Last updated 08-11-2026
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Petal
Petal turns PDFs and research files into a library you can query with sourced answers, citations, and team annotations. Upload documents to the cloud drive, chat with a single file or multiple papers, and export citation lists without leaving the workspace at cite.petal.org.
Compared with a general chatbot, Petal anchors replies to documents you upload and highlights where each answer came from. It also bundles a reference manager, citation generator, browser capture plugin, and multi-document AI Table filters that general note apps usually lack.
Researchers, R&D teams, and faculty groups use Petal to scan technical PDFs, share annotated libraries, and compare studies across collections. The homepage cites 20,000+ researchers and lists MIT, UT Austin, Caltech, and Intuit logos among its users.
Free plan includes 1 GB storage, 400 AI credits, and unlimited citation lists
Single-document chat on every tier plus 7-day trials for multi-doc chat on Free
AI Table on Plus and above compares documents with conversational filters
Browser plugin auto-fills metadata when you save PDFs to a Petal collection
Advanced plan adds multi-doc chat, AI Create, and 1,200 monthly AI credits for $8.49 per month annual
Answers cite the uploaded documents instead of relying on open-web guesses.
Reference manager, citations, and AI chat live in one cite.petal.org workspace.
Generous Free tier still includes single-doc chat and unlimited citation lists.
Free plan caps AI credits at 400 with no monthly refill.
Multi-doc chat and AI Create require Advanced ($8.49 per month annual) or higher.
Storage tops out at 25 GB on Premium, which may feel tight for large PDF archives.
What is Petal?
Petal is a document analysis and reference manager where you chat with PDFs and get cited answers. Petal stores files in a cloud drive with annotations, sharing, and citation export tools.
Is Petal free?
Yes. Petal's Free plan costs $0 per month with 1 GB storage and 400 AI credits. Paid Plus, Advanced, and Premium tiers add more storage, credits, and features like citation export.
How much is Petal Plus?
Petal Plus is $2.55 per month on the annual early-bird rate, or $4.99 per month without a .edu discount. Petal Plus includes 2 GB storage and 400 monthly AI credits.
Can Petal compare multiple documents?
Yes. Petal's AI Table lets you filter and compare documents with conversational queries. Multi-document chat is a 7-day trial on Free and included on Advanced and Premium plans.
Does Petal work for teams?
Petal supports guests, shared annotations, and cross-workspace sharing on individual plans. Team pricing is listed separately on the Petal pricing page under the Teams tab.
Where do I use Petal?
You sign up and work inside Petal at cite.petal.org, while marketing pages live on petal.org. Petal also offers a browser extension to capture PDFs into your library.