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PaperQA2 vs Elicit: catalog facts
PaperQA2	Elicit
Free Free and open source under the Apache 2.0 licence; model API usage may cost extra.	Freemium Check the site for current free and paid plans.
Command line	Web
Answers include citations to the source documents Fetches paper metadata with citation counts and retraction checks	Finds, summarizes and extracts data from papers in one place Built for literature reviews and evidence synthesis
Needs a language model, either through an API or run locally Setup and tuning assume comfort with Python	Web only, needs an internet connection Plan details are not given on the homepage
Downloadable app	Web application
Open source	Closed source
License: Apache-2.0	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Needs internet
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.