arXiv
Focus: preprints and science. Shares research papers and open access with CORE. Rated 4.8 (CORE: 4.5).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.8Visit
Website
CORE
Search millions of free, open access research papers.
Rating
4.5 / 5
Pricing
Free
Difficulty
Beginner
Works on
Web
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What is CORE?
CORE (COnnecting REpositories) gathers research papers from repositories and journals around the world into one searchable database, and describes itself as the largest collection of full text open access research papers. It is a not-for-profit, community-governed service, and its tools for finding and exploring research are free for everyone. It also offers an API and dataset for developers.
Pros: what CORE does well
- Full text papers free to read
- Pulls from repositories worldwide
- Not-for-profit and community governed
Cons: where it falls short
- Only covers open access work
- Search is less polished than big commercial tools
Who CORE is for
Students and researchers who need free access to academic papers.
Who can skip it
People with full library access to paid journal databases.
CORE alternatives
Not sold on CORE? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
Google Scholar
Focus: citations and library. Shares academic search and research papers with CORE. Rated 4.7 (CORE: 4.5).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.7Visit
Sioyek
Focus: pdf reader, keyboard and open source. Shares research papers with CORE. A desktop app, not a website. Adds Windows, macOS and Linux. Rated 4.6 (CORE: 4.5).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.6Visit
Wikipedia
Focus: encyclopedia, reference and research. Also in Research and Learning, like CORE. Adds iOS and Android. Rated 4.8 (CORE: 4.5).
WebsiteFreeWeb, iOS
4.8Visit
BBC Bitesize
Focus: revision, gcse and school. Also in Learning and Research, like CORE. Rated 4.7 (CORE: 4.5).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.7Visit
Google Arts & Culture
Focus: art, museums and culture. Also in Learning and Research, like CORE. Adds iOS and Android. Rated 4.7 (CORE: 4.5).
WebsiteFreeWeb, iOS
4.7Visit
Free alternatives to CORE
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
Internet Archive
Focus: digital library, wayback machine and archives. Also in Research and Learning, like CORE. Rated 4.7 (CORE: 4.5).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.7Visit
PubMed
Focus: medical research, papers and citations. Also in Research and Learning, like CORE. Rated 4.7 (CORE: 4.5).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.7Visit
The Public Domain Review
Focus: public domain, art history and images. Also in Reading and Research, like CORE. Rated 4.7 (CORE: 4.5).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.7Visit
web.dev
Focus: web development, performance and accessibility. Also in Learning and Reading, like CORE. Rated 4.7 (CORE: 4.5).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.7Visit
ooh.directory
Focus: blogs, directory and rss. Also in Reading and Research, like CORE. Rated 4.6 (CORE: 4.5).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.6Visit
Semantic Scholar
Focus: citations and ai. Shares academic search and research papers with CORE. An AI tool, not a website. Rated 4.6 (CORE: 4.5).
AI ToolFreeWeb
4.6Visit
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