Litmaps vs Scite (2026): Pricing, Features & Which to Choose

Who comes out ahead

Based only on the facts in our directory. The right pick still depends on the job you need done.

Lower starting price
Litmaps
From $10/mo against from $20/mo
Free plan
Litmaps
Only Litmaps has one
Higher rating
Litmaps
4.4 against 4.2
Same job?
Yes
Both are Research tools

Side by side

Compared on	Litmaps	Scite
Our rating	4.4Better	4.2
Starts at	$10/moBetter	$20/mo
Free plan	YesBetter	No
Category	Research	Research
Plans	From $10/mo	From $20/mo
Key features	Visual citation mapping around a research topic or paper Ongoing alerts when new papers connect to a saved map Free tier for standard use Operating since 2019 Continuous monitoring rather than a one-time snapshot	Smart Citations classifying citing papers as supporting, contradicting, or mentioning Index of over one billion classified citations Acquired by Research Solutions, Inc. in December 2023 Operating since 2018, originally Brooklyn-based Full-text search across the citation index
Pros	Ongoing alerts address literature that changes over a long project, not just a single search session Free tier available for standard use Visual mapping approach suits early-stage discovery well	Citation classification answers a genuinely different question than raw citation counts Very large, established index of classified citations Now backed by publicly traded Research Solutions, Inc
Cons	More maps and features require a paid plan Alert-based monitoring adds less value for short, one-off research tasks Visual graph format does not answer content questions the way a chat-based tool does	No permanent free plan, only a time-limited trial Among the higher prices in this category Citation-evaluation focus is a narrower use case than general literature search or chat
Company	Litmap Ltd., founded 2019	Research Solutions, Inc., founded 2018

Prices come from each vendor's pricing page, last checked 20260629. Check the vendor before you buy.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Is Litmaps better than Scite?

In our reviews Litmaps scores 4.4 and Scite scores 4.2. The better pick depends on the job. Litmaps: Citation mapping with ongoing alerts, not just a one-time snapshot. Scite: Smart Citations classify whether a citing paper actually supports or contradicts a claim.

Which is cheaper, Litmaps or Scite?

Litmaps has the lower starting price: from $10/mo for Litmaps and from $20/mo for Scite.

Do Litmaps and Scite have free plans?

Only Litmaps has a free plan.

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