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Elicit

AI research assistant for literature search and systematic reviews

Free plan · from $49/moAI ResearchChecked Oct 5, 2026
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Elicit, as pictured on elicit.com
How Elicit presents itself. Image from elicit.com.

Our verdict

First of our top three AI research tools

For: Most people looking for papers on a research question

Elicit searches more than 138 million academic papers from a research question, not exact keywords. Its free Basic plan includes unlimited search, unlimited paper summaries and chat with papers, plus Zotero import. A Research Agent writes cited reports, and a separate workflow handles screening and data extraction for systematic reviews. Know the limits: it runs in a browser, with a Chrome extension and no phone or desktop app listed. Research Agent and report usage is limited on Basic, the systematic review workflow starts at Pro, at $49 per user a month billed annually, and the $11 academic Plus plan appears only when Academic is selected on the pricing page.

See all three and how we rank

What is Elicit?

Elicit is an AI research tool that searches more than 138 million academic papers, drawn from Semantic Scholar, PubMed and OpenAlex, along with clinical trial records. Its Research Agent gathers evidence and produces cited reports, tables and figures, and a dedicated workflow handles screening and data extraction for systematic reviews. Each plan has one monthly pool of usage shared across the agent, reports and reviews.

Elicit has a free plan. Paid plans start at $49 per user / month, billed annually ($11 on academic pricing). See every plan

Good for

  • Researchers running systematic reviews with screening and data extraction
  • Finding papers from a research question instead of exact keywords
  • Teams that need cited evidence reports to support a decision

Worth knowing

  • The pricing page defaults to industry rates; the $11 Plus plan appears only when Academic is selected.
  • The systematic review workflow, Routines and API access start at the Pro plan.
  • Monthly usage does not roll over. Extra usage on Pro and Scale is billed in $100 increments, up to a limit you set.
  • Real-time collaboration, extraction from figures and the admin panel need Scale or Enterprise.

Key features

Research Agent
Gathers evidence from scientific databases, journals, public data sources and uploaded documents, then produces cited reports, tables, figures and slides.
Paper and clinical trial search
Semantic search over more than 138 million papers from Semantic Scholar, PubMed and OpenAlex, plus about 545,000 clinical trials, so a query does not depend on exact keywords.
Research reports
Generates research briefs through a process modeled on systematic reviews. You can change which papers and what information a report covers.
Systematic review workflow
Automates screening and data extraction, with a Pro workflow that can screen 5,000 papers. A Chrome extension fetches full texts through your institution's journal access.
Library and Zotero import
Stores sources in collections with tags so they can be reused across projects, and takes in papers from Zotero, PDFs, and .ris or .bib files.
Routines and API
Routines rerun Research Agent work to pick up new evidence, and an API covers search, reports and systematic reviews. Both start at the Pro plan.

Elicit pricing

Starts at
$49 per user / month, billed annually ($11 on academic pricing)
Free plan
Basic plan: unlimited search over 138 million papers, unlimited paper summaries and chat with papers, Zotero import, and limited Research Agent and report usage.
Free trial
None listed
Basic$0Unlimited paper search, summaries and chat with papers, Zotero import, and limited Research Agent and report usage.
Pro$49per user / month, billed annually ($588); $75 billed monthlyStandard usage, a systematic review workflow that screens 5,000 papers, 20 table columns at a time, Routines and API access.
Scale$169per user / month, billed annually ($2,028); $279 billed monthly5x the usage of Pro, real-time collaboration, extraction from figures, 30 table columns at a time and an admin panel with seat management.
EnterpriseCustomCustom usage, SSO and SAML, screening of 40,000 papers, 40 extraction columns, custom data sources and unlimited API access.

Read from elicit.com on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Elicit before you buy.

Pricing in detail

Ways to pay less

  • Annual discountSave 35% to 39% with annual billing

    On industry pricing, Pro is $49 a month billed annually against $75 billed monthly, and Scale is $169 against $279. The pricing page labels these as savings of 35% and 39%.

    Stated on elicit.com
  • EducationAcademic pricing from $11 per user / month

    Choosing Academic on the pricing page shows Plus at $11, Pro at $39 and Scale at $89 per user / month, billed annually, or $19, $69 and $149 billed monthly.

    Stated on elicit.com
  • NonprofitNonprofits can use the academic plans

    Elicit has no separate nonprofit discount, but its help center says nonprofits can subscribe to the academic plans, its lowest pricing tier.

    Stated on support.elicit.com

Works with

Elicit alternatives

All Elicit alternatives comparedAll AI research tools

Common questions

Is Elicit free?

Elicit has a free plan. Basic plan: unlimited search over 138 million papers, unlimited paper summaries and chat with papers, Zotero import, and limited Research Agent and report usage. Paid plans start at $49 per user / month, billed annually ($11 on academic pricing).

How much does Elicit cost?

Elicit lists 4 plans. Basic: $0. Pro: $49 per user / month, billed annually ($588); $75 billed monthly. Scale: $169 per user / month, billed annually ($2,028); $279 billed monthly. Enterprise: custom pricing. Prices were read from elicit.com on Oct 5, 2026.

What platforms does Elicit work on?

Elicit is available on Web. It also has a browser extension.

Does Elicit offer any discounts?

Elicit publicly lists the following: Save 35% to 39% with annual billing; Academic pricing from $11 per user / month; Nonprofits can use the academic plans.

Does Elicit have an Android app?

No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Elicit is listed for Web.

Does Elicit have an iPhone app?

No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Elicit is listed for Web.

Is Elicit open source?

Elicit is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.

Does Elicit have an API?

Yes. Elicit offers a public API, according to its own site.

What does Elicit integrate with?

Elicit's listing names Zotero. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.

Does Elicit have a student discount?

Academic pricing from $11 per user / month. Choosing Academic on the pricing page shows Plus at $11, Pro at $39 and Scale at $89 per user / month, billed annually, or $19, $69 and $149 billed monthly.

Who makes Elicit?

Elicit is made by Elicit Research, PBC.

What are the alternatives to Elicit?

The closest alternatives to Elicit in our directory are Consensus, SciSpace, Undermind, Scite and Semantic Scholar. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Elicit.

Sources for this page

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026.