Locus
Locus is an AI-powered search tool designed to quickly find relevant information on any web page through natural language processing. It ca...
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What is Locus?
Locus is an AI-powered Chrome browser extension that completely reimagines the traditional CTRL + F (or ⌘+F on Mac) search function by enabling users to find information on webpages and PDFs using natural language instead of exact keywords. Instead of basic keyword matching, Locus understands your search intent and immediately highlights the exact sections you need, even in lengthy, complex documents like research papers, online textbooks, news articles, and blog posts.
Key features include Natural Language Search that lets you ask questions like
Locus pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
Locus offers two plans: Free Plan ($0 forever): - 3 documents daily - Smart Search with natural language search - AI Helpers and AI-based summarization - Works on web pages and PDFs - Save favorites - Search history - Daily refresh of index - Daily limits on documents and AI actions Professional Plan: - $9/month (14 days free trial) - includes all free features + no document limits, newest AI models included, choose your AI role, unlimited tokens with OpenAI integration, faster processing engine - OpenAI GPT-4o, GPT-4o mini, GPT-3.5; Anthropic Claude 3 Haiku; Google Gemini 1.5 Flash - AI models update within a few days of new release - Bring your own GPT API key for unlimited OpenAI 4o usage Alternative Professional pricing: $7.5/month billed annually ($90/year) with 30 days free, includes advanced AI models, OpenAI integration, faster processing, and personalized AI.
Locus pros
- Natural language search instead of exact keywords
- Understands search intent immediately
- Works on webpages and PDF documents
- AI-based content summarization
- Action Drawer gathers all highlights in one place
- Automatically creates interactive note cards
- Supports multiple AI models (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Deepseek)
- Choose personalized AI role for specific needs
- Save favorites for later reference
- Search history maintained
- Daily refresh of index
- No document limits on Professional plan
- Faster processing engine on paid plan
- Bring your own GPT API key for unlimited usage
- Works directly from browser without additional downloads
- Custom keyboard shortcut support (CMD/CTRL+SHIFT+F)
- Ideal for long research papers and textbooks
- Synthesize ideas without hopping between tabs
Locus cons
- Only available as Chrome extension
- Video support not yet available
- Daily limits on documents in Free plan (3 documents)
- Daily limits on AI actions in Free plan
- Requires Chrome restart after installation
- Requires Chrome restart after setting keyboard shortcut
- Must wait for page to load before searching
- Works only on static webpages with text
- 7.01MB file size is relatively large
- Only 3.6/5 rating on Chrome Web Store (27 ratings)
Frequently asked questions about Locus
What is Locus and how does it work?
Locus is an AI-powered Chrome extension that reimagines CTRL + F by enabling natural language search on webpages and PDFs. Instead of typing exact keywords, you ask questions in natural language, and Locus understands your search intent to immediately highlight the relevant sections. It works on most static webpages containing text, including news articles, online textbooks, and blog posts.
What AI models does Locus support?
Locus supports OpenAI GPT-4o, GPT-4o mini, and GPT-3.5; Anthropic Claude 3 Haiku; Google Gemini 1.5 Flash; and Deepseek (in v3.0). Users can switch to a dedicated AI profile optimized for their specific needs like academic research, legal analysis, or simple curiosity. AI models are updated within a few days of new release.
What is included in the Free plan?
The Free plan is $0 forever and includes 3 documents daily, smart search with natural language capability, AI helpers, AI-based summarization, support for web pages and PDFs, save favorites feature, search history, and daily refresh of index. There are daily limits on both documents and AI actions.
What are the Professional plan pricing options?
Professional plan has two pricing options: $9/month with 14 days free trial, or $7.5/month billed annually ($90/year) with 30 days free. Both include all free features plus no document limits, newest AI models, choose your AI role option, unlimited tokens with OpenAI integration, and faster processing engine.
Does Locus work on PDFs?
Yes, Locus supports PDF documents. Users can search within PDFs using natural language just like on webpages. The extension highlights relevant sections in PDF files. Video support is mentioned as coming soon, but PDF support is fully available.
How do I install and set up Locus?
Add Locus to Chrome from the Chrome Web Store, restart Chrome for installation to take effect, then pin the extension by clicking the extension menu on Chrome's top right, finding Locus in the dropdown, and toggling on the pin. Sign up for free to unlock additional functionality. Navigate to a webpage with text, wait for Locus to load the page, then start searching.
Can I set a custom keyboard shortcut for Locus?
Yes, you can set a custom keyboard shortcut like CMD+SHIFT+F (mac) or CTRL+SHIFT+F (windows). Go to chrome://extensions/shortcuts, find Locus, click the pencil edit icon, press your desired shortcut on keyboard, then restart Chrome for changes to take effect. The extension will activate every time you hit that shortcut pattern.
What is the Action Drawer and note cards feature?
The Action Drawer is a single place where Locus gathers all your highlights from searches across multiple pages. Locus automatically turns these highlights into interactive note cards, helping you synthesize ideas without hopping between tabs or apps. This makes it easier to organize, study, and review important information from your research.
Can I bring my own API key for OpenAI?
Yes, on the Professional plan you can bring your own GPT API key for unlimited use of OpenAI GPT-4o. This removes the token limits that would otherwise apply with the included OpenAI integration, giving you unrestricted access to the most advanced OpenAI model.
What types of documents and pages does Locus work on?
Locus works on most static webpages that contain text, including news articles, online textbooks, blog posts, long research papers, and PDF documents. It seamlessly adapts to text-heavy web pages. The tool is designed for lengthy, complex documents where traditional CTRL + F struggles with too many results or requiring exact keyword matching.