Shortlist by what you need
Start here if you know why you are leaving Paperguide.
Want the closest match?
SciSpaceMost similar to Paperguide in what it does, its category and its price.
Visit (opens SciSpace in a new tab)Need a free plan?
LitmapsHas a free plan, rated 4.4 out of 5.
Visit (opens Litmaps in a new tab)Want the best rated?
AnaraRated 4.3 out of 5 in our review, against 4.2 for Paperguide.
Visit (opens Anara in a new tab)
At a glance
Green means better than Paperguide, red means worse. Prices are starting prices per month.
| Tool | Our rating | Starts at | Free plan | Best for | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 PaperguideBaseline | 4.2 | $10/mo | Yes | Bundles search, review, full draft writing, and reference management in one platform | |
| SciSpace | 4.2Same | $12/mo$2 more | Yes | Started as a journal-formatting tool, now a broader AI research assistant | vs Paperguide |
 Keenious | 4.2Same | $10/moSame price | Yes | Suggests citations in real time while you write your own paper | vs Paperguide |
 Sourcely | 4.2Same | $17/mo$7 more | Yes | Paste a whole essay draft, get back citation-worthy sources matched to specific passages | vs Paperguide |
| Anara | 4.3+0.1 | $10/moSame price | Yes | Extracts PDF tables into structured, typed data schemas | vs Paperguide |
 PaperJet | 3.4−0.8 | Free | Yes | Searches the literature and drafts beside it on the same canvas. | vs Paperguide |
| Litmaps | 4.4+0.2 | $10/moSame price | Yes | Citation mapping with ongoing alerts, not just a one-time snapshot | vs Paperguide |
 Elicit | 4.3+0.1 | $12/mo$2 more | Yes | Automates systematic review, extracting data into tables across many papers at once | vs Paperguide |
 Gatsbi | 3.6−0.6 | Not listed | No | Generates research topics, drafts papers with citations and automates systematic reviews. | vs Paperguide |
The alternatives in detail
In order of how closely each one matches Paperguide.
SciSpace
4.2$12/mo
vs Paperguide$2 moreSame
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
Keenious
4.2$10/mo
vs PaperguideSame priceSame
Suggests citations in real time while you write your own paper.
- Real-time literature suggestions triggered by the user's own writing
- No separate search query required to surface relevant papers
- Free tier for standard use
Suggests relevant literature without interrupting the writing process
More features require a paid plan
Sourcely
4.2$17/mo
vs Paperguide$7 moreSame
Paste a whole essay draft, get back citation-worthy sources matched to specific passages.
- Paste a full essay or draft to match passages with citation-worthy sources
- Citation generation across 700+ citation styles
- Database of 200+ million research papers
Passage-matching input approach is genuinely different from keyword search
Free tier's 300-character limit is restrictive for anything beyond a short excerpt
Anara
4.3$10/mo
vs PaperguideSame price+0.1
Extracts PDF tables into structured, typed data schemas.
- Typed schema extraction of tables and structured data from PDFs
- Library connections to Zotero, Mendeley, Notion, Google Drive, PubMed, arXiv, and JSTOR
- Grounded, clickable citations tied to source passages
Structured data extraction goes beyond prose-only answers
Five-tier pricing structure takes more comparison to find the right plan
PaperJet
3.4Free
vs Paperguide−0.8
Searches the literature and drafts beside it on the same canvas.
- Single search across academic papers
- Libraries for organising gathered sources
- Canvas for drafting alongside the literature
Keeps the link between a source and the claim it supports
'All papers' coverage claims are never quite true
Litmaps
4.4$10/mo
vs PaperguideSame price+0.2
Citation mapping with ongoing alerts, not just a one-time snapshot.
- Visual citation mapping around a research topic or paper
- Ongoing alerts when new papers connect to a saved map
- Free tier for standard use
Ongoing alerts address literature that changes over a long project, not just a single search session
More maps and features require a paid plan
Elicit
4.3$12/mo
vs Paperguide$2 more+0.1
Automates systematic review, extracting data into tables across many papers at once.
- Structured data extraction into comparison tables across many papers at once
- Built specifically for systematic review and meta-analysis workflows
- Custom extraction fields defined by the user
Multi-paper table extraction addresses a genuinely labor-intensive research task
More extractions and features require a paid plan
Gatsbi
3.6Not listed
vs Paperguide−0.6
Generates research topics, drafts papers with citations and automates systematic reviews.
- Research topic discovery
- Paper drafting with citations
- Patent drafting
Systematic review screening is a genuinely good fit for automation
Generated citations must be checked individually against real sources
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is Paperguide free?
Paperguide has a free plan, and paid plans start from $10/mo.
What is the best free alternative to Paperguide?
Litmaps is the highest-rated alternative here with a free plan (4.4 out of 5). Other free options: Anara, Elicit, SciSpace.
What is the cheapest alternative to Paperguide?
Among paid plans, Keenious has the lowest starting price (from $10/mo). If you need it free, start with Litmaps.
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.