# Elicit

> AI research assistant for literature search, systematic reviews and evidence reports

- Category: [Education & Research](https://finderatlas.com/categories/education)
- Pricing: Freemium
- Website: https://elicit.com
- Platforms: Web, API
- API: available
- Made by: Elicit, Oakland, CA
- Last updated: 2026-10-20
- FinderAtlas page: https://finderatlas.com/tools/elicit

## Overview

Elicit is an AI research tool for finding, screening and analyzing academic papers. Users ask a research question, and Elicit searches an index of more than 138 million papers and about 545,000 clinical trials, then returns sources, summaries and structured data tables with sentence-level citations. It is used for literature reviews, evidence synthesis and extracting details such as methods, sample sizes and outcomes from papers.

## Key features

- Research Agent
- Research Reports
- Systematic Literature Review
- Data extraction tables
- Library
- Routines
- Chat with papers
- Zotero import
- API and MCP server

## Pricing

- **Basic** ($0): Free plan with limited Research Agent and Reports usage
- **Pro** ($75/user/mo): Billed monthly ($49 per user per month billed annually); standard usage for systematic reviews
- **Scale** ($279/user/mo): Billed monthly ($169 per user per month billed annually); 5x usage with collaboration
- **Enterprise** (Custom): For companies and schools

## Best for

- Literature reviews
- Systematic review screening and extraction
- Extracting data from papers into tables
- Tracking new research on a topic

## Who uses it

- Academic researchers
- Graduate students
- Life sciences and pharma teams
- Policy and government analysts
- Evidence synthesis teams

## Strengths

- Free plan with unlimited search across 138M+ papers
- Sentence-level citations for AI-generated claims
- Structured extraction of paper details into tables
- Dedicated systematic review workflow and Routines for tracking new research
- API and MCP server for use with other tools

## Limitations

- Research Agent and Reports usage is limited on the free plan
- Systematic reviews, Routines and API access need Pro at $75 per user per month ($49 billed annually)
- Pricing page shows only annual-billing rates for Pro and Scale
- Focused on research; not a general-purpose assistant
- No mobile app

## Not recommended for

- General-purpose chat
- Writing outside research contexts

## Integrations

- Zotero
- PubMed
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- MCP

## FinderAtlas editorial scores (out of 10)

- Academic Paper Search: 8.8/10
- Structured Data Extraction: 8.7/10
- Citation Transparency: 8.6/10
- Systematic Review Support: 8.5/10
- Pricing Clarity: 7/10

## Alternatives

- [PlayableNotes](https://finderatlas.com/tools/playable-notes): Turn piano sheet music into scores arranged at each student's level ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/elicit-vs-playable-notes))
- [Oboe](https://finderatlas.com/tools/oboe): AI tutor that builds personalized learning paths with podcasts, flashcards and quizzes on any topic ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/elicit-vs-oboe))
- [Julius AI](https://finderatlas.com/tools/julius-ai): AI data analyst that runs Python on your spreadsheets and databases to produce charts ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/elicit-vs-julius-ai))
- [Gemini Notebook](https://finderatlas.com/tools/notebooklm): Google's Gemini Notebook, formerly NotebookLM, answers questions and builds summaries from your own sources ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/elicit-vs-notebooklm))
- [Undermind](https://finderatlas.com/tools/undermind): AI research assistant that searches, reads and cites scientific papers for literature reviews ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/elicit-vs-undermind))
- [AnswerThis](https://finderatlas.com/tools/answerthis): AI research assistant that searches papers and drafts literature reviews with verifiable citations ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/answerthis-vs-elicit))
- [Consensus](https://finderatlas.com/tools/consensus): Search peer-reviewed research and get cited, evidence-based answers in seconds ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/consensus-vs-elicit))
- [Yila AI](https://finderatlas.com/tools/yila-ai): AI research workbench that finds real papers and drafts literature reviews with traceable citations ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/elicit-vs-yila-ai))

## Recent updates

- 2026-08-08 (Elicit Systematic Reviews): Systematic Review Tooling

## FAQ

**Where does Elicit get its papers?**

Elicit searches its own index of more than 138 million academic papers and about 545,000 clinical trials. Through the API it can also search PubMed only or ClinicalTrials.gov trials.

**Is Elicit free?**

Yes, the Basic plan is free. It includes unlimited search, summaries and chat with papers, with limited Research Agent and Reports usage. Pro costs $75 per user per month billed monthly ($49 billed annually), and Scale costs $279 ($169 billed annually).

**Can Elicit run a systematic review?**

Pro and above include a systematic review workflow that automates screening and data extraction. Pro can screen up to 5,000 papers, and Enterprise up to 40,000. Elicit describes support for search and reporting as partial.

**Does Elicit have an API?**

Yes. The REST API v2 searches papers and trials and runs reports and systematic reviews. An MCP server is also available. Both require a Pro plan or above, and docs are at docs.elicit.com.

**Does Elicit work with Zotero?**

Yes, all plans can import from Zotero.

**Is my data used to train models?**

Elicit lists no training on your data by default under the Enterprise plan. The pricing page does not state this for other plans, so check Elicit's privacy policy.