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Explainpaper

Simplify academic papers with instant, clear explanations at your fingertips.

Freemium Rising

About Explainpaper

Explainpaper is an innovative AI-driven tool designed to transform how researchers and academics interact with complex research papers. As of 2026, this tool has become indispensable for over 400,000 researchers worldwide, offering a streamlined method to comprehend dense academic text. Explainpaper leverages advanced Large Language Models (LLMs) to provide instant, context-aware explanations of highlighted sections, making it easier to digest and understand intricate concepts. This tool is particularly beneficial for those venturing into new fields of study or grappling with jargon-heavy literature. Its multilingual capabilities ensure accessibility for a global audience, allowing users to receive explanations in over 50 languages. Explainpaper stands out by offering features like auto-generated insights, smart outlines, and the ability to chat directly with the paper, ensuring that users can delve deeper into specific topics without getting lost in details. With its tiered pricing model, Explainpaper caters to both casual users and professional researchers, offering a free tier for basic use and a Pro plan at $16 per month for more advanced features. This makes Explainpaper not only a powerful tool for understanding academic papers but also a cost-effective solution for enhancing research productivity.

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Explainpaper Key Features

In-Context Explanations

This feature allows users to highlight any confusing sentence within a research paper and receive a simplified explanation in their preferred language. The explanations are context-aware, meaning they consider the entire paper's content to provide accurate and relevant insights, akin to having an expert sitting next to you.

Multi-Language Support

Explainpaper supports over 50 languages, enabling users worldwide to receive explanations in their native tongue. This feature broadens accessibility, allowing non-native English speakers to comprehend complex academic texts more effectively.

Adjustable Complexity Levels

Users can adjust the complexity of explanations from beginner to expert level, tailoring the depth of information to their understanding and needs. This feature ensures that both novices and seasoned researchers can benefit from the tool.

Chat with Your Paper

This interactive feature allows users to ask questions about the paper and receive answers based on the actual content, not general knowledge. It supports follow-up questions and citation of specific sections, facilitating deeper exploration of topics.

Auto-Generated Insights

Explainpaper provides instant insights into a paper's structure, key findings, and main arguments without requiring users to read the entire document. This feature includes smart outlines and key points extraction, helping users navigate complex papers with ease.

Smart Outlines

The tool generates smart outlines that break down the paper into manageable sections, highlighting the main arguments and findings. This feature is particularly useful for quickly understanding the paper's overall structure and flow.

Key Points Extraction

Explainpaper identifies and extracts the most critical points from a paper, allowing users to focus on what matters most. This feature saves time and ensures that users do not miss essential information.

Concept Relationships

This feature helps users understand how different ideas within a paper are connected, providing a clearer picture of the research's context and implications. It aids in grasping complex interdependencies and theoretical frameworks.

Summarize Findings

Users can generate summaries of the entire paper, providing quick overviews of key results and conclusions. This feature is ideal for researchers who need to digest large amounts of information efficiently.

Free and Pro Versions

Explainpaper offers a free version for exploring research with unlimited highlight explanations and a Pro version for professional research, which includes advanced AI models, the ability to save highlights, and generate full paper summaries.

Explainpaper Pricing Plans (2026)

Recommended

Free

$0/month /monthly
  • Unlimited highlight explanations
  • Ask follow-up questions
  • Import Zotero library
  • Powered by basic AI models
  • Basic AI models
  • No advanced features like full paper summaries
Recommended

Pro

$16/month /monthly
  • Explain math formulas and figures
  • Powered by advanced AI models
  • Generate summaries for the entire paper
  • Save highlights and explanations
  • Ask questions about your paper
  • Paid subscription required

Teams

Contact us /custom
  • Everything in Pro
  • Team management
  • Priority support
  • Volume discounts
  • Custom pricing

Explainpaper Pros

  • + Provides instant, context-aware explanations of complex text.
  • + Supports over 50 languages, making it accessible globally.
  • + Allows for adjustable complexity levels, catering to various expertise levels.
  • + Interactive chat feature enhances engagement with research papers.
  • + Auto-generated insights save time by summarizing key points.
  • + Affordable pricing with a free tier available for basic use.

Explainpaper Cons

  • Advanced features are locked behind a Pro subscription.
  • May not fully capture the nuance of highly specialized jargon.
  • Limited to academic papers, not suitable for other document types.
  • Requires internet access for full functionality.
  • Free tier may have limited AI model capabilities compared to Pro.

Explainpaper Use Cases

Academic Research

Researchers use Explainpaper to quickly understand complex academic papers, saving time and enhancing comprehension. The tool's ability to simplify dense text makes it invaluable for literature reviews and staying updated with the latest research.

Graduate Studies

Graduate students rely on Explainpaper to assist with their coursework and thesis research. By providing simplified explanations and summaries, the tool helps students grasp challenging concepts and prepare for discussions and exams.

Multilingual Research Teams

Teams working across different languages use Explainpaper to ensure all members can understand research papers, regardless of their native language. This feature fosters collaboration and inclusivity in international research projects.

Professional Development

Professionals in fields requiring continuous education, such as medicine or engineering, use Explainpaper to stay informed about new developments. The tool's ability to break down complex information supports lifelong learning and skill enhancement.

Journalists and Science Communicators

Journalists and science communicators use Explainpaper to quickly understand and report on scientific findings. The tool helps them translate complex research into accessible language for the general public.

Educational Institutions

Universities and colleges integrate Explainpaper into their libraries and learning centers, providing students and faculty with a powerful tool to enhance research and teaching. The tool supports academic success by making research more accessible.

What Makes Explainpaper Unique

Context-Aware Explanations

Unlike other tools, Explainpaper provides explanations that consider the entire context of the paper, ensuring accuracy and relevance in its simplifications.

Multi-Language Support

Explainpaper's ability to provide explanations in over 50 languages sets it apart, making it accessible to a global audience and supporting diverse research teams.

Adjustable Complexity Levels

The tool's feature to adjust explanation complexity from beginner to expert is unique, catering to users with varying levels of expertise and understanding.

Interactive Paper Chat

Explainpaper allows users to interact with the paper by asking questions and receiving content-specific answers, a feature not commonly found in similar tools.

Auto-Generated Insights

The ability to automatically generate insights, such as smart outlines and key points, provides users with a quick understanding of the paper's structure and main arguments, enhancing efficiency.

Who's Using Explainpaper

Academic Researchers

Researchers use Explainpaper to simplify and expedite the process of reading and understanding complex academic papers, allowing them to focus more on analysis and application of the research.

Graduate Students

Graduate students use Explainpaper to aid in their studies and research projects, benefiting from the tool's ability to clarify difficult concepts and provide concise summaries.

Multinational Corporations

Corporations with research and development departments use Explainpaper to facilitate understanding of technical papers across different languages, enhancing innovation and collaboration.

Journalists

Journalists covering scientific topics use Explainpaper to quickly grasp the essence of research papers, enabling them to report accurately and effectively to the public.

Educational Institutions

Universities and colleges provide Explainpaper to students and faculty as a resource for improving research skills and comprehension of academic literature.

How We Rate Explainpaper

7.8
Overall Score
Explainpaper is a robust tool for academic research, offering valuable features and good performance, though there is room for improvement in customization and support.
Ease of Use
8
Value for Money
7
Performance
8
Support
7.5
Accuracy & Reliability
8
Privacy & Security
7.5
Features
8
Integrations
8
Customization
7.5

Explainpaper vs Competitors

Explainpaper vs TensorZero

TensorZero is a strong competitor in the academic tool space, offering similar AI-driven explanations. However, Explainpaper distinguishes itself with its multilingual support and interactive chat feature, which are not as robust in TensorZero.

Advantages
  • + Multilingual support
  • + Interactive chat with paper
  • + Auto-generated insights
Considerations
  • TensorZero may offer more specialized features for specific fields
  • Potentially better integration with certain academic databases

Explainpaper Frequently Asked Questions (2026)

What is Explainpaper?

Explainpaper is an AI-powered tool designed to help researchers read academic papers more efficiently by providing instant, simplified explanations of complex text.

How much does Explainpaper cost in 2026?

Explainpaper offers a free tier, while the Pro plan costs $16 per month.

Is Explainpaper free?

Yes, Explainpaper offers a free tier with basic features for unlimited highlight explanations and follow-up questions.

Is Explainpaper worth it in 2026?

Explainpaper is a valuable tool for researchers, offering time-saving features and multilingual support, making it worth considering in 2026.

Best Explainpaper alternatives in 2026?

Alternatives include TensorZero, Compass, Sourcely, Phoenix, and AI Detector.

Explainpaper vs competitors in 2026?

Explainpaper offers unique features like context-aware explanations and multilingual support, setting it apart from competitors like TensorZero and Compass.

How to get started with Explainpaper?

Users can start by uploading a paper on the Explainpaper website and highlighting sections for instant explanations.

What platforms does Explainpaper support?

Explainpaper is a web-based tool compatible with major browsers and can be integrated with research management tools.

Is Explainpaper safe and secure?

Explainpaper implements reasonable data privacy and security measures to protect user information.

Who should use Explainpaper?

Explainpaper is ideal for researchers, graduate students, and anyone needing to comprehend complex academic papers.

What's new in Explainpaper 2026?

In 2026, Explainpaper has enhanced its AI models for better accuracy and expanded its multilingual support.

How does Explainpaper compare to alternatives?

Explainpaper excels in providing context-aware explanations and multilingual support, offering advantages over many alternatives.

Explainpaper Search Interest

42
/ 100
↑ Rising

Search interest over past 12 months (Google Trends) • Updated 2/2/2026

Explainpaper on Hacker News

4
Stories
238
Points
44
Comments

Explainpaper Company

Founded
2022
4.0+ years active

Explainpaper Quick Info

Pricing
Freemium
Upvotes
83
Added
January 3, 2026

Explainpaper Is Best For

  • Academic researchers seeking to understand complex papers quickly.
  • Graduate students needing assistance with dense academic material.
  • International research teams requiring multilingual support.
  • Interdisciplinary researchers bridging knowledge across fields.
  • Corporate R&D departments staying informed on academic advancements.

Explainpaper Integrations

Zotero library importCommon academic databasesResearch management tools

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