Connected Papers vs Elicit
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
AI tool · Freemium
Builds a visual graph of papers similar to one you choose, to explore a field quickly.
AI tool · Freemium
An AI research assistant for finding academic papers, summarising them and extracting data into tables.
Our verdict
Connected Papers and Elicit both help with academic research, but they do different jobs. Connected Papers draws a visual map of papers related to one you pick, which suits getting oriented in an unfamiliar field and tracing prior and later work. Elicit is an AI research assistant that searches for papers, summarises them and pulls data into tables, which suits literature reviews and extracting figures. Both offer a free tier with limits, and neither is hands-on tested by us yet.
Pick Connected Papers if you are new to a field and want a visual map of related papers and their prior and derivative works.
Pick Elicit if you are running a literature review and want paper search, summaries and data pulled into tables.
| Key difference | Connected Papers | Elicit |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | Visual graph of papers similar to one you choose. | AI assistant that finds, summarises and extracts paper data. |
Written with AI from both products' catalogue entries · updated 2026-10-29
Who each one is for
Choose Connected Papers if you need…
- Getting oriented in a new field
- Finding prior and derivative works
Choose Elicit if you need…
- Literature reviews
- Extracting data from papers
Side-by-side
| Connected Papers | Elicit | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Research & learning · Academic research | Research & learning · Academic research |
| Price | Freemium | Freemium |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Works with | — | — |
| Hands-on tested by us | Not yet | Not yet |
| Last checked | 2026-10-29 | 2026-10-29 |
What each one is
Connected Papers
Builds a visual graph of papers similar to one you choose, to explore a field quickly. Simple and effective. The free plan limits how many graphs you can build each month.
Elicit
An AI research assistant for finding academic papers, summarising them and extracting data into tables. Saves time on early literature searches and extraction. Coverage depends on its paper database; verify extracted figures against the papers.
Best for
Connected Papers
- Getting oriented in a new field
- Finding prior and derivative works
Elicit
- Literature reviews
- Extracting data from papers
Strengths
Connected Papers
- Similarity graphs
- Prior and derivative works lists
- Export to reference managers
Elicit
- Semantic paper search
- Data extraction into tables
- Paper summaries
- Systematic review workflows
Frequently asked questions
Should I use Connected Papers or Elicit?
Connected Papers and Elicit both help with academic research, but they do different jobs. Connected Papers draws a visual map of papers related to one you pick, which suits getting oriented in an unfamiliar field and tracing prior and later work. Elicit is an AI research assistant that searches for papers, summarises them and pulls data into tables, which suits literature reviews and extracting figures. Both offer a free tier with limits, and neither is hands-on tested by us yet. Pick Connected Papers if you are new to a field and want a visual map of related papers and their prior and derivative works. Pick Elicit if you are running a literature review and want paper search, summaries and data pulled into tables.
What is the difference between Connected Papers and Elicit?
Connected Papers: Builds a visual graph of papers similar to one you choose, to explore a field quickly. Elicit: An AI research assistant for finding academic papers, summarising them and extracting data into tables. Connected Papers suits getting oriented in a new field, while Elicit suits literature reviews.
Are Connected Papers and Elicit free?
Connected Papers: Freemium. Elicit: Freemium.
What are other alternatives to Connected Papers and Elicit?
Other options people compare them with include Consensus, ResearchRabbit, SciSpace, Scite, Semantic Scholar.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.