Laser AI vs Rayyan (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Rayyan grades higher than Laser AI: 2.6 against 1.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Rayyan grades higher on value for money, the free plan and features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Laser AI
AI-assisted screening and data extraction for systematic reviews
Rayyan
Systematic review screening with AI relevance predictions
Which one is for you
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
Pick Rayyan if
- Fits if you're a student or researcher screening for a review without a budget
- Works for small review teams that need the duplicate check and AI ranking
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 3 active reviews and 2 free reviewers
- Pricey if you're an institution, as ResearchPilot AI is Business at $2,500 a year from 5 licenses
- Watch out: PRISMA diagrams need Essential, and PICO extraction needs Advanced
- Watch out: SSO and API access are on the Enterprise plan only
- Watch out: the mobile app is limited on Free, and its platforms aren't listed
How we grade them
| 1.4GPALaser AIWeak | 2.6GPARayyanGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | BEssential is $4.99 a seat a month billed yearly, and Advanced is $8.33. That's in the cheapest quarter, which starts at $7.50 for the category. Business is $41.67 per license, from 5 licenses. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free tier or free trial is shown on the pricing page, only a demo. | BFree forever with 3 active reviews, 2 free reviewers, a sample, duplicate detection and AI relevance predictions. One reviewer can live on that. |
| Features | CScreening prioritisation, extraction suggestions, deduplication and reference matching. The listing shows the price unit unclear between per user and per team. | BScreening, duplicate detection, team samples, PRISMA diagrams, PICO extraction and risk-of-bias tools. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in screening itself, but PRISMA and PICO sit on paid plans. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and a review has to be set up and loaded first. | CNo store rating on record. You set up a review, invite reviewers and run the samples. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with no integrations or API listed. | CWeb, with a mobile app mentioned but no platforms listed. SSO and API access are Enterprise only, and no integrations are listed. |
| Best for | AI screening for systematic reviews | screening papers 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: Laser AI and Rayyan. How we grade
Price against what you get
Laser AI starts at $3,000 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Rayyan starts at $4.99 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Rayyan scores higher and starts $2,995.01 a month lower. Of the other AI research tools on the chart, 45 score higher than Laser AI for less, and 5 score higher than Rayyan 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
At a glance
| Laser AI | Rayyan | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $3000 per project, for projects up to 18 months | $4.99 per seat / month, billed annually ($8.33 billed quarterly) |
| Free plan | None | Free forever: 3 active reviews, 2 free reviewers, 1 sample, duplicate detection and AI relevance predictions. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Evidence Prime | Rayyan |
| Price read from | laser.ai | rayyan.ai |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Rayyan
- The free plan stops at 3 active reviews and 2 invited free reviewers.
- ResearchPilot AI, 250 reviewers and organization-wide management need the Business / Academic plan, sold from 5 licenses.
- SSO / SAML and API access are listed only on the Enterprise plan.
- The site mentions a mobile app, but the pages read do not say which platforms it covers.
Key features
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.
Rayyan
- Screening with AI relevance predictions
- Reviewers include or exclude references while the tool predicts relevance. Every plan, including the free one, lists AI relevance predictions.
- Duplicate detection
- Duplicate detection is on every plan. Auto-resolving duplicates is listed from the Essential plan up.
- Team workbench and samples
- Reviews can be divided between team members and randomized into samples, with more than 15 workbench facets for analyzing decisions.
- PRISMA diagrams and PICO extraction
- PRISMA flow diagrams start on Essential. Advanced adds AI extraction of PICO data.
- Risk-of-bias tools
- The Advanced plan lists the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool, and the site announces a Risk of Bias feature.
- ResearchPilot for institutions
- The Business / Academic plan and above include ResearchPilot, which the site describes as AI search, screening and extraction for institutions.
Plans
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.
Rayyan
Free$0
3 active reviews, 2 free reviewers, 1 sample, limited mobile app access, duplicate detection and AI relevance predictions.
Essential$4.99
per seat / month, billed annually ($8.33 billed quarterly)
Adds PRISMA flow diagrams, 5 free reviewers, auto-resolved duplicates and unlimited mobile app access.
Advanced$8.33
per seat / month, billed annually ($13.33 billed quarterly)
9 active reviews, 10 free reviewers, unlimited samples, AI extraction of PICO data, priority support and extra risk-of-bias tools.
Business / Academic$41.67
per license / month, billed annually
Starts at 5 licenses ($2,500 a year), sold through sales. Adds ResearchPilot AI, 250 free reviewers and 50 organization-wide reviews.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited reviews, SSO / SAML, API access, a management console and dedicated support.
Ways to pay less
Laser AI
No public discounts listed.
Rayyan
- Annual discount
Save up to 40% with annual billing
The pricing page says annual plans save up to 40% against quarterly billing; Essential is $4.99 a seat annually against $8.33 quarterly.
- Education
Discounts for academic institutions
The pricing page notes that discounts are available for academics on the Business / Academic plan.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Laser AI or Rayyan?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Laser AI starts at $3000 per project, for projects up to 18 months, and Rayyan starts at $4.99 per seat / month, billed annually ($8.33 billed quarterly). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Laser AI or Rayyan?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Rayyan has a free plan. Laser AI does not.
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.