Scite: citation context for papers, Basic from $20 a month billed yearly, and full text only through licensed access
Updated October 4, 2026 · By Elias Brandt · Documentation review, not tested hands-on
Pros
- Citation context rather than a count
- Works inside AI assistants
- Clear data-use terms
Cons
- Free access has a limited scope
- Use of content is restricted
- Fees are non-refundable
Bottom line
25 free MCP credits a month for AI-assistant use, per the August 2026 release notes; not listed as a plan on the pricing page.
You are about to build on a key paper and want to read how later work cited it, because the supporting and contrasting statements show where to start reading.
You want a ruling on whether a paper is correct, because the Terms leave the decision to cite with you.
Best forGraduate students and researchersLibrarians and institutionsLabs and small teamsPeople wanting a ready-made verdict
Strengths, limits and who it suits, in full
Strengths
- Citation context rather than a count The home page and Terms describe showing whether later research supported or contradicted a finding, which gives you a place to start reading.
- Works inside AI assistants The MCP connector lets ChatGPT and Claude call Scite, and the home page says answers are grounded in real papers.
- Clear data-use terms The Terms say customer data is not used to train, fine-tune or improve Scite's AI systems.
Limits
- Free access has a limited scope The recurring free allowance is for MCP use, not a promise of the full paid web plan. The separate 7-day trial converts to a paid subscription unless cancelled.
- Use of content is restricted The Terms bar bulk retrieval, redistribution and using Scite content to train or evaluate AI models.
- Fees are non-refundable The Terms say fees are non-refundable, so cancel before the trial ends if you do not want to continue.
Who it suits
- Graduate students and researchers useful when you need to see how a key paper has been cited before building on it, if your library license covers the full text.
- Librarians and institutions custom pricing with SSO, IP or domain access suits a campus license; check how students link their accounts first.
- Labs and small teams Team's 8 seats and shared Collections fit one lab; compare against $50 a month per extra seat.
- People wanting a ready-made verdict not a fit, because the platform leaves the decision to cite with you.
How much does Scite cost?
Prices confirmed · checked
Regional prices: The pricing page lists Basic at $20 a month, Pro at $50 a month and Team at $250 a month with 8 seats; Basic and Pro are billed yearly, and the page gives no billing period for Team.
Organizations and universities get custom pricing. A 7-day free trial converts automatically into the selected plan. The August 2026 release notes mention 25 free MCP credits a month for free accounts and a new Academic plan, but neither appeared in the pricing page text read, so no Academic price is listed. The $60 API credit on Pro is described as limited time.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free account | $0 sourceFrom scite.ai/pricing, checked Oct 4, 2026 (opens in a new tab) | 25 free MCP credits a month for AI-assistant use, per the August 2026 release notes; not listed as a plan on the pricing page. |
| Scite Basic | $20 per month billed yearly sourceFrom scite.ai/pricing, checked Oct 4, 2026 (opens in a new tab) | Full Assistant and Search access, 250 MCP credits a month, Article Smart Citation reports, Collections up to 1,000 papers, citation alerts and dashboards. 7-day free trial. |
| Scite Pro | $50 per month billed yearly sourceFrom scite.ai/pricing, checked Oct 4, 2026 (opens in a new tab) | Everything in Basic plus API access, a $60 API credit (limited time), 2,500 MCP credits a month, Collections up to 10,000 papers and patent, clinical trial and grant datasets. |
| Scite Team | $250 per month for 8 seats sourceFrom scite.ai/pricing, checked Oct 4, 2026 (opens in a new tab) | Everything in Pro plus private and shared Collections, team usage analytics, centralized billing and 2,500 MCP credits per user a month. Extra seats $50 a month each. |
| Scite for organizations | Custom | Everything in Team plus unlimited users on pooled usage, SSO, IP, domain or email access, Collections up to 50,000 papers, regulatory and safety datasets and extended usage reports. |
How far does it go?
- What the listed credits and seats add up toBasic is $20 a month billed yearly, which is $240 for the year, and Pro is $50 a month billed yearly, which is $600. Pro's 2,500 MCP credits a month is 10 times Basic's 250. A Team with 8 seats is $250 a month, $31.25 per included seat before any extra seat; each additional seat is $50 a month, the same as one Pro month. Arithmetic from listed figures; the pricing page does not say how many credits a single search or report uses.
Arithmetic from the published allowances above, not a usage test.
Taxes, currency and promotions can change the price you see at checkout.
Try Scite free (opens in a new tab)
Key features
| Feature | What it does | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| Searches 300M+ articles, preprints, books, patents and datasets | — | |
| Shows whether a finding was supported or contradicted by later articles, with citation context | — | |
| Assistant and Search access, Article Smart Citation reports, Collections and citation alerts | — | |
| Scite MCP connector that brings citation checks into ChatGPT and Claude | — | |
| API access, plus patent, clinical trial and grant data, on Pro | — | |
| Team seats and organization access through SSO, IP, domain or email | — | |
| Reading the support and contrast signal | The Terms describe Scite's classifier as showing whether a scientific claim has been supported or contradicted by later articles. The same Terms leave the decision to cite with you, so use the signal to find the passages worth reading, not as a verdict. | A paper with many supporting citations has not been shown correct by that count alone; read the citing statements before relying on it. |
| Credits and where they apply | Basic includes 250 MCP credits a month and Pro and Team 2,500 per user. The August 2026 release notes also mention 25 free MCP credits a month for free accounts, usable in ChatGPT, Claude and other AI tools. | The pages read do not say how many credits one search or report consumes, so the monthly figures cannot be turned into a number of papers checked. |
| Full text depends on your library | Scite says institutional access comes from your Scite account, recognised by campus IP, institutional email or SSO, and that linking it enables access to content covered by the institution’s license and library-catalog links; it does not unlock every search result. Without it, Scite works but licensed content is not available. | Connecting the AI tool alone does not link the library license; the account has to be linked. |
What does a Scite citation signal tell you, and what does it not?
Scite’s pitch is that it goes beyond a citation count: it shows whether later research supported or contradicted a finding, with the citing statement alongside. The Terms of Service describe a classifier that does this, and they put the decision on you: each user is responsible for deciding whether to cite an article, and Scite takes no liability for research done with it. Treat the label as a way to find which papers to read closely. A paper with several supporting citations has not been proven right by that tally, and a contrasting one may be a narrow or disputed result.
Will you get full text, and how is it paid for?
Scite searches 300M+ articles, preprints, books, patents and datasets, but reading the paper is a separate question. Scite’s librarian guide says institutional access follows your Scite account, matched by campus IP, institutional email or SSO, and that once linked you can access content covered by that institutional license and article links through your library catalog. This does not unlock every indexed result. Without that link the tool still works but licensed content is out of reach. That also applies when you use Scite from ChatGPT or Claude: the license comes from the Scite account, not the AI tool.
Which plan fits an individual, a lab or a campus?
Basic at $20 a month billed yearly covers Assistant, Search and Smart Citation reports with 250 MCP credits a month. Pro at $50 a month billed yearly adds API access, 2,500 credits and larger Collections, so it matters mainly if you script against Scite or need patent, trial and grant data. Team is $250 a month for 8 seats, or $31.25 per included seat, with $50 a month for each extra seat, and adds shared Collections and usage analytics. Campus licenses are custom. The page does not say how many credits a search uses, so ask before assuming a monthly figure is enough.
How do you check Scite on a paper you already know?
Proposed evaluation · not performed yet
Choose one paper in your field whose reliability you already know, ideally with a published correction or a failed replication.
- Start the 7-day trial and note the date, since it converts to the selected plan unless you cancel.
- Open that paper and read the contrasting and supporting citing statements, not just the totals.
- Check whether the full text opens through your library link, on and off campus.
- Compare what you find with what you already know, and record misses.
Decide on a paid plan only after this. Leave the observed results blank until the check is done.
Is Scite worth it?
Documentation review plus dated public user reports. Documentation review, not tested hands-on. Not scored.
Worth it if
- You are about to build on a key paper and want to read how later work cited it, because the supporting and contrasting statements show where to start reading.
- Your library license covers the journals you use, since linking it to your Scite account is what opens licensed full text.
- You already work in ChatGPT or Claude and want citation checks there, because the free MCP credits let you try that without a paid plan.
Probably not if
- You want a ruling on whether a paper is correct, because the Terms leave the decision to cite with you.
- You need to pull results in bulk or reuse them to train or evaluate AI models, because the Terms bar both.
- You expect a refund after a trial rolls over, because fees are non-refundable and the trial converts unless cancelled.
Scite alternatives
Other research & sources tools checked with the same method. Pick by the job, not by a score.
Comparing AI model answers by voting, without a paid plan
Finding and synthesizing published research
Extracting study data from research papers
K-12 schools piloting an AI tutor that teachers can monitor
Widening a literature review from a few known papers through citations and co-authors
Students and researchers reading a small set of papers who will check every cited passage
Searching and monitoring scientific literature for free, by hand or through an API
Quick summaries of articles, papers and videos
Used Scite? Write the first review. Visitor opinions are moderated and kept separate from our source checks.
Frequently asked questions
Is Scite free?
The pricing page lists paid plans only, starting at $20 a month billed yearly, with a 7-day free trial that converts into the selected plan. Scite's August 2026 release notes also mention 25 free MCP credits a month for free accounts to use in ChatGPT, Claude and other AI tools.
Does Scite give students a discount?
Scite says it offers discounts for students and academics if you recommend it to your institution: email customersupport@researchsolutions.com and sales@scite.ai and they send a discount code. Its release notes also mention a new Academic plan, which the pricing page text did not list.
How do I cancel Scite?
Log in, open the Subscription section and select Cancel Plan, then follow the steps. Cancel before the 7-day trial ends if you do not want to be charged. Fees are non-refundable under the Terms.
Can I use Scite inside ChatGPT or Claude?
Yes, through the Scite MCP connector. Free accounts get 25 MCP credits a month, Basic 250, and Pro and Team 2,500 per user. Full text still depends on your Scite account being linked to an institutional license; connecting the AI tool alone does not unlock licensed content. Credits per search are not stated.
Sources and method5 official sources · 13 details checked · Oct 4, 2026
How we checked this profile
13 details on this page were checked against Scite's own pages and help documentation (Oct 4, 2026).
See the checks by section13 documented
| Section | Checks | Last checked | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans and prices | 6 documented | scite.ai/pricingscite.ai/august-2026-release-notes | |
| Features | 4 documented | scite.aiscite.ai/termsscite.ai/scite-mcp-institutional-ac… | |
| Strengths and limits | 3 documented | scite.ai/termsscite.ai/pricing |
Sources for this profile
- Scite pricing pagescite.ai
- Scite home pagescite.ai
- Scite Terms of Servicescite.ai
- Scite blog: August 2026 release notesscite.ai
All 5 sources
Plan cards come from the Scite pricing page text read on 2026-10-04. The free MCP credits, full-plan trials and the mention of an Academic plan come from the August 2026 release notes, which the pricing page text did not show, so the free MCP allowance is identified separately from the paid web plans, and no Academic price is invented. The free-tier filter reflects this recurring MCP access, not unrestricted Assistant/Search use. Classification, acceptable-use and data terms come from the Terms of Service. Full-text and institutional access comes from Scite's April 2026 blog post for librarians. Scite's Help Center classification articles could not be loaded directly, so classifier accuracy and how each label is decided are not described.
Sources checked Oct 4, 2026. Found something out of date? See how we correct profiles.