Litmaps
Maps of connected papers based on their citations. [Freemium]
Last verified:
What is Litmaps?
Litmaps is a literature review assistant that accelerates the entire literature review process by discovering important papers faster and transforming how researchers do research with dynamic visualizations. The tool creates interactive literature maps called
Litmaps pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
Free Plan: Monthly billing, Basic Search up to 20 inputs, 2 Litmaps, 100 articles per Map, no collaboration features, monthly summary alerts - FREE. Pro Plan: $10/month (monthly billing) or $120/year annual billing (save 20%), Weekly/configurable update frequency, Advanced Search with unlimited inputs, unlimited articles, unlimited Litmaps, no collaboration features; Educational License requires academic email address for 75% off commercial pricing. Team Plan: Custom pricing (
Litmaps pros
- Accelerates entire literature review process significantly
- Visual citation network maps show how papers relate
- Seed Maps generate from single starting paper
- 270+ million articles from Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, Crossref
- Automatic monitoring updates weekly for new papers
- Multiple search algorithms (citations, authorship, abstracts)
- Advanced search filters in Pro (date, keywords, author, journal, H-index, SJR)
- Zotero direct sync for reference manager integration
- Import BibTeX, RIS, PubMed files easily
- Tag system for organizing papers by categories
- Export papers to BibTeX, RIS, PubMed formats
- Share Litmaps via public URL or email
- Date-vs-cite graph shows publication timeline clearly
- Free tier available with basic functionality
- Interactive map design mode for custom visualization
- Identifies influential publications and research gaps
- Helps dyslexic researchers with visual approach
- No manual citation tracking needed
- Find unexpected connections between topics
- Works for 350,000+ researchers worldwide
Litmaps cons
- Free tier limited to 2 Litmaps only
- Free tier max 100 articles per map
- Free tier limited to 20 search inputs
- Monitoring feature is Pro-only
- Advanced search filters require Pro subscription
- No collaboration features in Free or Pro plans
- Team plan pricing is custom/not publicly listed
- Requires larger screen for creating Litmaps
- Pro costs $10/month (may be expensive for some)
- Education discount requires academic email verification
Frequently asked questions about Litmaps
Why can't I find an article?
The article may not be in the Litmaps database yet. The database covers 270+ million articles from Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, and Crossref, but not every published article is included. You can also check if the article title or author name was entered correctly.
Why is an article missing references?
The article may have limited metadata available in the source databases. Some older articles or articles from certain journals may not have complete citation information in Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, or Crossref.
Can I add an article that isn't in the Litmaps Database?
No, you can only add articles that exist in the Litmaps database of 270+ million articles. However, you can import articles from your reference manager using BibTeX, RIS, or PubMed files, and Litmaps will find matching articles in its database.
How to add articles to a Litmap?
Click the search bar at top left, search for your topic or a known paper, select relevant article(s) as starting articles, then click 'Explore Related Articles'. To add more, click 'More Like This' on recommended articles in the sidebar, or click articles directly on the map.
How should I attribute or cite Litmaps in my work?
When using Litmaps in your published work, you should attribute it appropriately. The website provides attribution guidelines at their documentation. You can also export screenshots of your maps for use in publications or blogs.
How to share a Litmap?
Click 'Share' at the top right of your Litmap. You can share via a public URL that anyone can access, or email it directly to colleagues, students, or advisors. You can also export an image screenshot of your map.
How to copy a Litmap or Tag to another Workspace?
Use the 'Copy' functionality to duplicate your Litmap or Tags to another Workspace. This allows you to organize research across different projects or share complete maps with collaborators.
What is the difference between Free and Pro plans?
Free: 2 Litmaps, 100 articles per map, 20 inputs max, basic search, monthly alerts. Pro: Unlimited Litmaps, unlimited articles, unlimited inputs, advanced search filters, weekly/configurable monitoring, daily alerts. Pro costs $10/month or $120/year.
How does the monitoring feature work?
Monitoring automatically runs your Litmap search algorithm every week (or configurable frequency in Pro). Litmaps checks for newly published articles connected to your topic and sends email notifications when new relevant papers appear. This helps you stay current without manual checking.
What search algorithms does Litmaps use?
Litmaps offers multiple algorithms: Shared Citations and References (default), Authorship Patterns (finds papers by same authors), and Similar Abstract/Title Content (finds papers with similar topics). You can switch algorithms by clicking the algorithm icon in your Litmap.