What it is
Scite is a research platform built around Smart Citations. For any paper, it shows the sentences in later papers that cite it and labels each one as supporting, contrasting or just mentioning. Its pricing page cites more than 1.6 billion citations across more than 300 million scholarly sources.
On top of that sit the Scite Assistant, which answers questions with cited snippets, plus search, citation alerts, dashboards and paper collections. Scite also runs a hosted MCP server, signed in with OAuth, that brings its citation data into ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and other MCP clients, metered by monthly credits. Scite has been owned by Research Solutions since 2023.
Our review
Scite answers a question most research tools ignore: what did later papers say about this one? A Smart Citation shows the citing sentence itself and labels it supporting, contrasting or mentioning. For checking a key reference before you rely on it, or spotting a result that failed to replicate, that context is worth more than another AI summary.
The pricing now leans towards people who want that data inside other assistants. Basic at $12 a month billed yearly includes 250 MCP credits and collections of up to 1,000 papers; Pro at $40 raises that to 2,500 credits and 10,000 papers, and adds the API and datasets of patents, clinical trials and grants. Neither the pricing page nor the MCP page says what one credit buys, so the tenfold jump is hard to price against real use.
For engineers, the MCP server is the simpler route. Clients discover the OAuth 2.0 endpoints at api.scite.ai themselves, and Scite's own setup page warns that ChatGPT may silently disconnect tools between sessions. API keys are created from the sidebar on Pro, which currently includes $60 of API credit for a limited time. Rate limits are not published, and bulk feeds or data licences go through sales.
Two cautions apply to everyone. The 7-day trial enrols you in the plan you picked unless you cancel. And the labels are machine classifications: a hedged or sarcastic citation can be tagged 'contrasting', so read the sentence before you quote the label. The Enterprise tier's FAERS, MAUDE and 510(k) datasets are a better reason for a medical-device company to buy than the Assistant is.
Where it earns its place
A postdoc drafting the background section of a grant application
Check that the 30 or so key references have not been contradicted
Each reference's Smart Citation report shows contrasting statements with the sentence in context. Basic at $144 a year is enough; the trial converts to paid after 7 days unless cancelled.
A developer at a science-communication startup building a Claude-based assistant
Ground answers in what later papers say about a study
Connect the hosted MCP server through OAuth, or call the API with a key on Pro at $480 a year. Pro's 2,500 monthly MCP credits are the ceiling, and because a credit's size is unpublished, a load test is the only way to size it.
A regulatory-affairs team at a medical-device maker
Watch the literature and adverse-event data for their device class
Enterprise adds FAERS, MAUDE and 510(k) datasets, SSO or IP sign-in, and unlimited users on a shared usage pool. Pricing is custom, and the team can start on Pro seats at $40 each.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Sign up for the 7-day trial and search at once; the MCP server needs a paid plan or trial and an OAuth sign-in from the client.
- Integrations
- MCP for ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and other MCP clients; REST API from Pro; Enterprise adds SSO, IP and domain sign-in.
- Data and privacy
- Enterprise is sold with 'stronger security and data confidentiality'; certifications, retention and training policy are not published on the pricing or MCP pages.
- Cost at scale
- Pro seats cost $480 a year each billed yearly, so ten researchers pay $4,800; Enterprise replaces seats with a custom shared usage pool.
- Limits
- Collections cap at 1,000 papers on Basic, 10,000 on Pro and 50,000 on Enterprise; API rate limits and the size of an MCP credit are not published.
What's good
- Smart Citations show the citing sentence and whether it supports or contrasts
- 1.6 billion+ citations across 300 million+ sources
- Hosted MCP server with OAuth for ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot
- Pro adds the API plus patent, clinical trial and grant data
- Enterprise adds FAERS, MAUDE and 510(k) regulatory datasets
What's not
- No free plan; the trial converts to paid unless cancelled
- What one MCP credit buys is not published
- Automated labels can misread hedged or sarcastic citations
- API rate limits not published
- Assistant overlaps with Consensus and Elicit
Best for
Academics, students and science writers who need to check how a paper has been received before citing it.
Alternatives
Scite: common questions
- Is Scite worth it?
- Scite's Smart Citations are still the quickest way to see whether a finding has held up; nearly everything else it sells, Consensus and Elicit also offer. We rate it 4.0 out of 5.
- How much does Scite cost?
- No free plan; 7-day trial that rolls into the chosen plan. Basic $12/month billed yearly ($144/year); Pro $40/month billed yearly ($480/year); roughly $20 and $50 on monthly billing, by the page's own savings figures. Enterprise custom.
- What are the downsides of Scite?
- No free plan; the trial converts to paid unless cancelled; what one MCP credit buys is not published; automated labels can misread hedged or sarcastic citations; aPI rate limits not published; assistant overlaps with Consensus and Elicit.
- Who is Scite best for?
- Academics, students and science writers who need to check how a paper has been received before citing it.
- How much does Scite cost for a team or in production?
- Pro seats cost $480 a year each billed yearly, so ten researchers pay $4,800; Enterprise replaces seats with a custom shared usage pool.
- Is Scite safe for company data?
- Enterprise is sold with 'stronger security and data confidentiality'; certifications, retention and training policy are not published on the pricing or MCP pages.
- What are the best Scite alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are Consensus, Elicit and Undermind.
Answers checked Oct 22, 2026.
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