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Literature Review Software

Ranked on the record · 28 apps

Best Literature Review Software 2026

Facts read 29 Sep 2026 – 20 Oct 2026

Research reviews can involve finding sources, screening them, and organizing evidence across a defined process. Compare discovery tools, screening workflow, evidence mapping, and systematic review tools to see which stages each entry addresses. Collaboration, full-text management, and citation import limits can also matter, particularly when coordinating work or handling references. Rayyan, EviSynth, and Elicit are among the entries, alongside RevMan and Bibliometrix. Litmaps, Abstrackr, and ASReview add further options to consider. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing are also listed; weigh those alongside the features that match the way you plan to manage your review.

The standings: top 10

Name	In a line	Record score	Price from	Try it free	Runs on	Facts read
01 RevMan	RevMan suits authors producing systematic reviews across clinical, methodological, qualitative, and other listed review types.	6.0	£80 a year	Free plan	Web, Windows, Mac, Linux	20 Oct 2026
02 ASReview	ASReview suits screeners and information specialists conducting systematic reviews, as well as data scientists, developers, institutions, and students.	5.6	Free plan	Free plan	Web, Windows, Mac, Linux	15 Oct 2026
03 Rayyan	Rayyan suits research teams conducting systematic evidence reviews, including pharma, medical-device, CRO, university, healthcare, government, and health technology…	5.5	$4.99 a month, billed yearly	Free plan	Android, iPhone & iPad, Web, API	29 Sep 2026
04 Nested Knowledge		5.4	$19.95 a month	Free plan	Web	7 Oct 2026
05 EPPI-Reviewer		5.3	£500 one-time	Free plan	Web	3 Oct 2026
06 Litmaps	Litmaps suits researchers who want to discover papers, map citation relationships, and monitor new publications on a topic.	5.1	Free plan	Free plan	Web	30 Sep 2026
07 Open Knowledge Maps		5.1	€480 a year	Free plan	Web	7 Oct 2026
08 Elicit	It suits researchers who want to search literature, organize evidence, or review uploaded papers.	5.0	$11 a month, billed yearly	Free plan	Web, API	1 Oct 2026
09 LASER AI		5.0	$3,000 a year	Free trial	Android, iPhone & iPad, Web	15 Oct 2026
10 Sysrev	Sysrev suits researchers conducting systematic, scoping, or rapid reviews, including collaborative institutional teams.	5.0	$50 a month	Free plan	Web, API, Self-hosted	15 Oct 2026

RevMan

RevMan suits authors producing systematic reviews across clinical, methodological, qualitative, and other listed review types.

Free plan Free trial From £80 a year WebWindowsMacLinux

Record6.0 Visit site The record

ASReview

ASReview suits screeners and information specialists conducting systematic reviews, as well as data scientists, developers, institutions, and students.

WebWindowsMac+3

Record5.6 Visit

Rayyan

Rayyan suits research teams conducting systematic evidence reviews, including pharma, medical-device, CRO, university, healthcare, government, and health technology…

AndroidiPhone & iPadWeb+1

Record5.5 Visit

Nested Knowledge

Web

Record5.4 Visit

EPPI-Reviewer

Web

Record5.3 Visit

Litmaps

Litmaps suits researchers who want to discover papers, map citation relationships, and monitor new publications on a topic.

Web Free plan Record5.1 Visit

Open Knowledge Maps

Web €480 a year Record5.1 Visit

Elicit

It suits researchers who want to search literature, organize evidence, or review uploaded papers.

WebAPI $11 a month, billed yearly Record5.0 Visit

LASER AI

AndroidiPhone & iPadWeb $3,000 a year Record5.0 Visit

Sysrev

Sysrev suits researchers conducting systematic, scoping, or rapid reviews, including collaborative institutional teams.

WebAPISelf-hosted $50 a month Record5.0 Visit

VOSviewer

VOSviewer suits research institutions and funders analyzing scholarly relationships and publication data.

WebWindowsMac+1 Free plan Record5.0 Visit

ResearchRabbit

ResearchRabbit suits researchers and students looking for related papers and visual maps of research connections.

Web $10 a month, billed yearly Record4.9 Visit

Bibliometrix

Bibliometrix suits academics, PhD students, and research institutions conducting quantitative bibliographic research.

WebWindowsMac+1 Free plan Record4.8 Visit

Buhos

Buhos suits researchers conducting individual or collaborative systematic reviews.

WebWindowsMac+3 Free plan Record4.7 Visit

EviSynth

EviSynth suits researchers, students, and faculty conducting rapid or full systematic reviews.

AndroidiPhone & iPadWeb Free plan Record4.7 Visit

LitMap

LitMap suits students and researchers who need to map evidence, disagreements, and gaps while preparing a literature review.

Web €5 a month Record4.6 Visit

SWIFT-Review

It suits researchers conducting systematic reviews who need desktop tools for citation screening and prioritization.

WindowsMac Free plan Record4.6 Visit

INRA

Web $90 a year Record4.5 Visit

Colandr

Colandr suits review teams conducting evidence screening, systematic reviews, or related document syntheses in a browser.

Web Free plan Record4.4 Visit

Inciteful

Inciteful suits researchers looking beyond keyword search and citation counts, especially interdisciplinary scholars or people entering a new research area.

Web Free plan Record4.4 Visit

Abstrackr

It suits researchers, librarians, and review teams screening citations for systematic reviews, whether working alone or collaboratively.

Web Free plan Record4.3 Visit

CADIMA

CADIMA suits research teams conducting systematic reviews, evidence maps, or other literature reviews across disciplines.

Web Free plan Record4.3 Visit

Covidence

Web $339 a year Record4.3 Visit

Lit Mind Maps

Lit Mind Maps is aimed at Masters and PhD students starting literature searches, citation mapping, and review planning.

Web $15 a month Record4.3 Visit

Synthesis

WindowsMacLinux — Record4.3 Visit