TL;DR: Elicit is an AI research assistant used by over 300,000 researchers to find papers, extract data from studies, and synthesize research findings. Unlike general-purpose AI search, Elicit is built specifically for the academic research workflow — from literature discovery through data extraction to evidence synthesis. View Elicit tool page
What Is Elicit?
Elicit is an AI-powered research assistant developed by Ought, a non-profit research lab. The tool is designed for the complete research workflow: finding relevant papers, extracting specific data points from those papers, organizing findings, and synthesizing evidence across multiple studies. Over 300,000 researchers across academia, pharma, and policy organizations use Elicit.
What makes Elicit unique compared to tools like Consensus is its focus on structured data extraction. While Consensus excels at quick answers, Elicit shines when you need to systematically extract specific data points (sample size, methodology, effect size, population) from dozens or hundreds of papers and organize them into a structured table for analysis.
In 2026, Elicit has become an essential tool for systematic reviews and meta-analyses, where researchers need to process large volumes of papers and extract comparable data points. The tool has been adopted by universities, pharmaceutical companies, and government research agencies worldwide.
Key Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Paper Discovery | AI-powered search across 200M+ academic papers with relevance ranking |
| Data Extraction | Automatically extract specific data points from papers into structured tables |
| Custom Columns | Define custom extraction fields (sample size, methodology, outcomes, etc.) |
| Paper Summaries | AI generates summaries of individual papers with key findings |
| Evidence Synthesis | Synthesize findings across multiple papers on a topic |
| Citation Export | Export to Zotero, Mendeley, BibTeX, and other citation formats |
| Systematic Review Support | Tools specifically designed for systematic reviews and meta-analyses |
Elicit Pricing in 2026
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/month | Paper search, basic summaries, limited data extraction |
| Plus | $10/month | More extractions, custom columns, priority processing |
| Pro | $42/month | Unlimited extractions, full text analysis, advanced synthesis |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Team collaboration, admin controls, priority support |
How to Use Elicit
- Sign up: Create a free account at Elicit
- Search: Enter your research question — Elicit finds relevant papers ranked by relevance
- Review papers: Read AI-generated summaries and identify the most relevant studies
- Extract data: Define columns (sample size, methodology, key outcomes) and Elicit extracts data from each paper
- Organize: Build a structured table of evidence across all your papers
- Synthesize: Use Elicit's synthesis feature to summarize findings across studies
- Export: Download your data table and citations for use in your research
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Best-in-class data extraction from papers | Extraction accuracy varies with paper complexity |
| Built for systematic research workflows | Pro plan required for serious research work |
| 300,000+ researchers validate the tool | Not for general-purpose search — academic papers only |
| Custom columns enable precise data collection | Can struggle with tables and figures in papers |
Elicit Alternatives
| Tool | Best For | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Consensus | Quick evidence answers | Better for quick synthesis, less structured extraction |
| Semantic Scholar | Paper discovery | Strong discovery but no AI extraction or synthesis |
| Perplexity | General AI search | Broader web search, not academic-specific |
Try Elicit
Ready to accelerate your research? Visit Elicit to start for free, or check out our Elicit tool page for more details and comparisons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Elicit free?
Yes, Elicit offers a free tier with basic search and limited data extraction. Paid plans start at $10/month for more extraction capacity.
Can Elicit replace a literature review?
Elicit accelerates literature reviews significantly but does not replace the need for human judgment in evaluating study quality, relevance, and implications. It is a tool that makes reviews faster, not autonomous.
What databases does Elicit search?
Elicit searches Semantic Scholar's database of over 200 million academic papers across all disciplines, covering major publishers and preprint servers.
