening and extracting data in systematic reviews | managing systematic reviews with an audit trail |
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: Covidence and DistillerSR. How we grade
Price against what you get
Covidence starts at $28.25 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. DistillerSR starts at $19.95 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and DistillerSR starts $8.30 a month lower. Of the other AI research tools on the chart, 6 score higher than Covidence for less, and 5 score higher than DistillerSR 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
- Covidence also covers citations.
- DistillerSR also covers reports.
At a glance
| Covidence | DistillerSR | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $339 per year for one review | $19.95 per month (Student) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free trial with 500 records | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Covidence | DistillerSR Inc. |
| Price read from | covidence.org | distillersr.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Covidence
- Each paid license covers a set number of reviews for 12 months: 1 for $339 or up to 3 for $907.
- The pricing page says there is no separate student discount, though it offers concessions to review teams in low and lower-middle-income countries.
- More than three reviews means buying several packages or an institutional license.
- The pages read show it as a browser-based service; no desktop or app-store apps are listed.
DistillerSR
- Corporate and government pricing is not published; it is quote-only through a form.
- No free tier or free trial is stated on the pages read.
- The Student plan is limited to 1 project, and faculty and project plans to 5 projects.
- Faculty and Research Project plans are bought by contacting sales, not self-serve checkout.
Key features
Covidence
- Import and deduplication
- References come in from EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley, RefWorks or RIS, CSV and PubMed XML files, with duplicates removed automatically.
- Dual screening
- Independent dual screening, blinding and structured conflict resolution are described as standard, and exclusion reasons are recorded at full-text stage.
- Data extraction and quality assessment
- Extraction and quality assessment are steps inside the same review, so the team works on one copy of the data.
- Mobile screening
- Every plan lists title and abstract screening on a phone.
- PRISMA numbers and export
- The site says PRISMA numbers and the audit trail build as the team works, and the review can be exported.
DistillerSR
- Review lifecycle management
- Centrally manages importing references, screening, extraction and reporting with a configurable workflow.
- AI-assisted screening
- Reorders references by predicted relevance and can double-check exclusion decisions; plan availability is shown only as icons.
- Audit trail
- Integrated audit trail and version control, which the vendor presents as making evidence traceable.
- Reference database alerts
- LitConnect brings in new articles from databases such as EBSCO, OVID and PubMed; it is not on the Student or Faculty plans.
- BI and API integration
- Connects to business-intelligence tools such as Power BI and Tableau, and exposes an API as a paid module.
- Full-text retrieval
- Links references to source material through DOI.org and works with the Unpaywall plugin.
Plans
Covidence
Single$339
per year for 1 review
One review with unlimited collaborators, valid for 12 months.
Package$907
per year for up to 3 reviews
Up to 3 reviews with unlimited collaborators, valid for 12 months.
InstitutionsCustom
Departmental or organization-wide licenses with unlimited reviews and users, arranged through sales.
DistillerSR
Student$19.95
per month, billing basis not stated
Three subscriptions for the price of one; 1 project and standard support; the page lists 3 users.
Faculty$94
per month, billed annually
One faculty user with 5 projects and standard support; bought through sales.
Research Project$194
per month, billed annually
One faculty member plus 4 students and 5 projects; bought through sales.
DepartmentalCustom
Manage multiple subscriptions across a department, with 20 to 45 projects; contact sales.
InstitutionalCustom
Capabilities for an entire institution, with 80 to 150 projects; request a quote.
Corporate and GovernmentCustom
No published price; a quote form is used for companies and public-sector teams.
Ways to pay less
Covidence
- Other savings
Concessions for low and lower-middle-income countries
Review teams based in a low or lower-middle-income country can contact Covidence about using it for their review.
DistillerSR
- Education
Student and academic pricing
Discounted plans from $19.95 a month for students, with faculty and research-project plans billed annually.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Covidence or DistillerSR?
As of Nov 13, 2026, DistillerSR is cheaper to start with: $19.95 a month, against $28.25 a month when paid by the year for Covidence. Covidence starts at $339 per year for one review, and DistillerSR starts at $19.95 per month (Student).
Which has a free plan, Covidence or DistillerSR?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Covidence nor DistillerSR has a free plan. Covidence has a free trial.
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.