DistillerSR vs Laser AI (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, DistillerSR grades higher than Laser AI: 1.8 against 1.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
DistillerSR grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
DistillerSR
Literature review software for systematic reviews and surveillance
Laser AI
AI-assisted screening and data extraction for systematic reviews
Which one is for you
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
Pick Laser AI if
- Fits if you run reviews for a research organisation with budget
- Works for teams who want unlimited users on one project
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are a student or solo, at $3,000 a project or a year
- Skip it if you want to try before paying, as no free tier or trial is shown, only a demo
- Watch out: the page labels the $3,000-a-year plan Per user in one view and Team in another
- Watch out: every plan is bought by contacting the vendor, with no self-serve checkout
How we grade them
| 1.8GPADistillerSRWeak | 1.4GPALaser AIWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DStudent is $19.95 a month, Faculty $94 and Research Project $194, against a category middle of $10. Corporate pricing is quote only. | D$3,000 per project for up to 18 months, or $3,000 a year, which is about $250 a month. Unlimited users on a project helps a team, but the category's dearest tenth starts at $23. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free tier or free trial is stated on the pages read. | FNo free tier or free trial is shown on the pricing page, only a demo. |
| Features | 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. | CScreening prioritisation, extraction suggestions, deduplication and reference matching. The listing shows the price unit unclear between per user and per team. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and a review project has to be configured before use. | CNo store rating on record, and a review has to be set up and loaded first. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with links to PubMed, EBSCO, OVID, Power BI and Tableau, and an API. No phone or desktop apps are listed. | CWeb only, with no integrations or API listed. |
| Best for | managing systematic reviews with an audit trail | AI screening for systematic reviews |
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: DistillerSR and Laser AI. How we grade
Price against what you get
DistillerSR starts at $19.95 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Laser AI starts at $3,000 a month and scores 2.0.
DistillerSR scores higher and starts $2,980.05 a month lower. Of the other AI research tools on the chart, 5 score higher than DistillerSR for less, and 45 score higher than Laser AI 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
- DistillerSR also covers reports.
- Laser AI also covers citations.
At a glance
| DistillerSR | Laser AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $19.95 per month (Student) | $3000 per project, for projects up to 18 months |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | DistillerSR Inc. | Evidence Prime |
| Price read from | distillersr.com | laser.ai |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Laser AI
- Pricing is by project or per year at $3000, and every plan is bought by contacting the vendor.
- No free tier or free trial is shown on the pricing page; a demo can be booked.
- The pricing page labels the $3000-a-year plan 'Per user' in one view and 'Team' in another.
- The per-project price covers projects of up to 18 months.
Key features
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.
Laser AI
- AI screening prioritization
- A focus mode and AI ranking put the most relevant abstracts first to reduce screening time.
- Data extraction suggestions
- Suggests text and table values from PDFs, and reviewers validate or edit each entry.
- Deduplication
- Finds duplicate references after bulk uploads; the vendor cites a study showing no lost references.
- Reference matching
- Bulk-uploads PDFs and automatically matches or generates the references for them.
- Reusable libraries
- Keeps screening guides, extraction forms and controlled vocabularies to standardize work across an organization.
- Human-verified workflow
- Keeps a person in the loop with quality control and transparency over AI suggestions.
Plans
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.
Laser AI
Per project$3000
per project, for projects up to 18 months
One project with unlimited users and general customer support; sold through the contact form.
Per user$3000
per year, billed annually
Unlimited projects with general support; shown as 'Per user' in one view and 'Team' in another, so the unit is unclear.
EnterpriseCustom
For companies; optional custom development and premium security, with priority support.
Ways to pay less
DistillerSR
- Education
Student and academic pricing
Discounted plans from $19.95 a month for students, with faculty and research-project plans billed annually.
Laser AI
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, DistillerSR or Laser AI?
As of Nov 13, 2026, DistillerSR is cheaper to start with: $19.95 a month, against $3,000 a month for Laser AI. DistillerSR starts at $19.95 per month (Student), and Laser AI starts at $3000 per project, for projects up to 18 months.
Which has a free plan, DistillerSR or Laser AI?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither DistillerSR nor Laser AI has 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.