Rayyan review

Rayyan is a platform for managing systematic reviews and evidence synthesis. It brings reference importing, duplicate handling, study screening, team collaboration, data extraction, risk-of-bias assessment and reporting into one workflow. The goal is to organize the review process, not replace the researchers making inclusion decisions or interpreting results.

Its AI tools include ResearchPilot, with relevance ratings, AI analysis and review, and automatic data extraction. Rayyan also lists PICO extraction on Advanced. For teams, it supports inviting collaborators, assigning roles and dividing screening workloads. Reporting features include exports and PRISMA flow diagrams.

The free plan is limited to one seat and three active reviews. Paid pricing starts at $4.99 per seat per month when billed annually, according to the pricing information checked November 6, 2026. That entry price does not include every AI feature: ResearchPilot is listed with Business / Academic, while Advanced includes PICO extraction.

Rayyan’s main advantage is that it covers several stages of a review in one place. Teams can manage shared screening, assign roles and workloads, capture structured study data, record risk-of-bias evaluations, and export results. That is more purpose-built for review workflows than a reference manager alone. A commenter on r/AskAcademia made a similar distinction: reference organization is useful, but it is not the same as conducting a systematic review.

The duplicate-removal ceiling is substantial on paper: Systematic Auto-Resolver is described as handling up to 200,000 references. Essential includes duplicate auto-resolution, while Advanced adds unlimited samples and AI PICO extraction, according to the published plan details.

The free tier gives an individual a way to start, with one seat, up to three active reviews, two free reviewers, one sample and mobile access for 100 decisions. Essential keeps the three-review cap but adds five free reviewers and unlimited mobile app access. For teams that need more room, Advanced lists up to nine active reviews and 10 free reviewers. Those caps make the plan differences concrete before a group commits.

The main catch is that the attractive starting price is not the price for every team or feature. Essential is listed at $4.99 per seat per month on annual billing, or $8.33 on the monthly-equivalent price shown for the other billing option; Advanced is $8.33 annually or $13.33 on that monthly-equivalent basis. Both are billed quarterly or annually, according to the pricing note. Additional seats can be purchased, but their price is not published.

Business / Academic is a much bigger step: $41.67 per license per month on annual billing, with a five-license minimum. That is at least five licenses, and monthly billing is not published. ResearchPilot is listed on this plan. Enterprise pricing is also not published; it offers custom or unlimited licenses and unlimited reviews, according to the plan details.

The free tier’s three-review limit and Essential’s same three-review cap may be restrictive for anyone running multiple projects. And AI assistance is not a substitute for review judgment. Some Reddit commenters objected to delegating inclusion decisions to AI; a commenter on r/AskAcademia also warned that reference organization alone does not produce synthesis or a publishable review.

Rayyan’s Free plan costs $0 and includes one seat, up to three active reviews, and two free reviewers. Essential starts at $4.99 per seat per month with annual billing, or $8.33 with quarterly billing. It keeps the three-review cap but adds duplicate auto-resolution and unlimited mobile app access.

Advanced costs $8.33 per seat per month annually or $13.33 quarterly. The jump buys up to nine active reviews, ten free reviewers, unlimited samples, and AI PICO extraction. Business / Academic is a much bigger step: $41.67 per license per month, billed annually, with a five-license minimum. That minimum works out to $208.35 per month equivalent, billed annually. It includes ResearchPilot AI and 50 organization-wide reviews.

Additional Essential and Advanced seats are available, but their prices are not published. Monthly billing is also not published for these plans. Enterprise pricing is custom. Check the seat minimum and billing term before comparing the headline per-seat price.

Rayyan is built to import studies and coordinate screening, but the published information does not specify migration tools, supported import formats, or how much review history transfers. Before moving an active project, confirm what happens to screening decisions, notes, extracted data, reviewer assignments, and duplicate records. The product information says users can export results and generate PRISMA flow diagrams; export formats and whether exports include all project data are not published here.

We don’t have Reddit posts or comments in the published published material, so we can’t substantiate what tends to make users leave. Treat export coverage as a question to verify before switching, not an assumed lock-in or an assumed easy exit. Ask Rayyan for a sample export and confirm it contains the fields your team needs. If you’re considering a move because ResearchPilot AI or organization-wide access is important, check the plan first: Business / Academic has a five-license minimum and annual billing, while Enterprise pricing is custom.