AI tools for researchers and students: 20 tools by task
Finding sources, reading papers, drafting and keeping track of references are separate jobs. These are the tools in our directory for each one, side by side. If you are a student, see also our page of student offers.
Listed by task, alphabetical within each task, not ranked and not tested: we have not used these tools. Descriptions and starting prices are the ones on each tool's page, from the vendors' own sites and other public sources, and they change, so confirm on the vendor's site before you pay.
Before you pick a tool
- Check every source yourself. AI research tools can summarize or cite a paper incorrectly. Open the original paper before you rely on a claim or put it in your work.
- Know your institution's rules. Schools, journals and publishers have their own rules on AI assistance and disclosure. Read them before you use a tool on graded or submitted work.
- Mind unpublished work. Uploading a draft, data or someone else's paper sends it to the vendor. Check the privacy terms first.
Finding papers and answers6 tools
Search and research assistants that cite sources.
- ConsensusAI search engine that answers questions from scholarly papers, with a citation on each sentence. Free plan; Pro is $144 a year (about $12 a month) or $20 monthly.Free / $12+
- ElicitAI research assistant that searches 138M+ papers, summarizes them, extracts data and writes cited reports and systematic reviews. Free Basic plan; Pro reported at $49 a month billed annually.Free / $49+
- Felo AIAI search with cited sources, plus slides and a research agent on one credit balance. Free plan; Pro is $12.50 a month billed annually (Reported), $14.99 monthly.Free / $12.50+
- KagiPaid, ad-free search engine with an AI assistant. Plans from $5 a month; a free trial of 100 searches. Annual billing is 10% off.Trial / $5+
- Perplexity ProAI search and assistant that answers with cited sources. Free plan; Pro adds higher Research, file-upload and browser-agent limits. Pro price reported at $200 a year or $20 monthly.Free / $17+ (billed yearly)
- Scite.aiAI research platform with an Assistant, full-text citation search and Smart Citations. Basic is $12 a month billed annually ($20 monthly); no free plan, 7-day trial.$12/mo
Reading PDFs and documents4 tools
Tools you can ask questions about a file you upload.
- ChatPDFChat with uploaded documents (PDF, Word, PowerPoint, text). Free plan allows 2 documents a day; Plus price is not shown on official pages, so confirm on the site.$14.99/mo
- Gemini NotebookGoogle's AI research notebook (formerly NotebookLM). Answers questions from your own sources with citations. Free plan; higher limits come with Google AI plans, with Plus reported at $4.99 a month.Free / $4.99+
- HumataAnswers questions about uploaded documents with citations. Free has 60 pages a month; Expert is $9.99 a month (monthly billing, annual not listed).Free / $9.99+
- OtioAI research workspace for chatting with PDFs, videos and web pages with page-level citations. Lite is $7 a month billed annually ($84 a year).Free / $7+
Writing and editing5 tools
Writing aids for papers and essays.
- GrammarlyWriting assistant that checks grammar, spelling, tone and clarity and suggests rewrites in a desktop app, browser extensions, mobile apps and integrations.Free / $12+
- Jenni AIAI writing editor for academic work with autocomplete, chat, citations and PDF library. Free plan available; paid plans start at $12 a month (annual prices not readable).Free / $12+
- PaperpalAI writing, citation and plagiarism-check tool for academic papers. Free plan available; Prime is $144 a year billed annually (about $12 a month), or $25 monthly.Free / $12+
- QuillBotWriting tool with a paraphraser, grammar checker, summarizer, AI detector and translator. Free plan with limits; Premium is $8.33 a month billed annually.$8.33/mo
- WordtuneAI writing assistant from AI21 Labs that rewrites text, checks grammar and summarizes. Free plan; Advanced is $4.89 a month billed annually ($6.99 monthly).Free / $4.89+
References and notes4 tools
Reference managers and reading lists.
- LinerAI search and research tool with cited answers, paper search and writing. Free plan has ads; Pro is $14.99 a month billed annually ($17.99 monthly).Free / $14.99+
- PaperpileReference manager with Google Docs and Word plugins, a browser extension and mobile apps. No free plan after a 30 day trial; Regular is $4.15 a month billed annually.$4.15/mo
- RecallAI knowledge base that saves articles, videos, podcasts and PDFs, then summarizes them and lets you chat with them. Free plan; Plus is $10 a month billed annually.Free / $10+
- ResearchRabbitLiterature discovery tool that maps papers related to your seed articles; Free allows 50 seeds. ResearchRabbit+ starts at $10 a month (annual plan label; $12.5 monthly label).Free / $10+
Studying1 tools
Flashcards and study aids.
- KnowtFlashcard and study app with AI summarizers, a podcast generator and a voice tutor. Free plan available; Ultra is $12.99 a month billed annually ($149.99), or $24.99 monthly.Free / $12.99+
Tools on this page with a free plan15 tools
These list a free plan on their tool page. Free plans differ a lot in limits, watermarks and what you may do commercially, so open the profile before you rely on one.
- ConsensusAI search engine that answers questions from scholarly papers, with a citation on each sentence. Free plan; Pro is $144 a year (about $12 a month) or $20 monthly.Free / $12+
- ElicitAI research assistant that searches 138M+ papers, summarizes them, extracts data and writes cited reports and systematic reviews. Free Basic plan; Pro reported at $49 a month billed annually.Free / $49+
- Felo AIAI search with cited sources, plus slides and a research agent on one credit balance. Free plan; Pro is $12.50 a month billed annually (Reported), $14.99 monthly.Free / $12.50+
- Gemini NotebookGoogle's AI research notebook (formerly NotebookLM). Answers questions from your own sources with citations. Free plan; higher limits come with Google AI plans, with Plus reported at $4.99 a month.Free / $4.99+
- GrammarlyWriting assistant that checks grammar, spelling, tone and clarity and suggests rewrites in a desktop app, browser extensions, mobile apps and integrations.Free / $12+
- HumataAnswers questions about uploaded documents with citations. Free has 60 pages a month; Expert is $9.99 a month (monthly billing, annual not listed).Free / $9.99+
- Jenni AIAI writing editor for academic work with autocomplete, chat, citations and PDF library. Free plan available; paid plans start at $12 a month (annual prices not readable).Free / $12+
- KnowtFlashcard and study app with AI summarizers, a podcast generator and a voice tutor. Free plan available; Ultra is $12.99 a month billed annually ($149.99), or $24.99 monthly.Free / $12.99+
- LinerAI search and research tool with cited answers, paper search and writing. Free plan has ads; Pro is $14.99 a month billed annually ($17.99 monthly).Free / $14.99+
- OtioAI research workspace for chatting with PDFs, videos and web pages with page-level citations. Lite is $7 a month billed annually ($84 a year).Free / $7+
- PaperpalAI writing, citation and plagiarism-check tool for academic papers. Free plan available; Prime is $144 a year billed annually (about $12 a month), or $25 monthly.Free / $12+
- Perplexity ProAI search and assistant that answers with cited sources. Free plan; Pro adds higher Research, file-upload and browser-agent limits. Pro price reported at $200 a year or $20 monthly.Free / $17+ (billed yearly)
- RecallAI knowledge base that saves articles, videos, podcasts and PDFs, then summarizes them and lets you chat with them. Free plan; Plus is $10 a month billed annually.Free / $10+
- ResearchRabbitLiterature discovery tool that maps papers related to your seed articles; Free allows 50 seeds. ResearchRabbit+ starts at $10 a month (annual plan label; $12.5 monthly label).Free / $10+
- WordtuneAI writing assistant from AI21 Labs that rewrites text, checks grammar and summarizes. Free plan; Advanced is $4.89 a month billed annually ($6.99 monthly).Free / $4.89+
No tool matches that search.
Side-by-side comparisons for these tools12
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