Best free AI tools for reading research papers

1. Use GPT inside Zotero to read and summarize papers
   ★ 7.5kstars
   zotero-gpt by MuiseDestiny
   AI assistant inside Zotero
   Some setupAdd-onHealthy
2. Get cited answers from scientific papers
   ★ 9.5kstars
   paper-qa by Future-House
   Answers with citations from your papers
   For developersCode libraryHealthy
3. Get a detailed research report on any topic
   ★ 30.5kstars
   gpt-researcher by assafelovic · Free alternative to ChatGPT Deep Research, Perplexity
   Writes research reports from many sources
   Some setupSelf-hosted appHealthy
4. Get AI help writing and reviewing papers in your editor
   ★ 1.6kstars
   paperdebugger by PaperDebugger
   Help writing and reviewing your own papers
   Some setupAdd-onFair
5. Track arXiv papers and get recommendations
   ★ 1.7kstars
   arxiv-sanity-lite by karpathy
   Track and get recommended arXiv papers
   Some setupSelf-hosted appUse with care

Ranked for people new to AI: ease of use first, then quality, upkeep and popularity. Last checked 4 Nov 2026.

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