LitmapsFree plan
Paid from
$12.5 a month
View plans and limitsUpdated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison
Litmaps vs Paperguide:
which should you use?
Litmaps and Paperguide, 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.
Paperguide is built for search, research & academics.
Pricing, simplified
Start free. Upgrade when you need more.
PaperguideFree plan
Paid from
$15 a month
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 | Paperguide | 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. | Covers finding papers, reading them, managing references and drafting in one place, which is unusually broad for this category. | 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, capped by credits: 2,000 AI credits a month across Research Agents, Research Reports and the AI Writer, with a limited reference manager and limited AI searches, and no systematic reviews | Tie |
| Cheapest way to pay | $12.5 a month. | $15 a month. | Litmaps |
| What the paid tiers cost |
|
| 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. | Breadth costs depth against the tools that do one of those jobs properly. A young product, so expect it to keep changing shape. Priced on separate academic and industry tabs, and the free tier runs on 2,000 credits a month with no systematic reviews. | Tie |
| Made by | Litmaps — Wellington, NZ. | Paperguide — Milton, US. | Tie |
Litmaps is ahead on 1 of the 6 rows compared — cheapest way to pay — and it is not about how well it does the job. On fitness for the work, it and Paperguide are level. Treat this as a tiebreaker, not a recommendation.
Litmaps
Draws a citation map you can steer, so the shape of a literature becomes visible rather than being a list of titles.
✓ Draws a citation map you can steer, so the shape of a literature becomes visible rather than being a list of titles.
✓ You want the cheaper paid plan, $12.5 against $15
✓ 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
Covers finding papers, reading them, managing references and drafting in one place, which is unusually broad for this category.
Paperguide is the better answer when the job is what it was built for rather than what the pick above does broadly.
✓ Covers finding papers, reading them, managing references and drafting in one place, which is unusually broad for this category.
✓ It is built for search, research & academics
✓ Free, capped by credits: 2,000 AI credits a month across Research Agents, Research Reports and the AI Writer, with a limited reference manager and limited AI searches, and no systematic reviews
✓ It is aimed at researchers, students
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 | Litmaps | Everything else | From each vendor’s own pricing page. Dates and pages are listed below. |
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
Paperguide. Read by hand off paperguide.ai on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. paperguide.ai/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 fitPaperguide
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
02
Search, Research & Academics
Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.
Litmaps
Built for thisPaperguide
Built for thisBest choice: Tie
03
Writing, Communication & Language
Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.
Litmaps
Not a good fitPaperguide
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
04
Coding, Data & Technical Work
Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.
Litmaps
Bad fitPaperguide
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
05
Business, Finance & Professional Work
Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.
Litmaps
Not a good fitPaperguide
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
06
Image & Design
Image generation, photo editing, logos, graphics, product design, advertising creatives.
Litmaps
Bad fitPaperguide
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
07
Video
Video generation and editing, clipping, subtitles, avatars, animation and motion capture.
Litmaps
Bad fitPaperguide
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
08
Audio, Voice & Music
Voice generation, transcription, music, dubbing, sound cleanup and podcast production.
Litmaps
Bad fitPaperguide
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
09
Marketing & Content Creation
Social media, SEO, advertising, copywriting, content ideas, scripts, brand development.
Litmaps
Bad fitPaperguide
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
10
Productivity, Automation & Personal Life
AI agents, workflows, scheduling, meetings, organization, shopping, travel, personal finance.
Litmaps
Not a good fitPaperguide
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 want the cheaper paid plan, $12.5 against $15
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
Covers finding papers, reading them, managing references and drafting in one place, which is unusually broad for this category.
Milton, USCovers finding papers, reading them, managing references and drafting in one place, which is unusually broad for this category.
It is built for search, research & academics
Free, capped by credits: 2,000 AI credits a month across Research Agents, Research Reports and the AI Writer, with a limited reference manager and limited AI searches, and no systematic reviews
It is aimed at researchers, students
Pricing, simplified
The plans people actually compare, read from each vendor’s own page.
PricingSimple, up-to-date plan overview.
Litmapsby Litmaps
Paperguideby PaperguideFree version
Litmaps
Yes — Free plan availableFree, capped rather than trial-limited: 2 Litmaps with 100 articles per map, basic search
Paperguide
Yes — Free plan availableFree, capped by credits: 2,000 AI credits a month across Research Agents, Research Reports and
Individual plans
Litmaps
Pro
$12.50 / month$10 / month (annual)
Paperguide
Academic Plus
$15 / month$9 / month (annual)
Academic Pro
$49 / month$29 / month (annual)
Academic Evidence
$99 / month$69 / month (annual)
Industry Plus
$29 / month$17 / month (annual)
Industry Pro
$69 / month$39 / month (annual)
Industry Evidence
$199 / month$119 / month (annual)
Business plans
Litmaps
Custom pricingTeam
PaperguideNot sold to teams
Enterprise
LitmapsNot published
Paperguide
Custom pricing
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
Evenly matched
Close call. Both cover search, research & academics at the same level; both have a free plan you can start on; Litmaps is cheaper to start paying for, $12.5 against $15.
6 rows compared
Frequently asked questions
Is Litmaps or Paperguide better?
Litmaps is ahead on 1 of the 6 rows compared — cheapest way to pay — and it is not about how well it does the job. On fitness for the work, it and Paperguide are level. Treat this as a tiebreaker, not a recommendation. both have a free plan you can start on; Litmaps is cheaper to start paying for, $12.5 against $15. Litmaps: Draws a citation map you can steer, so the shape of a literature becomes visible rather than being a list of titles. Paperguide: Covers finding papers, reading them, managing references and drafting in one place, which is unusually broad for this category.
Is Litmaps or Paperguide cheaper?
Litmaps — paid plans start at $12.5 a month against $15 a month.
Do Litmaps and Paperguide 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. Paperguide: Free, capped by credits: 2,000 AI credits a month across Research Agents, Research Reports and the AI Writer, with a limited reference manager and limited AI searches, and no systematic reviews.
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. Paperguide: Breadth costs depth against the tools that do one of those jobs properly. A young product, so expect it to keep changing shape. Priced on separate academic and industry tabs, and the free tier runs on 2,000 credits a month with no systematic reviews.
Read more
Litmaps
What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.
Paperguide
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.