Comparison
| Tool | Price from | Free plan | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
 Explainpaper | 16 USD/mo | yes | Research & science |
 NotebookLM | 23,99 PLN/mo | ? | Research & science |
 GetPaperFast | 11.99 USD | yes | Research & science |
 genei | 4.99 GBP/mo | trial | Research & science |
 Scite | 20 USD/mo | trial | Research & science |
 ChatPDF | not listed | yes | PDF & documents |
 Elicit | 11 USD/mo | yes | Research & science |
 Semantic Scholar | not listed | yes | Research & science |
 Wolfram|Alpha | 4,50 GBP/mo | ? | Research & science |
Each alternative in short
1. NotebookLM
AI research and note-taking assistant that answers from your own files, turning them into summaries, slide decks, mind maps and audio or video overviews.
The vendor does not state this clearly on the homepage or pricing page.
2. GetPaperFast
Turns academic PDFs into structured summaries (background, methods, results, limitations) for researchers and students.
Yes, there is a free plan. 5 free credits, expiring after 30 days, with no payment required.
3. genei
AI research assistant that summarises articles and PDFs, extracts keywords and organises reading for students and researchers.
There is a free trial. 14 day free trial on paid plans, cancel any time.
4. Scite
AI research assistant that answers questions from 300M+ scholarly papers and shows whether each claim is supported or disputed by later studies.
There is a free trial. 7-day free trial with access to premium features; no credit card details are mentioned in the text.
5. ChatPDF
Chat with PDFs and other documents to get summaries, answers and cited passages - for students, researchers and professionals.
Yes, there is a free plan. Free plan: analyze 2 documents every day; no account needed to start (account unlocks saved history and multi-document chats).
6. Elicit
AI research assistant that searches, summarizes and extracts data from academic papers, for researchers, analysts and R&D teams.
Yes, there is a free plan. Basic plan: limited usage for Research Agent and Research Reports, unlimited search across 138 million papers, unlimited summaries and chat with papers with full-text access, source viewing and Zotero import.
7. Semantic Scholar
Free AI-powered search engine for scientific literature, helping researchers find relevant papers across all fields of science.
Yes, there is a free plan. Free AI-powered research tool for searching scientific literature.
8. Wolfram|Alpha
Computational knowledge engine that answers math, science, and everyday questions with verified, step-by-step results.
The vendor does not state this clearly on the homepage or pricing page.
FAQ
What is the best alternative to Explainpaper?
The most popular option in the same category is NotebookLM. See the comparison table above.