The Elicit Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Elicit in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Elicit
The Insider’s Guide
AI research assistant for literature search and systematic reviews
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among AI research tools, read from Elicit’s own pages.
Made by Elicit Research, PBC · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02Insider tipsWhat most people miss: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches
- 03What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 04What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 05Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 06The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 07Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 08About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Elicit’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Elicit’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 6 of the 27 other AI research tools we grade
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.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Elicit, taken from its own pages and our grades.
- 1
Best for systematic reviews and evidence tables
Usage doesn't roll over, and there's no phone app.
- 2
Paid plans start at $49 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $49 per user / month, billed annually ($11 on academic pricing).
- 3
There is 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.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web, with a browser extension too.
- 5
Research Agent
Gathers evidence from scientific databases, journals, public data sources and uploaded documents, then produces cited reports, tables, figures and slides.
- 6
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.
- 7
Research reports
Generates research briefs through a process modeled on systematic reviews. You can change which papers and what information a report covers.
- 8
A 2.4 GPA, above 6 of 27
That is against the other AI research tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Elicit 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.
Elicit at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $49 per user / month, billed annually ($11 on academic pricing)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, Browser extension
- Made by
- Elicit Research, PBC
- Category
- AI Research Tools
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for systematic reviews and evidence tables
Elicit is built around the systematic review: it searches more than 138 million papers and 545,000 clinical trials by meaning, then screens them and pulls the data out. Free search, summaries and paper chat are unlimited, but the Research Agent is capped by an unstated amount, and the review workflow, Routines and the API start on Pro at $49 a user a month billed yearly, $75 monthly. Usage doesn't roll over, and there's no phone app.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D | Pro is $49 a user a month billed annually, $75 monthly, where paid plans in this category usually start around $12. Everything you'd come for sits up there: the review workflow, Routines, the API. Academic pricing only brings Pro to $39, and unused usage doesn't roll over. |
| Free plan and trial | B | Basic costs nothing and gives you unlimited search over 138 million papers, unlimited summaries and unlimited chat with papers, plus Zotero import. One person could really live on that. The Research Agent and reports are capped on Basic, and the listing can't say by how much. |
| Features | B | It covers the whole job: search from a question across papers and 545,000 clinical trials, cited reports with tables and figures, screening and data extraction for a systematic review, a Zotero library, Routines and an API. Rivals here run systematic reviews too, so there's no trick that's Elicit's alone. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record, and this isn't a box you type into and walk away from: there are screening workflows, extraction columns and a monthly usage pool to watch. The pricing page doesn't help, opening on industry rates with the $11 academic plan hidden until you switch. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | A web app plus a Chrome extension that fetches full texts through your institution's journal access, and it takes in Zotero, PDFs and .ris or .bib files. The integration list stops at Zotero though, the API starts at Pro, and there's no phone or desktop app. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Elicit is for
- Fits if you're running a systematic review and want the screening and data extraction automated
- Works for students and casual readers, since free search, summaries and paper chat are unlimited
Who it is not for
- Pricey if you're outside a university, with Pro at $49 a user a month billed yearly and $75 monthly
- Skip it if you want real-time collaboration or extraction from figures on a budget, as both need Scale at $169
- Tight if your workload is lumpy, because monthly usage doesn't roll over and extra is billed in $100 steps
- Watch out: the pricing page opens on industry rates, and the $11 academic Plus plan shows only once you switch
- Too light for phone or desktop use, with a web app and Chrome extension only, and an integration list that stops at Zotero
Good to know
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.
Part 02 · Tips
Insider tips
What most people miss: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches
6
Things most people miss, each from its own help pages
The things about Elicit that are easy to miss until they cost you: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches at renewal or when you leave. Each one is from Elicit’s own pages, linked beside it.
Read on Oct 17, 2026. Read from Elicit's help centre (usage limits, plan and billing, exporting, the browser extension, privacy for uploads and the Alerts retirement notice) on 17 October 2026. Not tried out: these tips are what its own pages say.
- 1
Leaving
Alerts stop on 31 October 2026 unless you convert them
Elicit is replacing Alerts with Routines, and nothing converts by itself: you do each Alert one at a time. To keep what one found, use the download button above its results to get a CSV. Old sessions from before 30 September 2026 go in 2027, so export those too.
support.elicit.com - 2
Pay less
Switch Premium PDF parsing off after the tricky paper
Its usage page says Premium PDF parsing works on every PDF, not just the hard ones, and eats into your monthly pool. Turn it on for the awkward paper, then off again under Advanced in Account Settings. Figure extraction costs more too, so leave it off unless you need it.
support.elicit.com - 3
Pay less
Make a review's usage go further with abstracts and Fast screening
A systematic review uses more the longer the PDFs, the more columns you add and whether you screen full texts. Screen abstracts where that's enough, pick Fast over Thorough when you can, and keep columns simple. Edits and re-runs count as new usage.
support.elicit.com - 4
Setting
Off campus? Add your library proxy to Elicit's settings
The Chrome and Edge extension pulls full texts through your library's access in the full-text stage of a review. Sign in to your library in the same browser first, and add your EZProxy address in Elicit's settings if you're off campus. It needs Pro or above.
support.elicit.com - 5
Easy to miss
Turn a table or report into a Zotero bibliography
Reports, and tables on Plus and up, export as .bib or .ris files. Import the .bib into Zotero, select the papers and choose Create Bibliography from Items to get any citation style. Reports also save as PDF or Word on every plan, free included.
support.elicit.com - 6
Leaving
Cancel and your finished work stays, but read-only
On Plus or Pro, cancel from Account Settings, Subscription & Billing, Downgrade to Basic. You keep the plan to the end of the billing period, then get read-only access to completed work. On Scale, seats you remove only come off at the next billing date.
support.elicit.com
Part 03 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$49
A month to start, for each person. There is a free plan too
Elicit has a free plan. Paid plans start at $49 per user / month, billed annually ($11 on academic pricing).
Everything you'd come for sits up there: the review workflow, Routines, the API.
Basic
$0
Unlimited paper search, summaries and chat with papers, Zotero import, and limited Research Agent and report usage.
Pro
$49
per user / month, billed annually ($588); $75 billed monthly
Standard usage, a systematic review workflow that screens 5,000 papers, 20 table columns at a time, Routines and API access.
Scale
$169
per user / month, billed annually ($2,028); $279 billed monthly
5x the usage of Pro, real-time collaboration, extraction from figures, 30 table columns at a time and an admin panel with seat management.
Enterprise
Custom
Custom usage, SSO and SAML, screening of 40,000 papers, 40 extraction columns, custom data sources and unlimited API access.
The 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.
Read from elicit.com on Oct 5, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Save 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.comEducation
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.
Stated on elicit.comNonprofit
Nonprofits 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
Part 04 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
2
Places it runs: Web and Browser extension
AI research assistant for literature search and systematic reviews. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, real-time collaboration, AI search, AI agents, research, citations.
Rivals here run systematic reviews too, so there's no trick that's Elicit's alone.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- Browser extension
What it works with
- Zotero
Who makes Elicit
Elicit is made by Elicit Research, PBC, a venture-backed public benefit corporation that began inside the nonprofit research lab Ought and became independent in 2023. It earns money from Pro, Scale and Enterprise subscriptions, alongside a free Basic plan.
- Based
- Oakland, California, with team members across North America and Europeelicit.com
- Ownership
- Privately held. An independent public benefit corporation since it left the nonprofit Ought in 2023, per its own blog; its funding posts name Spark Capital, Footwork, Fifty Years, Basis Set and Mythos as investors.elicit.com
- Funding
- Raised a $22 million Series A at a $100 million valuation, led by Spark Capital and Footwork, in February 2025, after a $9 million seed round led by Fifty Years in September 2023, both per its own blog. Its careers page says it is financed by over $30 million in venture capital.elicit.comelicit.comelicit.com
- Founders and leaders
- Andreas Stuhlmüller, Cofounder & CEOelicit.com
- Jungwon Byun, Cofounder & COOelicit.com
- Justin Reppert, Head of Engineeringelicit.com
- Brad Artziniega, Head of Designelicit.com
- Hiring
- 10 open roles: 7 in engineering and machine learning (one a contract residency), 2 enterprise account executives and 1 in growthelicit.com
- Lately
- Introducing Routines: Research that keeps working · Sep 30, 2026
- Turn your Elicit Library into a shared research hub · Sep 17, 2026
- AI-powered research is now multiplayer · Aug 31, 2026
- Introducing Elicit Research Agent: Rigor that powers decisions · Aug 4, 2026
Read on Oct 18, 2026 from the company’s own pages and from news reports. What is not stated there is left out.
Part 05 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
6/27
Other AI research tools it is graded above
Elicit's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 6 of the 27 other AI research tools we grade, and level with 8.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 21 of 27) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $49 a month for each person, against a middle price of $10 for the category: 20 of the 20 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 28 AI research tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Elicit’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 27
- BFree plan and trialAbove 21 of 27
- BFeaturesAbove 15 of 27
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 27
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 8 of 27
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 25 AI research tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Elicit is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Elicit 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: 13 of the 27 other AI research tools grade higher. It costs $588 a year.
What you could not
- A library of papers and sources to search.
- A search engine with an AI model behind it.
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- Citation records for millions of papers.
- Several people working in it at the same moment.
- It plugs into other products, Zotero among them, and has an API.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Elicit’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.
Part 06 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Consensus, SciSpace, Undermind, Scite and Semantic Scholar
The 5 tools Elicit is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
Consensus
Free plan
AI search engine that answers questions from peer-reviewed papers.
- Only Elicit lists a browser extension.
- Only Consensus lists an Android app.
- 2.4GPA
SciSpace
Free plan · from $12/mo
AI research platform for literature review and reading papers.
- Only SciSpace lists an iOS app.
- SciSpace also covers chat assistant.
- 2.2GPA
Undermind
Free plan · from $16/mo
AI literature search agent that reads hundreds of papers.
- Only Elicit lists a browser extension.
- Undermind also covers chat assistant.
- 2.2GPA
Scite
Free trial · from $20/mo
Research assistant that shows how papers have been cited.
- Elicit has a free plan. Scite does not, though it has a free trial.
- Elicit also covers AI agents.
- Scite also covers chat assistant.
- 3.2GPA
Semantic Scholar
Free
Free AI-powered search engine for scientific literature.
- Elicit also covers AI agents.
Part 07 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
15
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
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.
How much does Elicit cost?
Elicit lists 4 plans. Basic: $0.
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 a company of the same name. An independent public benefit corporation since it left the nonprofit Ought in 2023, per its own blog; its funding posts name Spark Capital, Footwork, Fifty Years, Basis Set and Mythos as investors.
What are the alternatives to Elicit?
The closest alternatives to Elicit in our directory are Consensus, SciSpace, Undermind, Scite and Semantic Scholar.
How does Elicit compare with other AI research tools?
Elicit's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 6 of the 27 other AI research tools we grade, and level with 8.
Is Elicit good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Elicit D for value for money. Its paid plans start at $49 a month for each person, against a middle price of $10 for the category: 20 of the 20 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Elicit?
To replace Elicit you would be making a library of papers and sources to search.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Elicit’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Elicit's own pages on 5 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-05-26.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Elicit Research, PBC. Prices change, so check elicit.com before you buy.
- elicit.com/pricing
- elicit.com
- support.elicit.com/en/articles/16631472-academic-and-nonprofit-pricing
- support.elicit.com/en/articles/15646622-usage-limits-in-elicit
- support.elicit.com/en/articles/15113352-manage-your-plan-and-billing
- support.elicit.com/en/articles/14759330-elicit-s-scale-plan-for-teams
- support.elicit.com/en/articles/14758040-elicit-s-source-for-papers
- support.elicit.com/en/collections/19572632-library
- docs.elicit.com/
- chromewebstore.google.com/detail/elicit-ai-for-scientific/fdkcnfflaanlpehcmeekdjeknnokkhno
- elicit.com/operations/terms
Part 08 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Elicit, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/elicit
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Elicit: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/elicit
Know someone choosing between AI research tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/elicit/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded AI research tools after Elicit, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- AI Research Tools Insider's GuideEvery one of the 28 AI research tools we grade, compared
- Ai2 Asta Insider's GuideAI research assistant for finding papers and analyzing data3.2 GPA
- Semantic Scholar Insider's GuideFree AI-powered search engine for scientific literature3.2 GPA
- ChatPDF Insider's GuideAsk questions about PDFs and get answers with citations2.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Elicit’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Elicit is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Elicit Research, PBC. Prices and plans change: check elicit.com before you buy.