Litmaps

Litmaps is literature-review software that searches a large catalogue of academic papers and visualizes how they connect through citations and references. Researchers start with one or more seed papers, explore related work in a visual Litmap, organize sources, collaborate, export citations, and monitor new publications. It is built for systematic searching and research discovery, not for replacing critical appraisal or reading the underlying papers.

✨ Key Features

• Citation-network search — Find relevant papers through shared citations and references rather than relying only on keyword matching.
• Seed Maps — Start from a known paper, DOI, PubMed ID, arXiv ID, author, or keyword and build a connected literature map.
• Related-paper suggestions — Surface connected and potentially overlooked work from the citation network.
• Advanced discovery algorithms — Compare Shared Citations & References, Common Authors, and Similar Text approaches.
• Visual mapping — View papers and their relationships as an interactive map with adjustable measures.
• Filters and targeted search — Use advanced search and custom filters to narrow a broad research field.
• Tags and organization — Save papers, group them by theme or subtopic, and manage multiple research maps.
• Zotero sync — Sync a Litmaps library with Zotero to continue organizing sources in a reference manager.
• Collaboration and sharing — Share maps with colleagues, students, advisors, or clients.
• Literature Monitor — Receive automatic email alerts when new papers appear on a topic or map.
• Citation and bibliography export — Cite individual papers in the app or export article lists as BibTeX for a reference workflow.
• Map export and attribution — Download a visual map for research communication and follow Litmaps’ citation guidance when publishing it.

💳 Pricing

• Free — Monthly summary alerts, Basic Search with up to 20 inputs, 100 articles per map, and 1 Litmap.
• Pro — $10/month or $120/year for the reviewed commercial/education pricing display; includes Basic and Advanced Search, unlimited inputs, articles, Litmaps, and daily/configurable alerts. Academic eligibility may be required for education pricing.
• Team — Includes Advanced Search, unlimited inputs, articles, and Litmaps, plus team-wide alerts and collaboration; public page directs teams to sign up or contact Litmaps rather than showing a universal price.
• Discounts and institutional licensing — Litmaps advertises discounts for classrooms, labs, institutions, and certain countries; terms require contacting sales.

Confirm current plan limits, alert frequency, academic eligibility, export options, institutional terms, and regional pricing before subscribing.

⚖️ Alternatives Compared

🎯 Use Cases

• Literature review discovery — Expand from seed papers to relevant connected studies.
• Systematic-search preparation — Build a transparent starting map before applying a formal review protocol.
• Related-work sections — Find foundational, connected, and newer papers without depending on one keyword query.
• Research-gap exploration — Visualize clusters and connections to identify underexplored directions.
• Field orientation — Understand key authors, citations, and the development of a research topic.
• Ongoing monitoring — Receive alerts when new work appears in an active research area.
• Team research — Share maps and organize sources with supervisors, colleagues, or clients.
• Bibliography production — Export saved papers to BibTeX or a reference manager such as Zotero.
• Research communication — Include an appropriately attributed visual map in a paper, presentation, or project update.

Verify paper relevance, peer-review status, publication dates, citation context, and completeness independently before treating a Litmaps result as evidence.