Search+ vs Elicit
Elicit and Search+ start from different places. Elicit searches more than 138 million academic papers, summarizes them, and on higher plans runs systematic review workflows with extraction and team collaboration; Plus starts at $11 per user a month billed annually and adds exports. Search+ starts from the documents you already have, of any kind, and answers questions about them with inline citations, inside a workspace with standing instructions. Use Elicit to find and screen literature. Use Search+ to work through a set of documents you already hold.
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At a glance
| Search+ | Elicit | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A web app for asking questions across document workspaces, with cited answers | AI research assistant over a database of academic papers |
| Starting point | The documents you upload | Search across more than 138 million papers |
| Exports | Cited answers in chat; no export, API or add-on tools | RIS, CSV, BIB, PDF and DOCX on Plus |
| Reviews | Questions and cited answers; no review workflow | Systematic review workflows and extraction on higher plans |
| Pricing | Create an account without payment details; plans on searchplus.ai | Plus from $11 per user a month, billed annually |
How Search+ and Elicit differ
Elicit finds papers; Search+ reads the ones you bring
Elicit's core is search across more than 138 million papers, with summaries and chat with papers it has full text for. Search+ has no paper database: you upload your own documents and ask about them.
Elicit supports formal review work
Higher Elicit plans add systematic literature review workflows, custom extractions from uploaded papers and team collaboration. Search+ has no screening workflow and no structured extraction feature.
Elicit exports; Search+ does not
Elicit Plus exports to RIS, CSV, BIB, PDF and DOCX. Search+ has no export; answers stay in the conversation, where you can reopen them later.
Search+ handles any kind of document
Search+ treats contracts, reports, board decks and papers the same way, and Workspace Context sets the reading rules for each project. If your documents are not academic papers, Search+ fits them without a research database around them.
Search+ vs Elicit, feature by feature
Checked against public pages on October 11, 2026. "Not covered here" means the pages we checked do not say; it is not a claim that the feature is missing.
| Topic | Search+ | Elicit |
|---|---|---|
| Files | PDF, Word and Excel files; OCR for scanned pages; up to 5 GB per file | Paper database; uploaded papers on higher plans |
| Citations | Inline citations; open one to read the supporting excerpt | Sources shown for answers |
| Question scope | Whole workspace or one document | Papers found or uploaded |
| Standing instructions | Workspace Context, applied to every question | Output templates on higher plans |
| Saved work | Workspaces and conversation history are saved | Not covered here |
| Sharing and teams | Team plan available | Team collaboration on higher plans |
| Export and outputs | No export | RIS, CSV, BIB, PDF, DOCX |
| Where it runs | Browser only | Web; API on higher plans |
| Price | See current plans on searchplus.ai | Plus from $11 per user a month, yearly |
As of 2026-10-11
Sources: Elicit pricing
Pricing
Elicit prices as of October 2026, from elicit.com/pricing. For Search+ plans, see the pricing section on the Search+ homepage.
| Product | Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elicit | Plus | $11 per user, billed annually ($132 a year) per month | Exports to RIS, CSV, BIB, PDF and DOCX |
| Elicit | Higher plans | See elicit.com/pricing | Systematic reviews, extraction, collaboration |
Prices as of 2026-10
About each product
Search+
Search+ is a web app for working with documents. You create a workspace for each project, upload PDF, Word and Excel files, and ask questions across every document or narrow a question to one. Answers come with inline citations; open one to read the excerpt behind it. Workspace Context holds standing instructions that apply to every question, and workspaces and conversations are saved so you can pick up where you left off.
Elicit
Elicit is an AI research assistant built around a database of more than 138 million academic papers. It searches and summarizes papers and lets you chat with those it has full text for. Paid plans add exports, systematic review workflows, custom extractions from uploaded papers and team collaboration.
Which one fits your work
Choose Search+ when
- You already have the documents and need to question them
- Your PDFs are not academic papers
- You want standing instructions for a project
- You want cited answers you can open to the excerpt
Choose Elicit when
- You need to find papers you do not have yet
- You run a systematic review with screening
- You need exports for a reference manager
- You work as a team on a review
How to try both on the same documents
- Use Elicit to find and screen the papers you need.
- Download the documents you keep.
- Upload them to a Search+ workspace.
- Set your review criteria in Workspace Context.
- Ask cross-paper questions and open the citations.
Questions about Search+ and Elicit
Is Elicit a Search+ alternative?
Can Search+ find papers for me?
Does Search+ export to a reference manager?
How much does Elicit cost?
Can Search+ run a systematic review?
Sources
Recheck public pages before making a buying decision. Spotted an error? Tell us through the Search+ app and we will correct it.
Checked 2026-10-11
Read the papers you already have
Upload your documents to Search+ and ask across them with cited answers.
Start a workspace