# Paperguide: what it does, who it is for and alternatives > Paperguide: AI research assistant that answers questions from 200M+ papers with linked sources, chats with PDFs, drafts cited literature reviews of up to… Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/tool/paperguide · Updated 2026-10-20 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) Updated October 20, 2026 · By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) AI research assistant that answers questions from 200M+ papers with linked sources, chats with PDFs, drafts cited literature reviews of up to 50 papers and manages references. The free plan includes 2,000 AI credits a month. [Research & search](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/research-search) · Free plan Official site: [paperguide.ai](https://paperguide.ai) ## What Paperguide does For a literature review, you set a protocol first, and Paperguide synthesizes the papers by theme with citations throughout. Its AI Writer drafts from the papers you collected and cites real literature rather than invented references. Teams get shared workspaces with edit, review and read roles, plus a private space for each member. ## Who Paperguide is for - Researchers - Consultants - Policy analysts - Grad students ## Key features - Search 200M+ peer-reviewed papers from PubMed, arXiv, OpenAlex and Semantic Scholar - Chat with one paper or several at once - Protocol-first literature reviews of up to 50 papers - Reference manager with Zotero and Mendeley import or add by DOI - AI Writer that cites real papers from your library - Team workspaces with edit, review and read roles ## Privacy and data Paperguide says it does not use uploaded content to train public or generalized AI models and does not sell personal information; GDPR, SOC 2 and ISO 27001 are listed as coming soon. Source: [Paperguide’s own page](https://paperguide.ai/privacy/). Before you put client data in, check your company’s AI rules and the plan’s data settings. ## Learn Paperguide free on Stepthrough - News: [Paperguide explained](https://learn.ynteractive.com/news/2026-10-16-paperguide-ai-research-assistant) - Comparison: [The best AI research tools with sources you can check in 2026](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/compare/best-ai-research-tools) ## Alternatives to Paperguide Other AI research and search tools in the directory. - [**Gemini Notebook**](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/tool/notebooklm) Free Google's research notebook, formerly NotebookLM: upload your documents and get cited answers, briefings and audio overviews from only those sources. - [**Felo**](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/tool/felo) Free plan AI search that answers with a numbered source on every claim, in many languages. Pro Search splits a question into smaller searches, and answers convert to mind maps or export to PDF, Word, Notion or Google Drive. Free plan with daily credits, and an API that n8n calls with one HTTP Request node. - [**ProLevelMax**](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/tool/prolevelmax) Free trial Pay-per-call data API for Reddit posts and comment threads, Trustpilot and other review sites, TikTok, YouTube, X and 150+ other platforms. Call it from n8n with one HTTP Request node, or from an AI assistant. New users get $1 of free credit. - [**Perplexity**](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/tool/perplexity) Free plan An AI answer engine that searches the web and cites its sources. Good for quick research and fact-checks. - [**Elicit**](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/research-search#tool-elicit) Free plan Finds and summarizes research papers and pulls data from them into tables. - [**Consensus**](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/research-search#tool-consensus) Free plan Answers questions from peer-reviewed research and shows how much the studies agree. [All 26 AI research and search tools](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/research-search) ## Frequently asked questions **What is Paperguide?** AI research assistant that answers questions from 200M+ papers with linked sources, chats with PDFs, drafts cited literature reviews of up to 50 papers and manages references. The free plan includes 2,000 AI credits a month. For a literature review, you set a protocol first, and Paperguide synthesizes the papers by theme with citations throughout. Its AI Writer drafts from the papers you collected and cites real literature rather than invented references. Teams get shared workspaces with edit, review and read roles, plus a private space for each member. **Who is Paperguide for?** Paperguide fits researchers, consultants, policy analysts and grad students, and other office teams with the same job to do. **Is Paperguide free?** Paperguide has a free plan; paid plans add more usage or features. Plans change often, so check the official pricing page before you commit. **What are some alternatives to Paperguide?** Other AI research and search tools include Gemini Notebook, Felo, ProLevelMax, Perplexity and Elicit. **Is Paperguide safe for work data?** Paperguide says it does not use uploaded content to train public or generalized AI models and does not sell personal information; GDPR, SOC 2 and ISO 27001 are listed as coming soon. Check your own company’s rules, and use a business plan with training turned off for client data. ## “Listed on Stepthrough” badge Add this badge to the Paperguide website, press page or docs. It links to this page, so your visitors can see the listing. Copy the HTML ```text Listed on Stepthrough ``` Checked against Paperguide’s official site on October 20, 2026: [source 1](https://paperguide.ai), [source 2](https://paperguide.ai/pricing), [source 3](https://paperguide.ai/privacy/). Spotted something out of date? Email [rbreen@ynteractive.com](mailto:rbreen@ynteractive.com). Listings are free; [submit your AI tool](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/submit). [The full AI tools directory](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools) · [Research & search](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/research-search) · [Tool comparisons](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/compare)