AI Tools 
Elicit review
AI research assistant that searches, summarizes and extracts data from scientific papers, including systematic reviews.
⚡ Quick verdict
Elicit is the most complete AI tool for serious literature work: beyond finding papers, it extracts structured data into tables and supports a dedicated systematic review workflow. The free plan is excellent for search and reading, Plus is affordable for students and academics, and Pro is the tier for systematic reviews. Industry teams pay more and should look at Scale or Enterprise.
Key takeaways
- Free Basic plan: unlimited search across 138M+ papers, unlimited summaries and chat with full text.
- Plus $11, Pro $39 and Scale $89 per user per month billed annually; Elicit also lists higher rates such as $49 and $169.
- Pro adds a Systematic Review Workflow that can screen 5,000 papers, 20 extraction columns and API access.
- Scale adds figure extraction, real-time collaboration and an admin panel.
- Enterprise: no training on your data by default, screening up to 40,000 papers, SSO/SAML.
At a glance
| Best for | Researchers, students, pharma and medtech teams doing literature reviews and evidence synthesis |
|---|---|
| Pricing from (USD) | $11/user/mo (Plus, billed annually) |
| Free plan | Yes — unlimited paper search, summaries and chat with papers; limited agent and report usage |
| Platforms | Web, API |
| Company | Elicit |
| Category | Research & Search |
| Last checked | October 16, 2026 |
On this page
What Elicit is
Elicit is an AI research assistant designed for evidence synthesis. You ask a research question; Elicit searches more than 138 million academic papers (and 500,000+ clinical trials on paid plans), summarizes the most relevant ones and lets you chat with full texts. Its distinctive feature is structured extraction: Elicit builds a table where each row is a paper and each column is a data point you care about (population, intervention, outcome, sample size), filled in by AI with links back to the source text.
It is popular with academics, pharma and medtech teams, and anyone running literature reviews. Elicit says its team and customers have rigorously tested and evaluated its accuracy.
Key features
Search and summaries
Semantic search across papers with unlimited summaries and source viewing, even on Free.
Chat with papers
Ask questions of a paper’s full text and get answers with citations.
Extraction tables
Add columns to extract specific data across many papers: 5 at a time on Plus, 20 on Pro and 30 on Scale. Custom extractions work on uploaded PDFs (Pro).
Research Agent and Reports
Agentic research that writes structured reports drawing on up to 135 data sources (Pro) or 200 (Scale).
Systematic Review Workflow
Screen thousands of papers against inclusion criteria, then extract data, on Pro and above.
Pricing breakdown
From elicit.com/pricing, checked October 16, 2026 (per user per month, billed annually).
| Plan | Price | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Free | Unlimited search, summaries and chat; limited agent and reports |
| Plus | $11 ($132/yr) | Clinical trials search, exports, 5 columns, standard agent usage |
| Pro | $39 ($468/yr) | 5x usage, systematic review (5,000 papers), 20 columns, Routines, API |
| Scale | $89 ($1,068/yr) | 9x usage, figure extraction, collaboration, 30 columns, admin panel |
| Enterprise | Custom | 40,000-paper screening, SSO/SAML, no training on your data by default |
Elicit’s page also shows higher per-user rates of $49 and $169 per month (billed annually) for some plan options, which appear to apply to industry customers. Monthly billing costs more.
Best use cases
- Thesis literature review: a graduate student finds and summarizes 50 papers on remote work and burnout, then exports citations.
- Systematic review: a research team screens 3,000 abstracts and extracts outcomes on Pro.
- Pharma evidence: a medical affairs team extracts efficacy data from clinical trials.
- Policy briefs: an analyst builds a table of interventions and effect sizes.
How to get started
- Sign up free at elicit.com.
- Enter a specific research question.
- Review the top papers and summaries, then open full texts.
- Add extraction columns for the data you need.
- Import your Zotero library if you already have sources.
- Upgrade to Pro if you’re running a systematic review.
Tips and tricks
- Spot-check extractions against the source quotes Elicit links to.
- Define columns precisely (“sample size at baseline,” not “size”).
- Use filters for study design and publication year.
- Export early and often to your reference manager.
Example research question:
What is the effect of mindfulness-based interventions on anxiety in university students, compared with waitlist controls, in randomized controlled trials?
Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Strong free plan for searching and reading
- Structured data extraction saves hours
- Dedicated systematic review workflow
- Exports to RIS, CSV, BIB, PDF and DOCX on Plus
- Zotero import
👎 Cons
- Agent and report usage is limited on lower plans
- Industry pricing is significantly higher
- Extraction accuracy still needs human verification
- Focused on academic literature, not the open web
Who should (and shouldn't) use Elicit
✅ A good fit if you…
- Run literature or systematic reviews
- Need to extract outcomes and sample sizes from many papers
- Work in pharma, medtech or academia
⛔ Look elsewhere if you…
- Want quick yes/no evidence answers (Consensus is simpler)
- Need general web research (consider Perplexity)
- Only read a few papers a year
Elicit alternatives
- Consensus — AI search engine for peer-reviewed research that gives cited, evidence-based answers. (from $12/mo (Pro, $144 billed annually); $20 monthly)
- Perplexity — AI answer engine with cited sources, Deep Research, the Comet browser and Perplexity Computer. (from $17/mo billed annually (Pro))
- Gemini Notebook — Google's AI research and thinking partner (formerly NotebookLM), grounded in your sources, with Audio and Video Overviews. (from Free; higher limits from $4.99/mo (Google AI Plus))
- Julius AI — AI workspace to analyze data, research, and create charts, presentations, reports, websites, images and video. (from $16/mo billed annually (Plus); $20 monthly)
FAQ
Is Elicit free?
Yes. The Basic plan is free, with unlimited search across 138M+ papers, unlimited summaries, unlimited chat with papers, source viewing and Zotero import, plus limited Research Agent and Research Reports usage.
How much does Elicit cost?
Billed annually, Plus is $11, Pro is $39 and Scale is $89 per user per month. Elicit's pricing page also lists higher rates, such as $49 and $169 per user per month, for some plans. Enterprise is custom.
Can Elicit do systematic reviews?
Yes. Pro includes a dedicated Systematic Review Workflow that can screen 5,000 papers; Enterprise scales to 40,000 papers and 40 extraction columns with PRISMA-grade screening and extraction.
Does Elicit train on my data?
Enterprise plans include no training on your data by default.
Does Elicit have an API?
Yes. Pro includes API access, Scale includes unlimited Search API access and Enterprise includes unlimited API access.
Sources
This is an editorial review based on research of official Elicit pages and documentation, not hands-on benchmark testing. Prices are in USD and were checked on October 16, 2026; vendors change plans often, so confirm on the official pricing page before buying.