Research Rabbit
What it does: Builds visual maps of citation networks, co-author networks, and publication timelines.
Best for: Exploring research networks from a “seed paper.”
Standout feature: Dynamic, interactive citation and co-author graphs.
Freemium model: Free for individuals; paid for team collaboration features.
Website: researchrabbit.ai
Connected Papers
What it does: Generates a visual map of papers related to a chosen starting paper based on semantic similarity.
Best for: Quickly identifying related work around a core paper.
Standout feature: Easy-to-read semantic paper map starting from one “seed” paper.
Freemium model: Free with daily query limits.
Website: connectedpapers.com
Litmaps
What it does: Tracks research over time using timeline-based maps; allows annotations, sharing, and alerting.
Best for: Ongoing research tracking, mapping developments over time, and collaborative mapping.
Standout feature: Timeline-based maps with export and sharing features.
Freemium model: Free with limits on the number of maps; paid unlocks unlimited maps and exports.
Website: litmaps.com
Inciteful
What it does: Analyses citation paths and helps find influential, interdisciplinary, or “bridge” papers.
Best for: Finding connections between research areas and spotting key papers that link topics.
Standout feature: Citation pathfinding — showing how two papers are connected.
Freemium model: Mostly free.
Website: inciteful.xyz
Tip: Not sure how these tools compare to other academic search tools like LibrarySearch or Web of Science? Visit our Search and Discovery Tools page to learn how different search tools work — and when to use each one.