AI answer engine with real-time web search and cited sources.
Elicit vs Scite
Features, pricing, strengths and trade-offs — and which one fits your situation.
The verdict
Summary
Elicit is best for literature reviews and extracting data from many academic papers, while Scite is best for checking whether published research supports or contradicts a claim. Only Scite offers browser extension. Elicit has a free plan, while Scite offers a free trial.
Which should you choose?
Choose Elicit if…
- You need literature reviews and extracting data from many academic papers
- You're one of: academic researchers, systematic reviewers and evidence synthesis teams, pharma and life-science analysts
- You want a free plan (Scite only has a trial)
- Table-based extraction saves time on large literature reviews
Choose Scite if…
- You need checking whether published research supports or contradicts a claim
- Browser extension matters to you
- You're one of: academic researchers, university librarians, journal editors and publishers
- Citation context reveals whether later work supports a finding
At a glance
| Elicit | Scite | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Literature reviews and extracting data from many academic papers | Checking whether published research supports or contradicts a claim |
| Free plan | Yes | Trial only |
| Starting price | From $12/mo | From $12/mo |
| Learning curve | Medium | Medium |
| Platforms | Web | Web, Chrome extension, API |
| Ideal for | Academic researchers, Systematic reviewers and evidence synthesis teams, Pharma and life-science analysts, Graduate students | Academic researchers, University librarians, Journal editors and publishers, Graduate students evaluating sources |
Feature comparison
| Elicit | Scite | |
|---|---|---|
| Answers with citations | Yes | Yes |
| Searches academic papers | Yes | Yes |
| Upload & chat with PDFs | Yes | Limited |
| AI content detection | No | No |
| Rewrites / humanizes text | No | No |
| Citation formatting | Limited | Limited |
| Browser extension | No | Yes |
| Writing editor | No | No |
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed
Security & enterprise
| Elicit | Scite | |
|---|---|---|
| Business / enterprise plan | Yes | Yes |
| SSO (SAML / OIDC) | Enterprise plan | Institutional license |
| SCIM user provisioning | — | — |
| SOC 2 | Type II | — |
| ISO 27001 | — | — |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | — | — |
| GDPR DPA | — | — |
| Data residency options | — | — |
| No training on your data | Yes | — |
| Audit logs | — | — |
| Admin controls | Yes | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud, single-tenant | Cloud |
From each vendor's security documentation. "—" = not confirmed. What to ask vendors · Compare all tools
What each tool does
Elicit
Elicit is an AI research assistant for finding, screening and extracting data from academic papers. It searches a large scholarly database, lets users upload their own PDFs, extracts findings into tables and generates research reports with sentence-level citations. It also supports a structured systematic review workflow with screening and PRISMA diagrams.
Key features- Semantic search across a large database of academic papers
- Data extraction into tables, including from tables and figures
- Research reports synthesizing many papers with sentence-level citations
- Systematic review workflow with AI-assisted screening and PRISMA diagrams
- Upload your own PDFs for extraction and analysis
- Export results to CSV, RIS and BibTeX
Scite
Scite is a research platform built on Smart Citations, which classify how papers have been cited: supporting, contrasting or mentioning. It adds an AI Assistant that answers questions with references, Reference Check for auditing a manuscript's bibliography, and extensions for browsers and Zotero. Researchers, librarians and publishers use it to assess the reliability of sources.
Key features- Smart Citations showing supporting, contrasting and mentioning citation contexts
- AI Assistant that answers questions with cited academic sources
- Reference Check for auditing a manuscript's references, including retractions
- Browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari
- Zotero plug-in and Zotero/Mendeley library sync
- Custom dashboards and alerts for tracking papers
Pricing
Elicit
Free plan: yes (Basic). Paid from ~$12/mo billed annually (Plus)
Scite
Free plan: no (trial). Paid from ~$12/mo billed annually (Personal); $20/mo monthly
Prices last checked September 2026. Plans change often — confirm on each vendor's site.
Pros and cons
Elicit
Strengths- Table-based extraction saves time on large literature reviews
- Supports structured systematic review methods
- Citations link to specific sentences in source papers
- Free Basic plan for searching and small extractions
- Limited to academic literature, not general web search
- Advanced features such as large reports and premium PDF parsing need higher plans
- Extraction results still require human verification for publication-grade reviews
- No writing editor, AI detection or humanizer tools
Not ideal for: People who need quick answers from the general web or help drafting essays should use Perplexity or a writing tool instead.
Scite
Strengths- Citation context reveals whether later work supports a finding
- Flags retractions and editorial notices in reference lists
- Works inside Zotero and on publisher sites via extensions
- Many universities provide institutional access
- No permanent free plan, only a trial
- Citation classification is automated and can misread context
- Coverage depends on access to full-text papers, so some fields are thinner
- No drafting editor or general web search
Not ideal for: Casual users wanting general web answers or writing help will find Perplexity or a writing assistant more useful.
Integrations
Elicit
Scite
FAQ
What is the main difference between Elicit and Scite?
Elicit is built for literature reviews and extracting data from many academic papers; Scite is built for checking whether published research supports or contradicts a claim. Key differences: Scite offers browser extension.
Is Elicit or Scite cheaper?
Elicit starts from $12/mo and Scite starts from $12/mo (as of September 2026). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do Elicit and Scite have free plans?
Elicit has a free plan, while Scite offers a free trial.
Which is easier to use, Elicit or Scite?
Both have a medium learning curve.
What are good alternatives to Elicit and Scite?
Other research & study tools worth comparing include Perplexity, Consensus and Monica.
