Side by side
LASER AI vs Synthesis
Both stand on literature review software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free trial AndroidiPhoneWeb
LASER AI combines review screening, extraction, collaboration, and audit history in a web service. Its annual per-user and one-time per-project plans place it in a paid research-tool category.
Visit LASER AI Free trial LinuxMacWindows
Synthesis is a fit for review teams that need reference organization, duplicate removal, screening, and analysis in one workflow. Look elsewhere if you need to order or download the software now, or require more than 50 references per project during the trial.
Visit SynthesisThe facts
| LASER AI | Synthesis | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | A free trial | Not published |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Android, iPhone, Web | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Per user: $3,000 a year | Not published |
| Plans published | 3 | None |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | laser.ai | synthesis.info |
| On literature review software | #23 of 28 | #27 of 28 |
LASER AI: what it does well
- Supports screening and systematic review workflows
- Links extraction suggestions to PDF sources
- Extracts tables using custom mappings
- Keeps a record of review changes
- Exports RIS, CSV, Word, and PDF
What to know first
- No free plan
- Starts at 3000.00 USD
- Article Galaxy retrieval needs a separate account
Synthesis: what it does well
- Organizes references and PDFs with keyword and phrase search.
- Automatically de-duplicates references; reported sensitivity is 98%.
- Supports primary and secondary screening with kappa scores.
- Offers AI-assisted topic clustering, word clouds, metadata extraction, and charts.
- Exports references and data in RIS and CSV.
What to know first
- Orders and downloads are temporarily suspended during development of a new release.
- Trial projects can import only 50 references each.
- The trial uses a slower, non-professional PDF viewer.
- A license is tied to an individual computer.
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