Right AI for the Job
Home › Tools › Litmaps vs Rayyan
Updated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison

Litmaps vs Rayyan:
which should you use?

Litmaps and Rayyan, side by side. Find the one that fits what you need to do.

Find your best fit

The 30-second answer

Litmaps is built for search, research & academics. Rayyan is built for search, research & academics.

Pricing, simplified

Start free. Upgrade when you need more.

2 of 2 have a free plan 0 of 2 prices re-read automatically · how we know No paid placement

The 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.

Litmaps and Rayyan side by side, with the better fit for each row.
CategoryLitmapsRayyanBetter fit
What it's built forDraws a citation map you can steer, so the shape of a literature becomes visible rather than being a list of titles.Built for systematic reviews — thousands of abstracts screened by a team, with blinding and conflict resolution built into the workflow.Tie
Free planYes. 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 collaborationYes. Free forever, pitched at your first systematic review rather than as a trialTie
Cheapest way to pay$12.5 a month.$8.33 a month.Rayyan
What the paid tiers cost
  • One person, from $12.50/month
  • Per seat, from priced on request
  • One person, from $8.33/month billed quarterly
  • Per seat, from $41.67/month billed yearly
  • Enterprise, priced on request
Tie
What to watch out forA 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.Overkill for anything smaller than a formal review. Individual seats are cheap, but the institutional tier starts at 5 licenses for $2,500 a year. Rayyan's own page swaps the descriptions of Essential and Advanced between its billing tabs, so read the feature list rather than the blurb.Tie
Who it is usually forresearchers, studentsresearchersTie
Made byLitmaps — Wellington, NZ.Rayyan Systems — Cambridge, US.Tie

Rayyan is ahead on 1 of the 7 rows compared — cheapest way to pay — and it is not about how well it does the job. On fitness for the work, it and Litmaps are level. Treat this as a tiebreaker, not a recommendation.

Ahead on the small print

Rayyan

Built for systematic reviews — thousands of abstracts screened by a team, with blinding and conflict resolution built into the workflow.

✓ Built for systematic reviews — thousands of abstracts screened by a team, with blinding and conflict resolution built into the workflow. ✓ You want the cheaper paid plan, $8.33 against $12.5 ✓ It is built for search, research & academics ✓ Free forever, pitched at your first systematic review rather than as a trial
Choose Litmaps instead if…

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.

The 1 row that decided this page, with the source for each.
RowFavoursWeightWhere it came from
Cheapest way to payRayyanEverything elseFrom 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

Rayyan. Read by hand off rayyan.ai on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. rayyan.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 fit
Rayyan
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
02

Search, Research & Academics

Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.

Litmaps
Built for this
Rayyan
Built for this
Best choice: Tie
03

Writing, Communication & Language

Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.

Litmaps
Not a good fit
Rayyan
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
04

Coding, Data & Technical Work

Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.

Litmaps
Bad fit
Rayyan
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
05

Business, Finance & Professional Work

Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.

Litmaps
Not a good fit
Rayyan
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
06

Image & Design

Image generation, photo editing, logos, graphics, product design, advertising creatives.

Litmaps
Bad fit
Rayyan
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
07

Video

Video generation and editing, clipping, subtitles, avatars, animation and motion capture.

Litmaps
Bad fit
Rayyan
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
08

Audio, Voice & Music

Voice generation, transcription, music, dubbing, sound cleanup and podcast production.

Litmaps
Bad fit
Rayyan
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
09

Marketing & Content Creation

Social media, SEO, advertising, copywriting, content ideas, scripts, brand development.

Litmaps
Bad fit
Rayyan
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
10

Productivity, Automation & Personal Life

AI agents, workflows, scheduling, meetings, organization, shopping, travel, personal finance.

Litmaps
Not a good fit
Rayyan
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
Pick Litmaps if

Draws a citation map you can steer, so the shape of a literature becomes visible rather than being a list of titles.

Wellington, NZ
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
Pick Rayyan if

Built for systematic reviews — thousands of abstracts screened by a team, with blinding and conflict resolution built into the workflow.

by Rayyan Systems
Built for systematic reviews — thousands of abstracts screened by a team, with blinding and conflict resolution built into the workflow.
You want the cheaper paid plan, $8.33 against $12.5
It is built for search, research & academics
Free forever, pitched at your first systematic review rather than as a trial

Pricing, simplified

The plans people actually compare, read from each vendor’s own page.

PricingSimple, up-to-date plan overview.
Litmapsby Litmaps
Rayyanby Rayyan Systems
Free version
Litmaps
Yes — Free plan availableFree, capped rather than trial-limited: 2 Litmaps with 100 articles per map, basic search
Rayyan
Yes — Free plan availableFree forever, pitched at your first systematic review rather than as a trial
Individual plans
Litmaps
Pro $12.50 / month$10 / month (annual)
Rayyan
Essential $8.33 / month (quarterly)$4.99 / month (annual)
Advanced $13.33 / month (quarterly)$8.33 / month (annual)
Business plans
Litmaps
Custom pricingTeam
Rayyan
From $41.67 / user / month (annual)Business or Academic
Enterprise
LitmapsNot published
Rayyan
Custom pricing
View full details
LitmapsView Litmaps pricing
RayyanView Rayyan pricing
Interactive

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; Rayyan is cheaper to start paying for, $8.33 against $12.5.
7 rows compared

Frequently asked questions

Is Litmaps or Rayyan better?

Rayyan is ahead on 1 of the 7 rows compared — cheapest way to pay — and it is not about how well it does the job. On fitness for the work, it and Litmaps are level. Treat this as a tiebreaker, not a recommendation. both have a free plan you can start on; Rayyan is cheaper to start paying for, $8.33 against $12.5. Litmaps: Draws a citation map you can steer, so the shape of a literature becomes visible rather than being a list of titles. Rayyan: Built for systematic reviews — thousands of abstracts screened by a team, with blinding and conflict resolution built into the workflow.

Is Litmaps or Rayyan cheaper?

Rayyan — paid plans start at $8.33 a month against $12.5 a month.

Do Litmaps and Rayyan 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. Rayyan: Free forever, pitched at your first systematic review rather than as a trial.

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. Rayyan: Overkill for anything smaller than a formal review. Individual seats are cheap, but the institutional tier starts at 5 licenses for $2,500 a year. Rayyan's own page swaps the descriptions of Essential and Advanced between its billing tabs, so read the feature list rather than the blurb.

Read more

Litmaps

What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.

Rayyan

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.

How we compare AI tools
Every row is generated from the same record the rest of the site is built on, so this page cannot drift from what we say elsewhere. We separate winner, tie and depends rather than forcing each category into a ranking, and we drop rows where both sides say the same thing. A pick is only called an overall pick when it leads on rows about how well the tool does the job; a lead that rests on price or audience alone is labelled as one. Nothing here is a hands-on test — how we know lists the source and date behind every deciding row.