Connected Papers vs Elicit

Option A

Connected Papers

A graph from a seed paper so prior and derivative work stops hiding behind bad keywords.

Best for

• Quick survey of a subfield around one known paper
• Researchers who want Prior/Derivative tables before an account
• Anonymous BibTeX export of a similarity neighborhood

Strengths

• Anonymous graph for Attention Is All You Need in ~2–3 seconds
• Prior works and Derivative works tables usable without login
• Share and ~57.5 KB BibTeX download worked anonymously

Trade-offs

• Dense graph labels overlap; detail pane is required for reading
• First-use help overlay blocks the canvas until dismissed
• Save redirects to auth; free plan lists 5 graphs/month

Verdict

Hands-on (Sep 2026): anonymous Connected Papers built a usable Attention Is All You Need citation graph in about 2–3 seconds; Prior/Derivative tables, Share, and BibTeX download worked without login. Score 4/5. Crowded labels, first-use overlay, and Save-behind-auth kept it from a 5. Full write-up: https://toolifynav.com/blog/connected-papers-review

Option B

Elicit

Paper search and extraction tables for people running something like a systematic review.

Best for

• Evidence tables, not vibes
• Researchers who will write inclusion criteria
• People extracting outcomes across a paper set

Strengths

• Forces the work into a table you can audit
• Closer to review practice than a chatbot

Trade-offs

• Garbage criteria produce garbage grids
• You still have to read the papers you will cite

Verdict

Elicit belongs on a research desk when the deliverable is a screened set of papers plus extracted fields. It does not belong there when you wanted a cited news brief or a chat with one PDF. Consensus, SciSpace, Scite, and the graph tools each own a different slice of the same afternoon. Keep Elicit for the table. Confirm extraction quality on two papers you already know before you trust a 40-row export. If you will not write inclusion criteria, you will not get a systematic review — you will get a sorted hallucination.