PaperguideFree plan
Paid from
$15 a month
View plans and limitsUpdated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison
Paperguide vs Petal:
which should you use?
Paperguide and Petal, side by side. Find the one that fits what you need to do.
Find your best fitThe 30-second answer
Paperguide is built for search, research & academics.
Petal a document library with AI built in rather than a chat window you paste into, so your sources stay organised between sessions.
Pricing, simplified
Start free. Upgrade when you need more.
PetalFree plan
Paid from
$4.25 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 | Paperguide | Petal | Better fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it's built for | Covers finding papers, reading them, managing references and drafting in one place, which is unusually broad for this category. | A document library with AI built in rather than a chat window you paste into, so your sources stay organised between sessions. | Paperguide |
| Fit for search, research & academics | Built for this | Strong fit | Paperguide |
| Free plan | 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 | Yes. Free, with 1GB of cloud storage, one seat and three guests. Support is included rather than priority | Tie |
| Cheapest way to pay | $15 a month. | $4.25 a month. | Petal |
| What the paid tiers cost |
|
| Tie |
| What to watch out for | 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. | You have to commit to keeping documents in it for the value to appear. The individual tiers are separated by storage rather than by features, and the two cheapest are priced for .edu addresses — without one they cost around two thirds more. | Tie |
| Who it is usually for | researchers, students | researchers, working professionals, students | Tie |
| Made by | Paperguide — Milton, US. | Petal — Cambridge, US. | Tie |
Paperguide is ahead on 2 of the 8 rows compared, 2 of them about how well it does the job itself, against 1 to Petal. That is a clear lead rather than a tiebreaker.
Paperguide
Covers finding papers, reading them, managing references and drafting in one place, which is unusually broad for this category.
✓ The job is mainly search, research & academics
✓ 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
A document library with AI built in rather than a chat window you paste into, so your sources stay organised between sessions.
Petal is the better answer when the job is what it was built for rather than what the pick above does broadly.
✓ A document library with AI built in rather than a chat window you paste into, so your sources stay organised between sessions.
✓ You want the cheaper paid plan, $4.25 against $15
✓ You are among working professionals
✓ Free, with 1GB of cloud storage, one seat and three guests. Support is included rather than priority
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it's built for | Paperguide | 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 |
| Fit for search, research & academics | Paperguide | How well it does the job | Both products are listed under search, research & academics in the catalogue, and this is the fit recorded against each listing. Everything listed under search, research & academics |
| Cheapest way to pay | Petal | Everything else | From each vendor’s own pricing page. Dates and pages are listed below. |
The prices
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
Petal. Read by hand on 4 September 2026, because Petal cannot be read automatically: Plans live at /resources/pricing, not /pricing, which 404s. Still drawn in JavaScript, so transcribed by hand; re-verify the same way. petal.org/resources/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.
Paperguide
Not a good fitPetal
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
02
Search, Research & Academics
Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.
Paperguide
Built for thisPetal
Good fitBest choice: Paperguide
03
Writing, Communication & Language
Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.
Paperguide
Not a good fitPetal
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
04
Coding, Data & Technical Work
Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.
Paperguide
Bad fitPetal
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
05
Business, Finance & Professional Work
Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.
Paperguide
Not a good fitPetal
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
06
Image & Design
Image generation, photo editing, logos, graphics, product design, advertising creatives.
Paperguide
Bad fitPetal
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
07
Video
Video generation and editing, clipping, subtitles, avatars, animation and motion capture.
Paperguide
Bad fitPetal
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
08
Audio, Voice & Music
Voice generation, transcription, music, dubbing, sound cleanup and podcast production.
Paperguide
Bad fitPetal
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
09
Marketing & Content Creation
Social media, SEO, advertising, copywriting, content ideas, scripts, brand development.
Paperguide
Bad fitPetal
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
10
Productivity, Automation & Personal Life
AI agents, workflows, scheduling, meetings, organization, shopping, travel, personal finance.
Paperguide
Not a good fitPetal
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
Covers finding papers, reading them, managing references and drafting in one place, which is unusually broad for this category.
Milton, USThe job is mainly search, research & academics
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
A document library with AI built in rather than a chat window you paste into, so your sources stay organised between sessions.
Cambridge, USA document library with AI built in rather than a chat window you paste into, so your sources stay organised between sessions.
You want the cheaper paid plan, $4.25 against $15
You are among working professionals
Free, with 1GB of cloud storage, one seat and three guests. Support is included rather than priority
Pricing, simplified
The plans people actually compare, read from each vendor’s own page.
PricingSimple, up-to-date plan overview.
Paperguideby Paperguide
Petalby PetalFree version
Paperguide
Yes — Free plan availableFree, capped by credits: 2,000 AI credits a month across Research Agents, Research Reports and
Petal
Yes — Free plan availableFree, with 1GB of cloud storage, one seat and three guests. Support is included rather than
Individual plans
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)
Petal
Plus
$4.25 / month$2.55 / month (annual)
Advanced
$8.49 / month (annual)
Premium
$29.99 / month$25.49 / month (annual)
Teams Starter
$59.99 / month$50.99 / month (annual)
Teams Pro
$119.99 / month$101.99 / month (annual)
Business plans
PaperguideNot sold to teams
PetalNot sold to teams
Enterprise
Paperguide
Custom pricing
Petal
Custom pricingTeams Enterprise
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
Paperguide
Paperguide. It is built for search, research & academics; Petal does it well without it being its focus; both have a free plan you can start on; Petal is cheaper to start paying for, $4.25 against $15.
8 rows compared
Frequently asked questions
Is Paperguide or Petal better?
Paperguide is ahead on 2 of the 8 rows compared, 2 of them about how well it does the job itself, against 1 to Petal. That is a clear lead rather than a tiebreaker. Paperguide is built for search, research & academics; Petal does it well without it being its focus; both have a free plan you can start on; Petal is cheaper to start paying for, $4.25 against $15. Paperguide: Covers finding papers, reading them, managing references and drafting in one place, which is unusually broad for this category. Petal: A document library with AI built in rather than a chat window you paste into, so your sources stay organised between sessions.
Is Paperguide or Petal cheaper?
Petal — paid plans start at $4.25 a month against $15 a month.
Do Paperguide and Petal both have free plans?
Yes. 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. Petal: Free, with 1GB of cloud storage, one seat and three guests. Support is included rather than priority.
What should I watch out for?
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. Petal: You have to commit to keeping documents in it for the value to appear. The individual tiers are separated by storage rather than by features, and the two cheapest are priced for .edu addresses — without one they cost around two thirds more.
Read more
Paperguide
What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.
Petal
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.