Summaries, documents & PDF · 4 tools compared
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Prices may changeWhen exact citations are required for papers & assignments
Gemini Notebook ◐Free plan
Shows the exact source location for every sentence and offers generous free limits. Handles Korean papers well.
When searching for prior literature
Elicit ◐Free plan
Enter a research question to find relevant papers and compare summaries, samples, and results in a table. Best for English papers.
When managing dozens of papers in folders
Humata ◐Free plan
Upload entire folders to query multiple papers at once with citation highlights to verify sources. Offers student pricing.
No sign-up
ChatPDF ◐Free plan
Drop a single paper and ask questions instantly without signing up when in a hurry.
| Item | Gemini Notebook | Humata | ChatPDF | Elicit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | ◐Free plan | ◐Free plan | ◐Free plan | ◐Free plan |
| Free limits | Free with a Google account. Limits on number of notebooks, sources, and daily queries. | Up to 60 pages total | 2 documents per day (page and question limits per file: verify) | Limited free credits, basic search and summary available |
| Paid price | Higher limits included with Google AI Pro subscription | Expert $9.99/month · Team $49/user/month (student plan verify) | Plus $19.99/month | Pro $49/month per user ($588/year) · Scale $169/month per user |
| Korean | ○KoreanSupports Korean sources, questions, and answers. Audio Overview (podcast) supports Korean. | △PartialUI is in English. Korean documents, questions, and answers are supported. | △PartialThe UI is mostly in English. Korean PDFs, as well as Korean questions and answers, work well. | ✕NoneUI and search results are in English. Almost no Korean papers are indexed. |
| Login | Required | Required | Optional | Required |
| File input | PDF, TXT, MD, AUDIO, YOUTUBE, URL | PDF, DOCX, PPTX, TXT | PDF | PDF |
| Role | Ask questions on uploaded papers, displays source sentences | Ask questions across paper folders, citation highlighting | Quick questions on a single paper | Find papers to read, compare in tables |
| Citation Display | Sentence level | Original text highlight | Page number | Paper level |
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Gemini Notebook answers strictly from your uploaded papers with sentence-level citations. Ask questions across multiple papers and jump directly to the source text. It reads Korean PDFs well and is free with a Google account. It does not find papers, and tables or figures should be checked manually.
Humata organizes PDFs into folders and lets you query entire collections at once. Clicking citations highlights the original text for quick verification. It offers student pricing, but the free page limit is small and the interface is in English. Simpler tools suit single papers better.
ChatPDF is the fastest way to drop a single paper and ask questions without creating an account. It provides page numbers alongside answers. However, the free limit is low (2 papers per day, 120 pages) and lacks sentence-level citations, making it less ideal for deep comparisons.
Elicit is built to find papers to read rather than analyze full uploaded files. Enter a research question in English to get a table comparing summaries, sample sizes, and outcomes. It focuses on English literature, so verify the original texts before citing.
Match the AI tool to your current workflow step. Use search tools like Elicit for finding literature, and document Q&A tools for reading. For reading, prioritize citation precision: sentence-level references are essential for citing, while page numbers suffice for quick overviews. Choose lightweight tools for single files and folder-based tools for managing dozens. Always verify the original text before quoting.
| Situation | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 📎 When exact citations are required for papers & assignments | Gemini Notebook | Shows the exact source location for every sentence and offers generous free limits. Handles Korean papers well. |
| 💼 When searching for prior literature | Elicit | Enter a research question to find relevant papers and compare summaries, samples, and results in a table. Best for English papers. |
| 👥 When managing dozens of papers in folders | Humata | Upload entire folders to query multiple papers at once with citation highlights to verify sources. Offers student pricing. |
| ⚡ No sign-up | ChatPDF | Drop a single paper and ask questions instantly without signing up when in a hurry. |
Not a ranking. Different situations, different answers.
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Prices may change; confirm on each official site before paying. A comparison's verified date is the oldest of the comparison and its tools.
A research notebook that answers only from your files with citations
Document AI for querying multiple PDFs organized in folders
The simplest tool to upload a PDF and ask questions right away
An AI research assistant that finds papers and organizes them into tables