scite
Research tool that shows how papers have been cited, with an AI assistant
Research Solutions, Inc.
What is scite?
scite is a research discovery platform, now part of Research Solutions, built around Smart Citations and an index of more than 1.6 billion citations. Paid plans include the AI Assistant and search, Smart Citation reports for articles, citation alerts and dashboards, and collections. A free Connect plan lets people use scite's paper index from ChatGPT, Claude and other tools through MCP.
Good for
- Checking how a paper has been cited before relying on it
- Finding research to support a report or grant application
- Tracking new citations of key papers
Key features
- Smart Citation reports for articles
- AI Assistant and search over research papers
- Citation alerts and dashboards
- Collections of up to 1,000 papers (Basic) or 10,000 (Pro)
- MCP access from ChatGPT, Claude and other AI tools
- API access on Pro
Limitations to know about
- The free Connect plan has no Assistant or Search access
- Paid prices are shown for yearly billing only
- API access requires the Pro plan
scite pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Connect | $0 | 25 MCP credits/month; no Assistant or Search |
| Basic | $20/month billed yearly | Full Assistant and Search, 250 MCP credits/month, collections up to 1,000 papers, citation alerts |
| Pro | $50/month billed yearly | API access, 2,500 MCP credits/month, collections up to 10,000 papers, patent, clinical trial and grant datasets |
Free plan limits: Connect plan: 25 MCP credits per month for use in ChatGPT, Claude and other tools; access to 300M+ papers; no Assistant or Search access
scite alternatives
Consensus
AI search engine for peer-reviewed research papers
Elicit
AI research assistant that searches and summarises academic papers
Gemini Notebook
Google's source-grounded research notebook, renamed Gemini Notebook in 2026
Perplexity
AI answer engine that replies with cited sources from the web
Julius AI
AI workspace for analysing data and turning it into charts, reports and slides
Frequently asked questions
Is scite free?
scite has a free plan. Connect plan: 25 MCP credits per month for use in ChatGPT, Claude and other tools; access to 300M+ papers; no Assistant or Search access. Paid plans start at $20/mo.
How much does scite cost?
scite's cheapest paid plan, Basic, costs $20 a month billed annually. Billed yearly; the page says yearly billing saves $96. A monthly-billing price was not shown. Prices as published on scite's pricing page on 23 September 2026.
What is scite used for?
scite is a research discovery platform, now part of Research Solutions, built around Smart Citations and an index of more than 1.6 billion citations. People use it for checking how a paper has been cited before relying on it, finding research to support a report or grant application and tracking new citations of key papers.
What are the alternatives to scite?
Tools that do a similar job include Consensus, Elicit, Gemini Notebook, Perplexity and Julius AI. Each has its own page here with its plans, limits and prices.
Who makes scite?
scite is made by Research Solutions, based in Brooklyn, New York, US. The company was founded in 2018. Research Solutions, Inc.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from Research Solutions's own pages, read on the dates shown.
- scite.ai/pricing (plans, prices, trial, features, ownership) read 23 September 2026
- researchsolutions.com/resources/press-releases/research-solutions-announces-acquisition-of-scite (acquisition date, founding year and location) read 23 September 2026