Dimensions vs Elicit (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Elicit: it is first in our ranking of AI research tools, though Dimensions grades higher (2.8 against 2.4) on value for money.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Elicit grades higher on features. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Dimensions
Linked research database of publications, grants and patents
Elicit
AI research assistant for literature search and systematic reviews
Which one is for you
Pick Dimensions if
- Fits if you're a student or researcher who wants to find papers and grants for free
- Makes sense if you look up who funds what and who has cited what
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you work at a company, since the free version is personal and non-commercial only
- Skip it if you want to manage references or screen papers, as it isn't a reference or review tool
- Watch out: the full products have no published prices and go through a demo
- Watch out: the ChatGPT tool needs ChatGPT Plus or Enterprise
Pick Elicit if
- Fits if you're running a systematic review and want the screening and data extraction automated
- Works for students and casual readers, since free search, summaries and paper chat are unlimited
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you're outside a university, with Pro at $49 a user a month billed yearly and $75 monthly
- Skip it if you want real-time collaboration or extraction from figures on a budget, as both need Scale at $229 a user a month billed yearly, $375 monthly
- Tight if your workload is lumpy, because monthly usage doesn't roll over and extra is billed in $100 steps
- Watch out: the pricing page opens on industry rates, and the $11 academic Plus plan shows only once you switch
- Too light for phone or desktop use, with a web app and Chrome extension only, and an integration list that stops at Zotero
How we grade them
| 2.8GPADimensionsGood | 2.4GPAElicitFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe free version is no cost and covers search, analytics, export and AI summaries, which is a lot for a research database. Paid products have no listed price. | DPro is $49 a user a month billed annually, $75 monthly, where paid plans in this category usually start around $12. Everything you'd come for sits up there: the review workflow, Routines, the API. Academic pricing only brings Pro to $39, and unused usage doesn't roll over. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free version has no stated cap, but it's personal and non-commercial only, so a company can't use it. | BBasic costs nothing and gives you unlimited search over 138 million papers, unlimited summaries and unlimited chat with papers, plus Zotero import. One person could really live on that. The Research Agent and reports are capped on Basic, and the listing can't say by how much. |
| Features | CA database and analytics tool with AI summaries. The listing says it is not a reference manager or a review screening tool, so you need other software alongside. | BIt covers the whole job: search from a question across papers and 545,000 clinical trials, cited reports with tables and figures, screening and data extraction for a systematic review, a Zotero library, Routines and an API. Rivals here run systematic reviews too, so there's no trick that's Elicit's alone. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Search and filters take some learning, and the paid apps go through a demo. | CNo store rating on record, and this isn't a box you type into and walk away from: there are screening workflows, extraction columns and a monthly usage pool to watch. The pricing page doesn't help, opening on industry rates with the $11 academic plan hidden until you switch. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with ReadCube, ORCID and ChatGPT. Dimensions Research GPT is described for ChatGPT Plus and Enterprise users. | BA web app plus a Chrome extension that fetches full texts through your institution's journal access, and it takes in Zotero, PDFs and .ris or .bib files. The integration list stops at Zotero though, the API starts at Pro, and there's no phone or desktop app. |
| Best for | searching papers, grants and patents in one database | systematic reviews and evidence tables |
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: Dimensions and Elicit. How we grade
Where they differ
- Elicit also covers AI agents.
At a glance
| Dimensions | Elicit | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $49 per user / month, billed annually ($11 on academic pricing) |
| Free plan | Free version for personal, non-commercial use, with search, analytical views and export. | Basic plan: unlimited search over 138 million papers, unlimited paper summaries and chat with papers, Zotero import, and limited Research Agent and report usage. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Digital Science | Elicit Research, PBC |
| Price read from | dimensions.ai | elicit.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Dimensions
- The free version is limited to personal, non-commercial use.
- Paid products have no published prices; access goes through a demo request.
- Dimensions Research GPT is described for ChatGPT Plus and Enterprise users.
- It is a database and analytics tool, not a reference manager or review screening tool.
Elicit
- The pricing page defaults to industry rates; the $11 Plus plan appears only when Academic is selected.
- The systematic review workflow, Routines and API access start at the Pro plan.
- Monthly usage does not roll over. Extra usage on Pro and Scale is billed in $100 increments, up to a limit you set.
- Real-time collaboration, extraction from figures and the admin panel need Scale or Enterprise.
Key features
Dimensions
- Linked research data
- The free version page cites more than 140 million publications and 29 million datasets, linked to grants, patents, clinical trials and policy documents.
- Search and filters
- Full-text search with filters for researchers, source titles, categories and open access.
- Analytical views
- Citation-based indicators and Altmetric Attention Scores help show the impact of the research being viewed.
- AI summarization
- The free version includes AI summaries of the content and topics in a set of results.
- Account tools
- A free account can export data, save favorites, store references with ReadCube and link publications to an ORCID record.
Elicit
- Research Agent
- Gathers evidence from scientific databases, journals, public data sources and uploaded documents, then produces cited reports, tables, figures and slides.
- Paper and clinical trial search
- Semantic search over more than 138 million papers from Semantic Scholar, PubMed and OpenAlex, plus about 545,000 clinical trials, so a query does not depend on exact keywords.
- Research reports
- Generates research briefs through a process modeled on systematic reviews. You can change which papers and what information a report covers.
- Systematic review workflow
- Automates screening and data extraction, with a Pro workflow that can screen 5,000 papers. A Chrome extension fetches full texts through your institution's journal access.
- Library and Zotero import
- Stores sources in collections with tags so they can be reused across projects, and takes in papers from Zotero, PDFs, and .ris or .bib files.
- Routines and API
- Routines rerun Research Agent work to pick up new evidence, and an API covers search, reports and systematic reviews. Both start at the Pro plan.
Plans
Dimensions
Free Version$0
Publication and dataset search with analytical views, export and AI summaries, for personal, non-commercial use only.
Institutional and commercialCustom
Full Dimensions applications and data, with no published prices; the site directs visitors to request a demo.
Elicit
Basic$0
Unlimited paper search, summaries and chat with papers, Zotero import, and limited Research Agent and report usage.
Pro$49
per user / month, billed annually ($588); $75 billed monthly
Standard usage, a systematic review workflow that screens 5,000 papers, 20 table columns at a time, Routines and API access.
Scale$229
per user / month, billed annually ($2,748); $375 billed monthly
5x the usage of Pro, real-time collaboration, extraction from figures, 30 table columns at a time and an admin panel with seat management.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom usage, SSO and SAML, screening of 40,000 papers, 40 extraction columns, custom data sources and unlimited API access.
Ways to pay less
Dimensions
No public discounts listed.
Elicit
- Annual discount
Save 35% to 39% with annual billing
On industry pricing, Pro is $49 a month billed annually against $75 billed monthly, and Scale is $229 against $375. The pricing page labels these as savings of 35% and 39%.
- Education
Academic pricing from $11 per user / month
Choosing Academic on the pricing page shows Plus at $11, Pro at $39 and Scale at $89 per user / month, billed annually, or $19, $69 and $149 billed monthly.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofits can use the academic plans
Elicit has no separate nonprofit discount, but its help center says nonprofits can subscribe to the academic plans, its lowest pricing tier.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Dimensions or Elicit?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Dimensions publishes no starting price, and Elicit starts at $49 per user / month, billed annually ($11 on academic pricing).
Which has a free plan, Dimensions or Elicit?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Dimensions and Elicit have a free plan.
Which platforms do Dimensions and Elicit run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Elicit lists a browser extension. 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.