Side by side
bioRxiv vs OpenAlex
Both stand on academic research databases. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan APIWeb
bioRxiv offers free preprint distribution and access, alongside screening and tools for comments and journal transfer. Readers should distinguish posted preprints from peer-reviewed articles, and authors should note that posted work cannot be removed.
Visit bioRxiv Free plan Open source APIExtensionLinux+2
OpenAlex provides multiple ways to search and retrieve a broad catalog of scholarly research, including a free full snapshot and API. Users incorporating externally sourced text should follow the stated output-escaping security guidance.
Visit OpenAlexThe facts
| bioRxiv | OpenAlex | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Yes |
| Runs on | API, Web | API, Extension, Linux, Self-hosted, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Member: $5,000 a year |
| Plans published | 1 | 5 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | biorxiv.org | openalex.org |
| On academic research databases | #5 of 35 | #1 of 35 |
bioRxiv: what it does well
- Free manuscript submissions and article access.
- Covers all aspects of life sciences research.
- Provides metadata through feeds and APIs.
- Offers bulk full text for text and data mining.
- Authors can revise until formal journal acceptance.
What to know first
- Posted articles are not peer-reviewed, edited, or typeset.
- Posted articles cannot be removed.
- Screening may take longer than 24–48 hours.
- Research articles must contain data.
OpenAlex: what it does well
- Full database snapshot is free to download.
- Data is released under the CC0 public-domain license.
- API supports search, filters, sorting and grouping.
- Official CLI supports resumable bulk downloads.
- Covers journals, books, datasets and dissertations.
What to know first
- Full-text file downloads cost $0.01 each.
- Externally sourced text fields are passed through without sanitizing.
- Some support tiers cost $5,000 or more per year.
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