Citely review (2026): is it worth $14 a month, billed yearly?
Citation checker that flags fake references and finds sources
Black Friday: is there a Citely sale?
Citely report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for checking a paper's references for fakes
Citely checks the references in a paper for fakes and finds sources, using Crossref, OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, PubMed and arXiv. Everything runs on credits, with each plan capping how much one check covers. It checks references only: no library, no writing help.
Who Citely is for
- Fits if you need to check a thesis for invented references before submitting
- Works for labs that screen many papers and would buy the 5,000-credit pack
Who Citely is not for
- Tight if you stay free, as you get two checks per new account
- Pricey if you cram it monthly at $19 for 150 credits and a 4,000-character cap per check
- Watch out: no refund once more than 10 credits are used, and one-time packs are non-refundable
- Too light for managing a library or writing the paper, as it only verifies references
Why Citely gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyYearly is $14 a month, at the category's dearer-quarter line, and Monthly is $19. Believer is $347 one-time.
- CFree plan and trialTwo free checks per new account, with no card. After that it is the $9 Trial or a subscription.
- CFeaturesCitation checker and source finder with APA, MLA and Chicago export. It does that job fully, but it is a smaller job: no library and no writing help.
- BEase of useNo store rating on record. Paste your references and run a check, with nothing to set up.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, with scholarly databases behind it. No API or apps are listed.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Citely's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/citely#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/citely.svg" alt="Citely: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Citely stands among AI research tools
Citely's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 16 of the 69 other AI research tools we grade, and level with 14.
It stands best on ease of use (B, above 42 of 69) and worst on platforms and integrations (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $14 a month, against a middle price of $10 for the category: 34 of the 48 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 20 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 70 AI research tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Citely’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 10 of 69, level with 37
- CFree plan and trialAbove 9 of 69, level with 39
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 69, level with 51
- BEase of useAbove 42 of 69, level with 27
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 69, level with 27
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 59 AI research tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Citely, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Citely you would be making a library of papers and sources to search. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 39 of the 69 other AI research tools grade higher. It costs $168 a year.
What you could not
- A library of papers and sources to search.
- A search engine with an AI model behind it.
- Citation records for millions of papers.
- It plugs into other products, Crossref, OpenAlex and Semantic Scholar among them.
What this rests on. Citely’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Citely?
Citely checks whether the references in a paper or an AI-written draft are real, and flags fabricated or mismatched ones. It can also take a claim and return published papers that support it. It verifies against scholarly databases such as Crossref, OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, PubMed and arXiv.
Worth knowing
- Usage runs on credits, and each plan caps how many characters one check can cover.
- Monthly and Yearly plans renew automatically; the refund policy gives no refund once more than 10 credits are used.
- One-time packages are non-refundable and their credits expire after 1 month (Trial) or 3 years (Believer).
- It verifies references but does not manage a library or help write the paper.
Key features
- Citation checker
- Checks each entry of a reference list and flags fake, mismatched or unverifiable references.
- AI-reference checks
- Aimed at references produced by ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, including invented DOIs and mixed-up details.
- Source finder
- Paste a claim or paragraph and get published papers with verified metadata; searches are limited to 300 characters.
- Scholarly databases
- Verifies against Crossref, OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, Google Scholar, PubMed, arXiv, Wanfang and CNKI.
- Citation export
- Paid plans export citations in APA, MLA and Chicago; the Believer plan adds all formats.
- Ten site languages
- The site is available in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese and Russian.
Citely pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Citely is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $14 per month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly).
- Starts at
- $14 per month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- Two free checks per new account, no credit card required
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Trial | $9one-time, 15 credits valid for 1 month | For checking one paper; reference checks up to 2,000 characters and basic verification. |
| Monthly | $19per month, billed monthly | 150 credits a month, reference checks up to 4,000 characters, and APA, MLA and Chicago export. |
| Yearly | $14per month, billed annually ($168 a year) | 1,500 credits for the year, the Monthly features and priority support. |
| Believer | $347one-time, 5,000 credits valid for 3 years | For heavy users and labs; adds all citation formats, dedicated support and professor guidance sessions. |
Read from citely.ai on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Citely before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountYearly plan at $14 a month
Billed as $168 a year, which works out to about $14 a month against $19 on the Monthly plan.
Stated on citely.ai
Works with
- Crossref
- OpenAlex
- Semantic Scholar
- PubMed
- arXiv
Citely alternatives
- Citely vs Scite
Free trial · from $20/mo
- Citely vs Scholarcy
Free plan · from $90/yr
- Citely vs Paperguide
Free plan · from $12/mo
- Citely vs SciSpace
Free plan · from $12/mo
- Citely vs Keenious
Free plan · from $10/mo
Common questions
Does Citely have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Citely is listed for Web.
Does Citely have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Citely is listed for Web.
Is Citely open source?
Citely is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.