Litmaps vs ResearchRabbit

Litmaps

• Literature reviews that start from a handful of known papers
• Students and academics, who get 75% off Pro with an academic email
• Zotero users who want collections kept in sync while they search
• Researchers who want email alerts when related papers are published

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

Litmaps

• The free plan allows 20 input articles per search and 2 Litmaps of up to 100 articles each.
• Advanced search filters, customizable Monitor alerts and Zotero Sync all need Litmaps Pro.
• The $10 Education price needs an academic email address; the standard Commercial license is $40 a month, billed annually.
• The homepage tells visitors on small screens that creating a Litmap needs a bigger screen, and no mobile app is listed.

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.

Litmaps

Citation-network search

Start from one or more articles and Litmaps returns the most connected papers among their citations, references and co-citations, from a database of 270+ million articles.

Three search algorithms

Shared Citations & References is the default. Common Authors finds other work by the same collaborators, and Similar Text uses AI semantic analysis of titles and abstracts.

Visual literature maps

Results are shown as a Litmap of articles linked by citation. A map can be shared through a public link, with specific email addresses or as an exported image.

Monitor alerts

Monitor reruns a map's search and emails you about newly published articles. Every user can enable it; Pro users can set the frequency, algorithm and filters.

Import, export and Zotero Sync

Import BibTeX, RIS or PubMed files and export as BibTeX, RIS or CSV. Zotero Sync, a Pro feature, keeps Zotero collections and Litmaps Tags matched in both directions.

Advanced search filters

Pro users can narrow results by publication date, keyword, author, journal title, journal h-index and SJR quartile.

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.

Litmaps

• Free$0

  Basic search with up to 20 inputs, 2 Litmaps of up to 100 articles each and monthly literature alerts.

• Pro (Education)$10

  per month, billed annually ($120); $12.50 billed monthly

  Needs an academic email address. Unlimited inputs, articles and Litmaps, advanced search and configurable alerts.

• Pro (Commercial)$40

  per month, billed annually ($480); $50 billed monthly

  The same Pro features on the standard license, for people without an academic affiliation.

• TeamCustom

  Pro features for every member in shared Team Workspaces, bought by the seat. The pricing page gives no public price.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Institution-wide and customizable licensing, arranged with the sales team.

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.

Litmaps

• Annual discount

  Save 20% with annual billing

  Pro costs $10 a month billed annually against $12.50 billed monthly on an Education license, and $40 against $50 on a Commercial one. The pricing page labels the annual price as a 20% saving.

• Education

  75% off with an Educational License

  Students, professors and others affiliated with an educational institution qualify for the Educational License, which is 75% off the standard price.

• By country

  Country discounts in over 100 countries

  People doing most of their research in an eligible low or middle income country are shown a discount code when they upgrade in the app. More than 100 countries qualify.

• Nonprofit

  Special rates for nonprofits on request

  The Litmaps Pro help article invites nonprofits, publicly funded research and government education research to contact the company about special rates.

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.

• By country

  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.