OpenEvidenceFree plan
Pricing
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View plans and limitsUpdated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison
OpenEvidence vs Scholarcy:
which should you use?
OpenEvidence and Scholarcy, side by side. Find the one that fits what you need to do.
Find your best fitThe 30-second answer
OpenEvidence is built for search, research & academics.
Scholarcy is built for search, research & academics.
Pricing, simplified
Start free. Upgrade when you need more.
ScholarcyFree plan
Paid from
$9.99 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 | OpenEvidence | Scholarcy | Better fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it's built for | Built for clinical literature. Answers cite primary medical research, and it is free for verified clinicians. | Breaks a paper into structured cards — aims, method, findings, limitations — instead of one block of summary, which makes skimming a stack of them practical. | Tie |
| Free plan | Yes. Free for verified clinicians, ad-supported | Yes. Free Article Summarizer: imports a range of file formats but stops at 10 summaries, and exports flashcards only one at a time | Tie |
| Cheapest way to pay | No paid tier — it is free. | $9.99 a month. | OpenEvidence |
| What the paid tiers cost | No paid tier — it is free. |
| Tie |
| What to watch out for | Medicine only, and access is gated behind clinician verification. No use for a history or engineering student. | Structure comes from the paper being conventionally written; it copes badly with anything that is not. The free tier stops at 10 summaries, so a reading list of any size needs the paid plan. | Tie |
| Who it is usually for | researchers, working professionals | students, researchers | Tie |
| Sources you can check | Answers carry sources you can open and check. | Answers arrive without sources attached. | OpenEvidence |
| Made by | OpenEvidence — Cambridge, US. | Scholarcy — London, GB. | 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 Scholarcy’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
Breaks a paper into structured cards — aims, method, findings, limitations — instead of one block of summary, which makes skimming a stack of them practical.
Scholarcy is the better answer when the job is what it was built for rather than what the pick above does broadly.
✓ Breaks a paper into structured cards — aims, method, findings, limitations — instead of one block of summary, which makes skimming a stack of them practical.
✓ You are among students
✓ It is built for search, research & academics
✓ Free Article Summarizer: imports a range of file formats but stops at 10 summaries, and exports flashcards only one at a time
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
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
Scholarcy. Read by hand on 4 September 2026, because Scholarcy cannot be read automatically: www.scholarcy.com refuses automation (403) on both its pricing page and the alternate. Plans transcribed by hand from the pricing page; re-verify the same way. scholarcy.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.
OpenEvidence
Not a good fitScholarcy
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
02
Search, Research & Academics
Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.
OpenEvidence
Built for thisScholarcy
Built for thisBest choice: Tie
03
Writing, Communication & Language
Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.
OpenEvidence
Not a good fitScholarcy
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
04
Coding, Data & Technical Work
Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.
OpenEvidence
Bad fitScholarcy
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
05
Business, Finance & Professional Work
Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.
OpenEvidence
Not a good fitScholarcy
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
06
Image & Design
Image generation, photo editing, logos, graphics, product design, advertising creatives.
OpenEvidence
Bad fitScholarcy
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
07
Video
Video generation and editing, clipping, subtitles, avatars, animation and motion capture.
OpenEvidence
Bad fitScholarcy
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
08
Audio, Voice & Music
Voice generation, transcription, music, dubbing, sound cleanup and podcast production.
OpenEvidence
Bad fitScholarcy
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
09
Marketing & Content Creation
Social media, SEO, advertising, copywriting, content ideas, scripts, brand development.
OpenEvidence
Bad fitScholarcy
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
10
Productivity, Automation & Personal Life
AI agents, workflows, scheduling, meetings, organization, shopping, travel, personal finance.
OpenEvidence
Not a good fitScholarcy
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
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
Breaks a paper into structured cards — aims, method, findings, limitations — instead of one block of summary, which makes skimming a stack of them practical.
London, GBBreaks a paper into structured cards — aims, method, findings, limitations — instead of one block of summary, which makes skimming a stack of them practical.
You are among students
It is built for search, research & academics
Free Article Summarizer: imports a range of file formats but stops at 10 summaries, and exports flashcards only one at a time
Pricing, simplified
The plans people actually compare, read from each vendor’s own page.
PricingSimple, up-to-date plan overview.
OpenEvidenceby OpenEvidence
Scholarcyby ScholarcyFree version
OpenEvidence
Yes — Free plan availableFree for verified clinicians, ad-supported
Scholarcy
Yes — Free plan availableFree Article Summarizer: imports a range of file formats but stops at 10 summaries, and exports
Individual plans
OpenEvidenceFree plan only
Scholarcy
Scholarcy Plus
$9.99 / month$7.50 / month (annual)
Business plans
OpenEvidenceNot sold to teams
ScholarcyNot sold to teams
Enterprise
OpenEvidenceNot published
ScholarcyNot 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 OpenEvidence or Scholarcy 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 Scholarcy’s column before deciding. both have a free plan you can start on. OpenEvidence: Built for clinical literature. Answers cite primary medical research, and it is free for verified clinicians. Scholarcy: Breaks a paper into structured cards — aims, method, findings, limitations — instead of one block of summary, which makes skimming a stack of them practical.
Is OpenEvidence or Scholarcy cheaper?
Only one of the two publishes a ladder we have verified, so a like-for-like comparison is not possible yet.
Do OpenEvidence and Scholarcy both have free plans?
Yes. OpenEvidence: Free for verified clinicians, ad-supported. Scholarcy: Free Article Summarizer: imports a range of file formats but stops at 10 summaries, and exports flashcards only one at a time.
What should I watch out for?
OpenEvidence: Medicine only, and access is gated behind clinician verification. No use for a history or engineering student. Scholarcy: Structure comes from the paper being conventionally written; it copes badly with anything that is not. The free tier stops at 10 summaries, so a reading list of any size needs the paid plan.
Read more
OpenEvidence
What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.
Scholarcy
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.