Scite

Free plan APIExtensionWeb

What Scite is

Scite is a research service for discovering and evaluating scientific literature. Its Smart Citations classify citation statements as supporting, contrasting with, or merely mentioning a paper. Scite Search finds citation statements extracted from full text and provides citation chaining, filters, and alerts. Reference Reports display citation text with filters for classification, section, year, and source type. Scite Assistant answers from peer-reviewed literature and links each response to its source. Reference Check reviews manuscript references for citation context, retractions, editorial notices, and contrasting findings. Collections can import papers from Zotero, Mendeley, DOI CSV files, or search results, then alert users about new citations and retractions. Scite lists web, API, and extension access, plus a Zotero plugin, institutional holdings, and MCP connections for ChatGPT and Claude. A free plan and seven-day trial are available; paid plans start at $20/mo billed annually.

Who it suits

Scite suits researchers who need citation context, literature search tools, and checks for retractions or conflicting findings. It also fits users working through browser, API, extension, or listed integrations.

What it does well

Classifies citations as supporting, contrasting, or mentioning
Searches citation statements from full text
Assistant links answers to peer-reviewed sources
Reference Check flags retractions and editorial notices
Free plan and seven-day trial available

What to know first

Bulk or systematic retrieval is restricted
Paid plans start at $20/mo billed annually
Usage terms prohibit training AI models with content

Limits

Connect provides MCP access but no Assistant or Search. Basic is $14.00 per month billed yearly and includes 250 MCP credits/month and Collections up to 1,000 papers; Pro is $35.00 per month billed yearly, with 2,500 MCP credits/month and Collections up to 10,000 papers.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Free	25 MCP credits/month	Free
Connect	MCP access with a free trial or paid plan · Use in ChatGPT, Claude, & more · Grounded in 300M+ papers · No Assistant or Search access	Free
Basic	Billed yearly Save $67 · Full Assistant & Search access · 250 MCP credits/month · Article Smart Citation reports · Collections up to 1,000 papers · Citation alerts & dashboards	$14 a month
Pro	Billed yearly Save $84 · Everything in Basic · API access · $60 API credit included, limited time only · 2,500 MCP credits/month · Collections up to 10,000 papers · Patent, clinical trial, & grant datasets	$35 a month

As scite.ai lists them, read 20 Sept 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Visit https://scite.ai/ in a web browser.
Choose the free Connect plan, Basic, or Pro according to the access needed.
Use the 7-day trial to explore paid access.
Add the free browser extension for citation context, Assistant access, and badges.
Connect through the listed Zotero plugin, API, institutional holdings, or ChatGPT and Claude MCP connections if needed.

Verdict

Scite combines citation classification, literature search, manuscript checking, and collection alerts in one service. Its free plan offers a way to start, while advanced access requires a paid plan.

Questions

Does Scite have a free plan?

Yes. Connect is listed as free and provides MCP access, but not Assistant or Search access.

How much do paid plans cost?

Basic is $14.00 per month billed yearly, and Pro is $35.00 per month billed yearly. The pricing note also states paid from $20/mo (annual).

Is there a free trial?

Yes, Scite lists a 7-day trial.

Which platforms does Scite support?

The listed platforms are web, API, and extension. It also lists a Zotero plugin and MCP connections for ChatGPT and Claude.

Does Scite offer API access?

Yes. API access is included with Pro, and Scite lists API access among its integrations.

Can Scite content be redistributed or used to train AI models?

Scite’s terms prohibit redistribution and using its content to train AI models. They also prohibit bulk or systematic retrieval beyond what is reasonably needed for personal research.

Facts from Scite's own pages

Assistant: Scite Assistant uses peer-reviewed literature and links each answer to its source. · scite.ai, 30 Sept 2026
Collections: Collections can import papers from Zotero, Mendeley, CSVs of DOIs, or search results and alert users to new citations and retractions. · scite.ai, 30 Sept 2026
Coverage: Scite reports indexing 317M+ articles, including 49M full-text sources, and extracting 1.6B+ Smart Citations. · scite.ai, 30 Sept 2026
Founded: 2018 · scite.ai, 28 Sept 2026
Free extension: The browser extension is described as free and provides citation context, Assistant access, and badges on Google Scholar, PubMed, and other sites. · scite.ai, 30 Sept 2026
Headquarters: Henderson, Nevada, USA · scite.ai, 28 Sept 2026
Integrations: Scite lists MCP connections for ChatGPT and Claude, an API, institutional holdings, a Zotero plugin, and a browser extension. · scite.ai, 30 Sept 2026
Publisher access: Scite says it has indexing agreements with 44 publishers that provide full text of their articles. · scite.ai, 30 Sept 2026
Purpose: Scite helps researchers discover and evaluate scientific literature through Smart Citations that show whether later studies support, contradict, or mention a paper. · scite.ai, 30 Sept 2026
Reference Check: Reference Check analyzes manuscript references for citation context, retractions, editorial notices, and contrasting findings. · scite.ai, 30 Sept 2026
Reference reports: Scite Reports show citation text and let users filter citations by classification, section, year, or source type. · scite.ai, 30 Sept 2026
Search: Scite Search matches citation statements extracted from full text and supports citation chaining, filters, and alerts. · scite.ai, 30 Sept 2026
Smart Citations: Scite says its deep learning model classifies citation statements as supporting, contrasting, or mentioning. · scite.ai, 30 Sept 2026
Support: Scite lists [email protected] for subscription questions and assistance. · scite.ai, 30 Sept 2026
Usage restriction: Scite’s terms prohibit bulk or systematic retrieval beyond what is reasonably needed for personal research, redistribution, and using its content to train AI models. · scite.ai, 30 Sept 2026