Shortlist by what you need
Start here if you know why you are leaving Liner.
Want the closest match?
PapersMost similar to Liner in what it does, its category and its price.
Visit (opens Papers in a new tab)Need a free plan?
HumataHas a free plan, rated 4.3 out of 5.
Visit (opens Humata in a new tab)Want to pay less than Liner?
GeneiFrom GBP 3.99/mo, against from $12/mo for Liner.
Visit (opens Genei in a new tab)Want the best rated?
ScholarAIRated 4.2 out of 5 in our review, against 4.2 for Liner.
Visit (opens ScholarAI in a new tab)
At a glance
Green means better than Liner, red means worse. Prices are starting prices per month.
| Tool | Our rating | Starts at | Free plan | Best for | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 LinerBaseline | 4.2 | $12/mo | Yes | Started as a web highlighter in 2015, later added AI research search | |
| Papers | 4.2Same | $5.42/mo$6.58 less | No | Reference manager with an AI research assistant for querying and organizing academic literature. | vs Liner |
| Genei | 3.8−0.4 | $3.99/mo$8.01 less | No | AI research assistant that summarizes PDFs and papers and manages citations for academic and professional writing. | vs Liner |
 ChatDOC | 3.9−0.3 | Free | Yes | Chat with PDFs where every answer cites the passage it came from, backed by its own document parser and API. | vs Liner |
| ScholarAI | 4.2Same | $12/moSame price | Yes | Grew out of one of the first academic-search plugins for ChatGPT | vs Liner |
| Humata | 4.3+0.1 | $1/mo$11 less | Yes | Per-page pricing for chatting with large documents beyond academic papers | vs Liner |
 SciSpace | 4.2Same | $12/moSame price | Yes | Started as a journal-formatting tool, now a broader AI research assistant | vs Liner |
 Mendeley | 3.7−0.5 | Free | Yes | AI interprets the logic behind your search queries and surfaces patterns and missing links across your entire reference library, not just keyword matches. | vs Liner |
 Petal | 4.2Same | $4/mo$8 less | Yes | MIT-founded document platform with a free reference-manager component | vs Liner |
The alternatives in detail
In order of how closely each one matches Liner.
Papers
4.2$5.42/mo
vs Liner$6.58 lessSame
Reference manager with an AI research assistant for querying and organizing academic literature.
- AI assistant that answers questions across multiple papers at once
- Citation management with support for major academic formatting styles
- PDF annotation and library organization tools
Nearly two decades of product history behind the reference-manager core
No permanent free tier, only a 30-day trial
Genei
3.8$3.99/mo
vs Liner$8.01 less−0.4
AI research assistant that summarizes PDFs and papers and manages citations for academic and professional writing.
- PDF, webpage, and research-paper summarization
- Multi-document search and question-answering
- Automatic citation and reference generation
Entry price of £3.99/month undercuts most academic research-assistant tools
No permanent free plan, only a 14-day trial
ChatDOC
3.9Free
vs Liner−0.3
Chat with PDFs where every answer cites the passage it came from, backed by its own document parser and API.
- Answers cite the source passage in the document
- Standalone PDF parser available as an API
- ChatPaper for academic reading
Visible citations make answers checkable rather than merely plausible
A citation proves provenance, not correct interpretation
ScholarAI
4.2$12/mo
vs LinerSame priceSame
Grew out of one of the first academic-search plugins for ChatGPT.
- Originated as one of the first ChatGPT plugins for academic search
- Scholarly citation retrieval inside conversational AI workflows
- Free tier for standard use
Conversational integration suits researchers already working inside AI chat tools
More searches and features require a paid plan
Humata
4.3$1/mo
vs Liner$11 less+0.1
Per-page pricing for chatting with large documents beyond academic papers.
- Chat interface for large, long-form documents beyond academic papers
- Per-page pricing model scaling with document volume
- Positioned for contracts, patents, and financial filings
Broader document scope than tools focused narrowly on academic papers
Per-page pricing can cost more than a flat tier for steady, high-volume use
SciSpace
4.2$12/mo
vs LinerSame priceSame
Started as a journal-formatting tool, now a broader AI research assistant.
- Deep journal-formatting and citation-template capability from its Typeset.io origin
- AI-powered literature review and PDF chat across 280+ million papers
- Free tier for standard use
Combines AI research assistance with genuinely deep formatting capability
Broad feature set adds more surface area to learn than a single-purpose tool
Mendeley
3.7Free
vs Liner−0.5
AI interprets the logic behind your search queries and surfaces patterns and missing links across your entire reference library, not just keyword matches.
- AI Search & Insights - interprets query logic, not just keywords
- Pattern recognition uncovering relationships across your reference library
- 2GB free cloud storage with PDF management and annotation
Pattern recognition catches cross-paper connections a manual review would likely miss
Full pricing details aren't shown on the homepage
Petal
4.2$4/mo
vs Liner$8 lessSame
MIT-founded document platform with a free reference-manager component.
- Chat interface across a shared, uploaded document library
- Petal CITE, a free cloud-native reference manager
- Founded in 2018 by MIT graduate researchers
Petal CITE provides genuinely free reference management, not just a limited trial
More features require a paid plan
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is Liner free?
Liner has a free plan, and paid plans start from $12/mo.
What is the best free alternative to Liner?
Humata is the highest-rated alternative here with a free plan (4.3 out of 5). Other free options: ScholarAI, SciSpace, Petal.
What is the cheapest alternative to Liner?
Among paid plans, Humata has the lowest starting price (from $1/mo). If you need it free, start with Humata.
How did you pick these alternatives?
We match tools on what they do, their category and their price, using the details in our directory. Ratings come from our reviews and reader reviews.