Best Academic Research Databases in 2026
Updated
In short: JSTOR is ranked #1 of 33 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of CORE and MAXQDA. The best-ranked option with a free plan is CORE. The lowest first paid tier on this page is JSTOR at $16.58/mo.
Research often begins with a subject or a specific kind of source, so database coverage and access can shape where you search. JSTOR, CORE, and OpenAlex lead the ranking, followed by The Lens and ERIC. Compare advanced search and subject coverage, then check content types, conference proceedings, and theses and dissertations for the materials included. Full-text access and institutional access can clarify what you may be able to read. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing add cost details to consider. Europe PMC, PubMed, and arXiv are also among the early entries. The listed criteria offer a way to weigh discovery, source types, and access as you choose databases for your research.
33 academic research databases ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
33ranked
8free plans on this page
$16.58/molowest paid tier
4 Oct 2026last checked
#1 JSTOR Top pick · 7.2 Free plan · $16.58/mo
#2 CORE Runner-up · 7.0 Free plan · Free
#3 MAXQDA Also great · 7.0 - Free plan AndroidiOSWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Full-text access
- Yes
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- multidisciplinary
- Content types
- journals, books, book chapters, research reports, theses, dissertations, documents, images, audio, video, panoramas, serials
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$16.58/mofirst paid tier About JSTORVisit site - Free planFree trial apiextensionWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Full-text access
- Yes
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- multidisciplinary
- Content types
- research papers, journal articles, preprints, theses, dissertations, conference proceedings, reports, books
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree About COREVisit site - Free trial macOSWindows
- Free plan
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free planFree trial apiWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Full-text access
- Yes
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- multidisciplinary
- Content types
- journal articles, conference proceedings, books, book chapters, preprints
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$83.33/mofirst paid tier About The LensVisit site - Free plan apiextensionself-hostedWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Full-text access
- Yes
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- multidisciplinary
- Content types
- journal articles, conference papers, books, book chapters, datasets, dissertations, preprints
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$416.67/mofirst paid tier About OpenAlexVisit site - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Full-text access
- No
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- multidisciplinary
- Content types
- journal articles; bibliographies; monographs; symposia; meeting abstracts; conference proceedings; textbooks; newsletters; book chapters; technical reports; published theses; dissertations; reviews; patents; annual reports; guides; translated journals; teaching guides; curriculum materials; lesson plans; pamphlets; formularies; press releases; letters; editorials; research projects
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan apiWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Full-text access
- Yes
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- multidisciplinary
- Content types
- scholarly articles
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Full-text access
- Yes
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- multidisciplinary
- Content types
- preprints, working papers, abstracts, gray literature, book reviews, multimedia files, datasets
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree About SSRNVisit site - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Full-text access
- Yes
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- multidisciplinary
- Content types
- publications, datasets, grants, patents, clinical trials, policy documents, preprints, books, proceedings
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - apiWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Full-text access
- Yes
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- multidisciplinary
- Content types
- journal articles; books; research syntheses; conference papers; technical reports; policy papers
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - apiWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Full-text access
- Yes
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- multidisciplinary
- Content types
- journals, articles, journal metadata, article metadata, full-text links
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOSiOSAndroid
- Free plan
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Full-text access
- Yes
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- stem
- Content types
- journal articles, books, conference proceedings, reports, theses, grey literature
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Full-text access
- Yes
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- medical
- Content types
- preprints, research articles, meta-analyses, clinical research design protocols
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Full-text access
- Yes
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- multidisciplinary
- Content types
- scholarly journals, scholarly books, book chapters, journal articles, abstracts and summaries, critical editions, reference works, primary source material
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- No
- Full-text access
- Yes
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- multidisciplinary
- Content types
- scholarly journals; trade and professional titles; newspapers; magazines; dissertations; working papers; case studies; market reports; conference papers
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Full-text access
- No
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- medical
- Content types
- citations, abstracts, journal literature, books, book chapters
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Full-text access
- No
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- multidisciplinary
- Content types
- journal articles, conference proceedings, books, reviews, abstracts
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Full-text access
- Yes
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- multidisciplinary
- Content types
- papers, videos, courses
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- No
- Full-text access
- No
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- social_sciences
- Content types
- journal articles; book chapters; dissertations
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Full-text access
- Yes
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- stem
- Content types
- preprints; research manuscripts; supplementary material; data and code
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Full-text access
- Yes
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- medical
- Content types
- research articles, preprints, micropublications, books, reviews, protocols, abstracts
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- No
- Full-text access
- No
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- stem
- Content types
- journals, conference proceedings, preprints, dissertations, books, patents, standards, technical reports, presentations, posters, videos
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- No
- Full-text access
- Yes
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- multidisciplinary
- Content types
- journals, conference proceedings, scholarly books, dissertations, theses, preprints, datasets, grants, patents
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- No
- Full-text access
- Yes
- Advanced search
- Yes
- Subject coverage
- multidisciplinary
- Content types
- academic journals, magazines, periodicals, reports, books, videos
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which academic research database is ranked first on Everything Xiaomi?
JSTOR is ranked #1 of 33 with a score of 7.2. CORE is second and MAXQDA third.
How many of these have a free plan?
8 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, JSTOR has the lowest first paid tier we found: $16.58/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes: documentation depth, a free tier and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.