Research Rabbit

Free literature discovery tool that maps papers and collections

AI Search & KnowledgeFree planOverseasβ˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† 4.0

What is Research Rabbit?

Research Rabbit is a literature discovery tool that starts from papers you already know and expands outwards. You build collections, and the app suggests related work, authors to follow and earlier or later papers in the same line of research, all shown on a visual network. It can sync with a reference manager and with an ORCID profile, so new publications by tracked authors arrive as alerts. It is free to use, which is unusual in this category, and it complements a reference manager rather than replacing one: storing and formatting citations is still somebody else's job.

Last updated: 2026-09-20. This site only provides an index; for exact features, pricing, and licensing, see the official website.

Key features

  • Visual network of papers related to a starting collection
  • Suggestions for related work, authors and earlier or later papers
  • Alerts on new publications from authors you follow
  • Sync with reference managers and an ORCID profile
  • Shared collections so a lab or reading group works from one list
  • Timeline view of how a line of research developed over time

Pros & cons

Strengths

  • Free to use, with no paywall on the discovery features
  • Expands from papers you trust rather than from keyword guesses
  • Author alerts catch new work without manual checking

Watch out for

  • Suggestions depend on citation data and can miss newer papers
  • Visual maps get crowded once a collection grows large
  • It is a discovery layer, not a place to format citations

Best for & use cases

literature discovery, tracking authors, building reading lists and staying current

If you're comparing similar products, check the alternatives below, or browse all tools in the AI Search & Knowledge category.

FAQ

Do I need a reference manager?

Not to use it, but they pair well. Research Rabbit finds and maps the papers, while a reference manager stores the metadata and formats citations, so most researchers end up running both.

How does the Zotero connection work?

It can read a connected library so your existing collections appear inside the tool and suggestions build on them. Nothing is moved, and you keep managing the library where it already lives.

Is it really free?

The discovery and mapping features are free, and the product is funded separately from them. Features can change, so confirm the current plan structure before building a workflow around it.