LitmapsFree plan
Paid from
$12.5 a month
View plans and limitsUpdated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison
Litmaps vs OpenEvidence:
which should you use?
Litmaps and OpenEvidence, side by side. Find the one that fits what you need to do.
Find your best fitThe 30-second answer
Litmaps is built for search, research & academics.
OpenEvidence is built for search, research & academics.
Pricing, simplified
Start free. Upgrade when you need more.
OpenEvidenceFree plan
Pricing
No verified ladder yet
View plans and limitsThe 30-second comparison
If you only read one section, make it this one. Rows where both sides say the same thing are left out — the point is where they differ. Where each row came from is listed underneath.
| Category | Litmaps | OpenEvidence | Better fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it's built for | Draws a citation map you can steer, so the shape of a literature becomes visible rather than being a list of titles. | Built for clinical literature. Answers cite primary medical research, and it is free for verified clinicians. | Tie |
| Free plan | Yes. Free, capped rather than trial-limited: 2 Litmaps with 100 articles per map, basic search taking up to 20 seed inputs, monthly literature alerts and no collaboration | Yes. Free for verified clinicians, ad-supported | Tie |
| Cheapest way to pay | $12.5 a month. | No paid tier — it is free. | OpenEvidence |
| What the paid tiers cost |
| No paid tier — it is free. | Tie |
| What to watch out for | A map is a prompt to read, not a substitute for reading. The free tier stops at 2 maps of 100 articles each, so a real review needs Pro, and Pro is priced on separate education and commercial tabs. Overlaps ResearchRabbit, which is now the same company. | Medicine only, and access is gated behind clinician verification. No use for a history or engineering student. | Tie |
| Who it is usually for | researchers, students | researchers, working professionals | Tie |
| Sources you can check | Answers arrive without sources attached. | Answers carry sources you can open and check. | OpenEvidence |
| Made by | Litmaps — Wellington, NZ. | OpenEvidence — Cambridge, US. | Tie |
OpenEvidence is ahead on 2 of the 8 rows compared, 1 of them about how well it does the job itself. It is a single row of daylight, so read Litmaps’s column before deciding.
OpenEvidence
Built for clinical literature.
✓ Built for clinical literature.
✓ You would rather not take on a subscription at all
✓ You need sources you can open and check
✓ You are among working professionals
Draws a citation map you can steer, so the shape of a literature becomes visible rather than being a list of titles.
Litmaps is the better answer when the job is what it was built for rather than what the pick above does broadly.
✓ Draws a citation map you can steer, so the shape of a literature becomes visible rather than being a list of titles.
✓ You are among students
✓ It is built for search, research & academics
✓ Free, capped rather than trial-limited: 2 Litmaps with 100 articles per map, basic search taking up to 20 seed inputs, monthly literature alerts and no collaboration
How we know
Every row that separated these two, and where it came from. Nothing here is a hands-on test — if a line rests on a vendor’s own pricing page, it says so and links it.
| Row | Favours | Weight | Where it came from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest way to pay | OpenEvidence | Everything else | From each vendor’s own pricing page. Dates and pages are listed below. |
| Sources you can check | OpenEvidence | How well it does the job | From this site’s own catalogue record for each product — compiled by hand, not imported. How a product gets listed |
The prices
Litmaps. Read by hand off litmaps.com on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. litmaps.com/pricing
OpenEvidence. Read by hand on 4 September 2026, because OpenEvidence cannot be read automatically: Free for verified clinicians, no paid tier — nothing priced to watch openevidence.com/pricing
The ratings
The category these two share. Search, Research & Academics — both are listed there in the catalogue, and the fit recorded against each listing is a judgement made here, by hand.
The nine-category grid below. Derived from what each product is listed for, by one script, once per build — so the same pair always reads the same. It is a derivation, not a review.
What this is not
Neither product was run side by side to produce this page. Nobody was paid to appear on it and nothing here is ranked by commission.
To put the same question to both and read the answers yourself, run them side by side — that is a live test, and this is not.
Choose based on what you’re doing
All ten categories, including the ones where neither of these is the answer. These ratings are derived from what each product is listed for, not from running it — a rating here is a reading of the record, and the record is linked.
01
General-Purpose AI Assistants
Questions, brainstorming, explanations, everyday tasks, decision-making, general advice.
Litmaps
Not a good fitOpenEvidence
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
02
Search, Research & Academics
Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.
Litmaps
Built for thisOpenEvidence
Built for thisBest choice: Tie
03
Writing, Communication & Language
Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.
Litmaps
Not a good fitOpenEvidence
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
04
Coding, Data & Technical Work
Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.
Litmaps
Bad fitOpenEvidence
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
05
Business, Finance & Professional Work
Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.
Litmaps
Not a good fitOpenEvidence
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
06
Image & Design
Image generation, photo editing, logos, graphics, product design, advertising creatives.
Litmaps
Bad fitOpenEvidence
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
07
Video
Video generation and editing, clipping, subtitles, avatars, animation and motion capture.
Litmaps
Bad fitOpenEvidence
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
08
Audio, Voice & Music
Voice generation, transcription, music, dubbing, sound cleanup and podcast production.
Litmaps
Bad fitOpenEvidence
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
09
Marketing & Content Creation
Social media, SEO, advertising, copywriting, content ideas, scripts, brand development.
Litmaps
Bad fitOpenEvidence
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
10
Productivity, Automation & Personal Life
AI agents, workflows, scheduling, meetings, organization, shopping, travel, personal finance.
Litmaps
Not a good fitOpenEvidence
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
Draws a citation map you can steer, so the shape of a literature becomes visible rather than being a list of titles.
Wellington, NZDraws a citation map you can steer, so the shape of a literature becomes visible rather than being a list of titles.
You are among students
It is built for search, research & academics
Free, capped rather than trial-limited: 2 Litmaps with 100 articles per map, basic search taking up to 20 seed inputs, monthly literature alerts and no collaboration
Built for clinical literature.
Cambridge, USBuilt for clinical literature.
You would rather not take on a subscription at all
You need sources you can open and check
You are among working professionals
Pricing, simplified
The plans people actually compare, read from each vendor’s own page.
PricingSimple, up-to-date plan overview.
Litmapsby Litmaps
OpenEvidenceby OpenEvidenceFree version
Litmaps
Yes — Free plan availableFree, capped rather than trial-limited: 2 Litmaps with 100 articles per map, basic search
OpenEvidence
Yes — Free plan availableFree for verified clinicians, ad-supported
Individual plans
Litmaps
Pro
$12.50 / month$10 / month (annual)
OpenEvidenceFree plan only
Business plans
Litmaps
Custom pricingTeam
OpenEvidenceNot sold to teams
Enterprise
LitmapsNot published
OpenEvidenceNot published
Tell us what you use AI for
Pick your main job and the verdict below changes to match. Every answer is on the page already, so this works as a reader, not a lookup.
The verdict for that job
OpenEvidence
Close call. Both cover search, research & academics at the same level; both have a free plan you can start on.
8 rows compared
Frequently asked questions
Is Litmaps or OpenEvidence better?
OpenEvidence is ahead on 2 of the 8 rows compared, 1 of them about how well it does the job itself. It is a single row of daylight, so read Litmaps’s column before deciding. both have a free plan you can start on. Litmaps: Draws a citation map you can steer, so the shape of a literature becomes visible rather than being a list of titles. OpenEvidence: Built for clinical literature. Answers cite primary medical research, and it is free for verified clinicians.
Is Litmaps or OpenEvidence cheaper?
Only one of the two publishes a ladder we have verified, so a like-for-like comparison is not possible yet.
Do Litmaps and OpenEvidence both have free plans?
Yes. Litmaps: Free, capped rather than trial-limited: 2 Litmaps with 100 articles per map, basic search taking up to 20 seed inputs, monthly literature alerts and no collaboration. OpenEvidence: Free for verified clinicians, ad-supported.
What should I watch out for?
Litmaps: A map is a prompt to read, not a substitute for reading. The free tier stops at 2 maps of 100 articles each, so a real review needs Pro, and Pro is priced on separate education and commercial tabs. Overlaps ResearchRabbit, which is now the same company. OpenEvidence: Medicine only, and access is gated behind clinician verification. No use for a history or engineering student.
Read more
Litmaps
What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.
OpenEvidence
What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.
Best AI for Research
Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.