Elicit review

Elicit is built around the literature review rather than the chat window. The free Basic plan searches more than 138 million papers, summarizes as many papers as you want, lets you chat with full-text papers and shows the sources behind each answer, with Zotero import for an existing library. Plus, at $11 per user a month billed as $132 a year, adds exports to RIS, CSV, BIB, PDF and DOCX, search across more than 500 thousand clinical trials and standard usage of Research Agent and Research Reports. Pro adds the feature that sets Elicit apart: a dedicated systematic review workflow that screens 5,000 papers, 20 extraction columns at a time, explanations for AI answers and API access. Scale adds figure extraction and live collaboration. The trade-offs are that formal review tooling sits on Pro, the pricing page shows more than one price set so you should confirm yours, and Elicit is a scholarly tool, so business analysts asking about markets will get more from a web research assistant.

Who it is for

Students, academics and analysts who need a literature review with data pulled from each paper.

Price

Free plan; Plus $11 per user per month billed as $132 annually; Pro $39 per user per month billed annually.

$11 Save 42% Per user/month, billed as $132 annually
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 9, 2026.

Key features

• Unlimited search across more than 138 million papers on the free plan
• Unlimited summaries and chat with papers that have full text
• Research Agent and Research Reports, with more usage on paid plans
• Dedicated systematic review workflow on Pro that screens 5,000 papers
• Extraction tables, with 5 columns at a time on Plus and 20 on Pro

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Free plan already includes unlimited paper search and summaries
• Strength: Built for evidence tables and systematic reviews, not only chat
• Strength: Exports to RIS, CSV, BIB, PDF and DOCX for reference managers
• Weakness: The systematic review workflow and API start on Pro
• Weakness: Searches academic sources, so it is weak for market or news questions
• Weakness: Elicit shows separate price sets on its pricing page, so check which one applies to you

Key facts

• Plans: Basic, Plus, Pro, Scale, Enterprise
• Paper coverage: More than 138 million papers
• Enterprise screening: 40,000 papers and 40 extraction columns

Where it ranks

Elicit is No. 1 in our Best AI Research Assistants verdict.