Covidence alternative
Covidence prices the screening project you import. AutoSearch prices the literature pass itself: the search, a recorded decision per record, a PRISMA 2020 flow and a draft whose citations resolve on Crossref.
Built in Switzerland · Crossref-verified citations · 0 fabricated DOIs in our public benchmark
Covidence is a screening workspace. You import references, reviewers vote, conflicts get resolved, and you pay per review. In 2026 a single-review plan was publicly listed around USD 339 per year, and a pack of up to three reviews around USD 907 — confirm the current figure on Covidence's pricing page, because it moves. AutoSearch starts one step earlier: it runs the search, then screens, synthesises and checks every DOI on Crossref, on a published monthly plan.
Covidence prices a library you already have
The Covidence workflow assumes the references exist. That is the right tool for a team that will sit with titles and abstracts for weeks and resolve disagreements inside the tool. It does not answer which databases were searched, or write the sourced draft. You still build the library before the invoice starts.
AutoSearch prices the whole literature pass
A question goes out to OpenAlex, Crossref, PubMed, Semantic Scholar, arXiv and ClinicalTrials.gov together. Screening decisions are stored per record, the PRISMA 2020 flow uses those counts, and the draft will not cite a DOI that Crossref cannot resolve. Researcher is CHF 29/month for 300 credits. A standard review is about 8 credits, so one plan covers many reviews rather than one invoice per review.
Where Covidence is still the right buy
Keep Covidence when two people must screen independently and the protocol says conflicts are resolved in that tool. AutoSearch records one decision per record and does not replace a two-reviewer workflow. Use it to build the library and the sourced draft, then screen in Covidence if the method requires two reviewers. AutoSearch does not search Embase.
What you can show in the methods section
The stored protocol, the CSV screening log, the PRISMA flow and a reference list that resolves. That is the transparency PRISMA 2020 asks the author to report. You remain the author. Registration includes 50 free credits, which is enough to run the same question you would otherwise import into a paid review.
| Decision | What you pay for |
|---|---|
| Who finds the papers | You, then you import them into Covidence. AutoSearch searches. |
| Reviewer model | Covidence: two reviewers plus conflict resolution. AutoSearch: one recorded decision per record. |
| Price shape | Per review. A single-review plan was listed around USD 339 per year in 2026. AutoSearch: from CHF 29/month, about 8 credits per standard review. |
| PRISMA 2020 flow | You assemble the counts. AutoSearch generates the flow from the run. |
| Citation check | Not Covidence's job. AutoSearch checks every DOI live on Crossref. |
| Output | A screened library. A screened set plus an IMRAD draft and BibTeX. |
Frequently asked questions
Is AutoSearch a Covidence alternative?
For teams whose missing piece is the search, the PRISMA record and a Crossref-checked draft, yes. For a protocol that requires two independent reviewers and in-tool conflict resolution, Covidence still does that job and AutoSearch does not replace a two-reviewer workflow.
How much does Covidence cost compared with AutoSearch?
In 2026 Covidence publicly listed a single-review plan around USD 339 per year and a pack of up to three reviews around USD 907. Confirm on their pricing page. AutoSearch Researcher is CHF 29/month with 300 credits, and a standard review is about 8 credits.
Do I still import a RIS file?
No. You write the research question. AutoSearch queries the open databases and records what it kept. If you already have a library and only need dual screening, Covidence is the closer fit.
Does it search Embase?
No. AutoSearch does not search Embase. Licensed databases stay outside the run. PubMed, OpenAlex, Crossref, Semantic Scholar, arXiv and ClinicalTrials.gov are searched together.
Are the citations verified?
Every DOI is checked live against Crossref before it is kept. Our public benchmark reports 0 fabricated DOIs across hundreds of references.
Search first, then decide if you still need a screening seat
Run the question on the free credits. If the protocol, the flow and the reference list are the deliverable, you already have them. If you still need two reviewers, take the library forward.
Run a free review →