PaperguideFree plan
Paid from
$15 a month
View plans and limitsUpdated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison
Paperguide vs Rayyan:
which should you use?
Paperguide and Rayyan, 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.
Rayyan is built for search, research & academics.
Pricing, simplified
Start free. Upgrade when you need more.
RayyanFree plan
Paid from
$8.33 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 | Rayyan | 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. | Built for systematic reviews — thousands of abstracts screened by a team, with blinding and conflict resolution built into the workflow. | Tie |
| 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 forever, pitched at your first systematic review rather than as a trial | Tie |
| Cheapest way to pay | $15 a month. | $8.33 a month. | Rayyan |
| 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. | 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 for | researchers, students | researchers | Tie |
| Made by | Paperguide — Milton, US. | 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 Paperguide are level. Treat this as a tiebreaker, not a recommendation.
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 $15
✓ It is built for search, research & academics
✓ Free forever, pitched at your first systematic review rather than as a trial
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.
✓ You are among students
✓ 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
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 | Rayyan | 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
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.
Paperguide
Not a good fitRayyan
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
02
Search, Research & Academics
Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.
Paperguide
Built for thisRayyan
Built for thisBest choice: Tie
03
Writing, Communication & Language
Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.
Paperguide
Not a good fitRayyan
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
04
Coding, Data & Technical Work
Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.
Paperguide
Bad fitRayyan
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
05
Business, Finance & Professional Work
Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.
Paperguide
Not a good fitRayyan
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
06
Image & Design
Image generation, photo editing, logos, graphics, product design, advertising creatives.
Paperguide
Bad fitRayyan
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
07
Video
Video generation and editing, clipping, subtitles, avatars, animation and motion capture.
Paperguide
Bad fitRayyan
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
08
Audio, Voice & Music
Voice generation, transcription, music, dubbing, sound cleanup and podcast production.
Paperguide
Bad fitRayyan
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
09
Marketing & Content Creation
Social media, SEO, advertising, copywriting, content ideas, scripts, brand development.
Paperguide
Bad fitRayyan
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
10
Productivity, Automation & Personal Life
AI agents, workflows, scheduling, meetings, organization, shopping, travel, personal finance.
Paperguide
Not a good fitRayyan
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, USCovers finding papers, reading them, managing references and drafting in one place, which is unusually broad for this category.
You are among students
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
Built for systematic reviews — thousands of abstracts screened by a team, with blinding and conflict resolution built into the workflow.
by Rayyan SystemsBuilt 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 $15
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.
Paperguideby Paperguide
Rayyanby Rayyan SystemsFree version
Paperguide
Yes — Free plan availableFree, capped by credits: 2,000 AI credits a month across Research Agents, Research Reports and
Rayyan
Yes — Free plan availableFree forever, pitched at your first systematic review rather than as a trial
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)
Rayyan
Essential
$8.33 / month (quarterly)$4.99 / month (annual)
Advanced
$13.33 / month (quarterly)$8.33 / month (annual)
Business plans
PaperguideNot sold to teams
Rayyan
From $41.67 / user / month (annual)Business or Academic
Enterprise
Paperguide
Custom pricing
Rayyan
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; Rayyan is cheaper to start paying for, $8.33 against $15.
7 rows compared
Frequently asked questions
Is Paperguide 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 Paperguide 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 $15. Paperguide: Covers finding papers, reading them, managing references and drafting in one place, which is unusually broad for this category. Rayyan: Built for systematic reviews — thousands of abstracts screened by a team, with blinding and conflict resolution built into the workflow.
Is Paperguide or Rayyan cheaper?
Rayyan — paid plans start at $8.33 a month against $15 a month.
Do Paperguide and Rayyan 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. Rayyan: Free forever, pitched at your first systematic review rather than as a trial.
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. 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
Paperguide
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.