Keenious vs ResearchRabbit

Keenious

• Students looking for sources that match a draft essay or assignment
• Writers who want paper recommendations inside Word or Google Docs
• Researchers searching for literature across languages and disciplines
• Universities that want campus-wide access linked to library holdings

ResearchRabbit

• Citation chasing from a few key papers at the start of a literature review
• Students and researchers who want a free tool with no cap on searches
• People who prefer to see a field as a map of connected papers and authors

Keenious

• The free plan allows 3 conversations a day with 5 AI responses each, and PDF uploads stop at 3 MB.
• Keenious Plus has no free trial, and the pricing FAQ says early cancellations are not refunded.
• Uploaded files and conversations are deleted automatically after 1 day.
• The site lists a web app and add-ins for Microsoft Word and Google Docs, but no mobile or desktop apps.

ResearchRabbit

• Free accounts can use up to 50 seed articles per search; RR+ raises that to 300.
• Advanced search filters, multiple projects and Signals badges are only in RR+.
• Recommendations rely on citation and authorship links; ResearchRabbit says its core algorithms do not use large language models.
• Articles without open-access metadata are not indexed, so some papers and citations can be missing.

Keenious

Search from your own text

Type a question, paste text or upload a PDF, and Keenious returns related papers. Results are retrieved from its index by meaning and keyword ranking; they are not written by a language model.

Chat about papers

Chat explains methods, statistics and terminology, including text you highlight in a paper. It runs on Google's Gemini 3.5 Flash, and there is no choice of model.

Search map

Shows each result as a dot placed by meaning, colored by research area and sized by citation count. Selecting an area filters the map and the list together.

Word and Google Docs add-ins

Keenious runs as a sidebar in Microsoft Word and Google Docs, so related research appears beside the document being written.

Search across languages

The site says Keenious can be used in nearly 100 languages, and a question in one language can find research written in another.

Bookmarks and citation export

Papers can be bookmarked, and results or bookmarks exported as citations for a reference manager; the help center points EndNote users to the RIS format.

ResearchRabbit

Seed-based paper search

Start from one or more papers you already know and find similar, earlier and later work. Free accounts search from up to 50 seed articles and RR+ from up to 300.

Citation maps

Interactive maps show how papers and authors connect through citations and references, which helps in tracing how an idea developed.

Collections

Save papers to collections and subcollections, mark them with notes, stickers and colors, and share a collection with collaborators or through a public link.

Zotero and BibTeX

The Zotero Importer brings in papers saved in Zotero, and articles can be imported and exported as BibTeX files. Both are part of the free tier.

Advanced search filters

RR+ adds filters for keywords, publication date, journal quality, open access and retractions, plus separate projects for different papers.

Signals risk badges

In RR+, each article carries a Signals badge marking no major risks, caution, alert or unable to check. The full report needs a free Signals account.

Keenious

• Free$0

  All search results, 5 AI responses per conversation, 3 conversations a day and a 3 MB file upload limit.

• Plus for Individuals$10

  per month, billed annually ($120); $45 quarterly or $20 monthly

  Unlimited conversations and responses, export of all results in formats such as RIS and BibTeX, and 20 MB file uploads.

• Plus for Teams$20

  per user / month, billed annually ($240); $90 quarterly or $40 monthly

  All Plus features with an admin console, centralized billing, two-factor authentication and dedicated support.

• InstitutionsCustom

  Access for all students and faculty with SSO, SAML or IP-based access, library collection links and a data processing agreement.

ResearchRabbit

• Free$0

  Unlimited searches, library and collections, collection sharing, core search settings and up to 50 seed articles per search.

• ResearchRabbit+$10

  per month on the annual plan; $12.50 on the monthly plan

  Up to 300 seed articles, advanced search controls, multiple projects, Signals alerts and faster support responses.

• InstitutionCustom

  Everything in RR+ with volume discounts, LibKey library integration, management of thousands of users, usage statistics and dedicated support.

Keenious

• Annual discount

  Annual billing is half the monthly rate

  The pricing page's price data lists Plus for Individuals at $120 a year, $45 a quarter or $20 a month, and Plus for Teams at $240, $90 or $40 per user.

• Education

  30% off annual billing for students

  The pricing FAQ offers students a 30% annual discount. They email the verification address from their institution's email account and receive a discount code.

ResearchRabbit

• Annual discount

  20% off with the annual plan

  RR+ is $10 a month on the annual plan against $12.50 on the monthly plan. The upgrade guide describes the annual option as 20% off.

• Other savings

  Country discounts in over 100 countries

  RR+ is priced by purchasing-power group. People in more than 100 eligible countries are shown a discount to apply at checkout; the US, UK and Canada pay the default price.