Covidence review (2026): is it worth $339 a year?
Web platform for screening and extracting data in systematic reviews
Black Friday: is there a Covidence sale?
Covidence report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for screening and extracting data in systematic reviews
Covidence runs a systematic review from import and duplicate removal through screening and data extraction to PRISMA numbers. It charges per review, $339 a year for one, and there is no student discount.
Who Covidence is for
- Fits if you're running a systematic review with two reviewers screening
- Works for a team that already keeps its references in EndNote, Zotero or Mendeley
Who Covidence is not for
- Pricey if you're a student: the page says there's no separate student discount
- Tight if you run more than three reviews, as that means several packages or a site license
- Skip it if you just want to read papers, since it only does review screening
- Watch out: each license covers a set number of reviews for 12 months
- Watch out: the trial is 500 records, and there are no apps beyond the browser
Why Covidence gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- DValue for money$339 a year for one review, $907 for up to three. That works out to about $28 a month for one review, inside the research category's dearest tenth, which starts at $20.
- CFree plan and trialA free trial with 500 records. The page does not say whether a card is needed, and 500 records is smaller than most reviews.
- BFeaturesImport, dual screening, extraction, quality assessment, mobile screening and PRISMA numbers. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the review work itself.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. You set up a review, invite reviewers and set criteria before anything happens.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, with EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley, RefWorks and RevMan. No desktop or app-store apps are listed.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Covidence's own pages on 12 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/covidence#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/covidence.svg" alt="Covidence: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Covidence stands among AI research tools
Covidence's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 7 of the 49 other AI research tools we grade, and level with 11.
It stands best on features (B, above 34 of 49) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $28.25 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $10 for the category: 34 of the 35 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 6 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 50 AI research tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Covidence’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 49, level with 5
- CFree plan and trialAbove 4 of 49, level with 31
- BFeaturesAbove 34 of 49, level with 12
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 49, level with 27
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 16 of 49, level with 31
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 40 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 Covidence, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Covidence 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: 31 of the 49 other AI research tools grade higher. It costs $339 a year.
What you could not
- A library of papers and sources to search.
- Citation records for millions of papers.
- Several people working in it at the same moment.
- It plugs into other products, EndNote, Zotero and Mendeley among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Covidence’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 Covidence?
Covidence is a web platform that holds a systematic review in one place: setup, reference import, screening, data extraction, quality assessment and export. Dual screening, blinding and conflict resolution are part of the process. It is owned by the non-profit Future Evidence Foundation.
Worth knowing
- Each paid license covers a set number of reviews for 12 months: 1 for $339 or up to 3 for $907.
- The pricing page says there is no separate student discount, though it offers concessions to review teams in low and lower-middle-income countries.
- More than three reviews means buying several packages or an institutional license.
- The pages read show it as a browser-based service; no desktop or app-store apps are listed.
Key features
- Import and deduplication
- References come in from EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley, RefWorks or RIS, CSV and PubMed XML files, with duplicates removed automatically.
- Dual screening
- Independent dual screening, blinding and structured conflict resolution are described as standard, and exclusion reasons are recorded at full-text stage.
- Data extraction and quality assessment
- Extraction and quality assessment are steps inside the same review, so the team works on one copy of the data.
- Mobile screening
- Every plan lists title and abstract screening on a phone.
- PRISMA numbers and export
- The site says PRISMA numbers and the audit trail build as the team works, and the review can be exported.
Covidence pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Covidence is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $339 per year for one review.
- Starts at
- $339 per year for one review
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- Free trial with 500 records
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Single | $339per year for 1 review | One review with unlimited collaborators, valid for 12 months. |
| Package | $907per year for up to 3 reviews | Up to 3 reviews with unlimited collaborators, valid for 12 months. |
| Institutions | Custom | Departmental or organization-wide licenses with unlimited reviews and users, arranged through sales. |
Read from covidence.org on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Covidence before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Other savingsConcessions for low and lower-middle-income countries
Review teams based in a low or lower-middle-income country can contact Covidence about using it for their review.
Stated on covidence.org
Works with
Covidence alternatives
- Covidence vs Rayyan
Free plan · from $4.99/mo
- Covidence vs Silvi
Free plan · from €19/mo
- Covidence vs Elicit
Free plan · from $49/mo
- Covidence vs Scite
Free trial · from $20/mo
Common questions
Does Covidence have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Covidence is listed for Web.
Does Covidence have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Covidence is listed for Web.
Is Covidence open source?
Covidence is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.