OpenRead
OpenRead helps you search, read, and annotate academic papers with AI tools built for research workflows. Type a natural language question and the platform matches meaning across more than 300 million papers, then layers Paper Espresso summaries, Paper Q&A deep dives, and a related-paper graph on top of the PDF you are reading.
Generic literature search stops at keyword hits. OpenRead pairs semantic paper and web search with in-document tools like Paper Compare for up to five papers at once, unlimited PDF parsing on paid tiers, and Oat, its research assistant that routes tasks across multiple frontier models. Premium subscribers get unlimited Paper Espresso and Paper Q&A usage plus 10 million monthly credits for premium-model chats inside Oat.
Universities can buy seat licenses at $200 per seat annually with SSO, admin dashboards, and training-data opt-outs. The free plan still includes unlimited PDF uploads up to 2MB per file, which is unusual for academic AI readers that gate parsing behind paid walls.
Semantic search matches natural language queries across 300 million academic papers
Paper Espresso condenses papers into quick relevance reads before you commit time
Paper Q&A answers targeted questions inside a single uploaded PDF
Paper Compare lines up up to 5 papers to spot contradictions across studies
Free plan includes 5 Paper Espresso and 5 Paper Q&A runs per month plus unlimited PDF parsing up to 2MB
Premium at $20 per month unlocks unlimited Paper Espresso, Paper Q&A, and Oat chat with image upload
Oat assistant routes chats to Gemini, Claude, GPT, and Grok models with 10 million monthly premium credits
Combines semantic paper search, PDF summaries, Q&A, and notes in one workspace
Free tier still allows unlimited PDF parsing up to 2MB per file
Paper Compare supports side-by-side review of up to five papers
Premium unlocks unlimited core research tools plus multi-model Oat access
University licenses add SSO and admin controls for institutional rollout
Free Oat chats omit image upload, search, and drawing capabilities
Premium-model usage inside Oat consumes credits beyond the 10 million monthly pool
Screenshot capture may fail when bot protection blocks automated browsers
What is OpenRead?
OpenRead is an AI research platform for searching academic papers, summarizing PDFs, and taking notes in one workspace. It covers semantic paper search, Paper Espresso summaries, Paper Q&A, and the Oat research assistant.
Is OpenRead free?
Yes. OpenRead's free plan costs $0 per month with 5 Paper Espresso and 5 Paper Q&A uses monthly, plus unlimited PDF uploads up to 2MB per file. Paid Basic and Premium plans raise those limits.
How much does OpenRead Premium cost?
OpenRead Premium costs $20 per month with unlimited Paper Espresso, Paper Q&A, Paper Compare, and Oat chat. Premium includes image upload, search, and drawing in Oat plus 10 million monthly credits for premium models.
What is Oat on OpenRead?
Oat is OpenRead's AI research assistant. It chats across top-tier models like Gemini 3.6, Claude Fable, GPT 5.6, and Grok 4.5, and Premium subscribers get drawing, image upload, and web search inside Oat chats.
How many papers can OpenRead search?
OpenRead advertises access to more than 300 million papers through semantic search. Its paper search feed refreshes every 5 minutes from over 20,000 journals according to the homepage.
Does OpenRead offer university licenses?
Yes. OpenRead sells university and enterprise seat licenses at $200 per seat annually. Those plans include Premium features, SSO, an admin dashboard, priority support, and organizational data excluded from AI training by default.

