Explainpaper
AI tool that explains complex research papers
Explainpaper is an AI-powered tool that makes academic and research papers easy to understand by letting you highlight confusing text and get instant, clear explanations. Built on GPT-4o, it acts as a personal research tutor that breaks down complex jargon, equations, and concepts on demand.
Key Capabilities
Explainpaper lets you upload PDFs and highlight any confusing text — sentences, paragraphs, or mathematical equations — to receive AI-generated explanations in plain language. Follow-up questions allow deeper exploration of concepts. The AI automatically generates a paper gist (summary), and premium users get access to detailed outlines and a Chat feature for summarizing papers, assessing significance, and discovering similar research.
Who Should Use Explainpaper
Explainpaper is ideal for students reading papers outside their expertise, researchers exploring new fields, non-native English speakers tackling academic literature, professionals staying updated on research without getting lost in jargon, and teachers seeking simplified explanations for their students.
Getting Started
Visit explainpaper.com and upload a research paper PDF. Highlight any text you find confusing and the AI will explain it in simple terms. Create a free account for basic features, or upgrade to Plus or Pro for advanced capabilities like chat and detailed outlines.
Pricing & Accessibility: Free plan with basic highlight-and-explain functionality. Plus and Pro plans starting at approximately $12/month for advanced features including chat, detailed outlines, and unlimited explanations.
Why Consider Explainpaper: Explainpaper offers the simplest, most focused approach to understanding research papers — just highlight what confuses you and get an instant, clear explanation, making it the fastest way to comprehend complex academic content.
Pros
- Extremely simple interface — highlight text, get explanations instantly
- Explains mathematical equations and technical jargon in plain language
- Follow-up questions allow deeper exploration of concepts
- Free plan provides basic explain functionality
- Works with any PDF research paper
Cons
- Limited to explaining content — no paper discovery or writing features
- Premium features required for chat and detailed outlines
- Less comprehensive than full research platforms like SciSpace
Who is this for?
Explainpaper is used for understanding research papers in unfamiliar fields, breaking down complex mathematical equations, helping non-native English speakers comprehend academic text, student study aid for assigned readings, quick comprehension of referenced papers during research, and teaching preparation for explaining complex concepts.
Frequently Asked Questions about Explainpaper
Is Explainpaper free?
Explainpaper offers a free plan with basic highlight-and-explain functionality. For advanced features including chat, detailed paper outlines, and unlimited explanations, paid plans start at approximately $12/month.
What types of papers work with Explainpaper?
Explainpaper works with any PDF document, though it's optimized for academic and research papers. It handles scientific papers, technical reports, mathematical papers, and any PDF with complex text that needs explanation.
How accurate are Explainpaper's explanations?
Explainpaper uses GPT-4o to generate explanations, which are generally accurate and helpful for understanding concepts. However, like all AI tools, explanations should be used as a comprehension aid rather than a definitive source, especially for highly specialized or cutting-edge research.
Pricing
freemium
Free / $12/mo
Free tier: Basic highlight-and-explain functionality, limited daily usage
Details
APINo
Open SourceNo
LanguagesEnglish primarily
Learning Curvebeginner
