Best Web of Science Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from academic research databases ranked against Web of Science on the same published basis.
- 1Web of Science vs JSTOR
- 2Web of Science vs Academia.edu
- 3Web of Science vs MAXQDA
- 4Web of Science vs AGRICOLA
- 5Web of Science vs arXiv
- 6Web of Science vs bioRxiv
- 7Web of Science vs CORE
- 8Web of Science vs EconLit
- 9Web of Science vs Europe PMC
- 10Web of Science vs medRxiv
- 11Web of Science vs OpenAlex
- 12Web of Science vs PubMed
- 13Web of Science vs SSRN
- 14Web of Science vs The Lens
- 15Web of Science vs zbMATH Open
- 16Web of Science vs Dimensions
- 17Web of Science vs HeinOnline
- 18Web of Science vs Scopus
- 19Web of Science vs Embase AI
- 20Web of Science vs Project MUSE
Web of Science alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JSTOR | 6.6 | Free plan | $16.58/mo | Android, iOS, Web |
| 2 | Academia.edu | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Web |
| 3 | MAXQDA | 6.5 | Mac, Windows | ||
| 4 | AGRICOLA | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 5 | arXiv | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | API, Web |
| 6 | bioRxiv | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | API, Web |
| 7 | CORE | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | API, Browser, Web |
| 8 | EconLit | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 9 | Europe PMC | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | API, Web |
| 10 | medRxiv | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | API, Web |
| 11 | OpenAlex | 6.4 | Free plan | $416.67/mo | API, Browser, self-hosted, Web |
| 12 | PubMed | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | API, Web |
| 13 | SSRN | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 14 | The Lens | 6.4 | Free plan | $83.33/mo | API, Web |
| 15 | zbMATH Open | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | API, Web |
| 16 | Dimensions | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 17 | HeinOnline | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 18 | Scopus | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | API, Web |
| 19 | Embase AI | 5.7 | Android, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows | ||
| 20 | Project MUSE | 5.6 | $174.58/mo | Android, iOS, Web |
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Questions about Web of Science alternatives
What is the best alternative to Web of Science?
JSTOR, number 1 in academic research databases with a score of 6.6 out of 10. The others here: Academia.edu, MAXQDA, AGRICOLA and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Web of Science?
JSTOR is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 17 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.