Scite shows how every paper has been cited: 1.6B+ citation statements classified as supporting, contrasting or mentioning, with an AI assistant that reads 317M+ articles. Its Reference Check takes a manuscript PDF and flags references that were retracted, got editorial notices or drew contrasting findings. ORBIT's Reference Check overlaps with that. ORBIT also checks the paper against a journal's guidelines, formats it, and suggests journals with their fees.
Scite facts checked on 7 October 2026 on its own site. This compares what each tool does, not how accurately. We haven't run the same papers through both.
| What it does | ORBIT | Scite |
|---|---|---|
| Find and read papers | Yes. Literature Discovery searches about 250M papers and shows which are legally free to read. No chat with PDFs. | Yes. AI Assistant and full-text search across 317M+ articles, preprints, books, patents and datasets. (source: https://scite.ai/features) |
| Find datasets | Yes. Dataset Discovery searches about 73M datasets, each with its reuse licence. Free. | Partly. Its database includes datasets, and Pro adds patent, clinical trial and grant datasets. (source: https://scite.ai/pricing) |
| Writes or rewrites your text | No. No, by design. Cover letters and speaker notes are drafted for you; your manuscript is never written or rewritten. | Not stated. The Assistant answers questions with cited sources; drafting your manuscript is not stated. (source: https://scite.ai/features) |
| Grammar and language edits | No. No grammar or language editing. | Not stated. Not stated on the pages we read. (source: https://scite.ai/features) |
| Checks the paper against journal requirements | Yes. Readiness Check runs 55+ checks against one journal's own guidelines: 11 journal profiles, or paste any journal's author-guidelines page. Runs in your browser. | Not stated. Not stated on the pages we read. (source: https://scite.ai/features) |
| Checks references (retractions, DOIs, missing entries) | Yes. Reference Check resolves every entry against Crossref, OpenAlex and DataCite: retractions, entries that don't resolve, metadata that disagrees, citations with no entry. | Yes. Reference Check reads a manuscript PDF and shows how every reference has been cited, including retractions, editorial notices and contrasting findings. (source: https://scite.ai/features) |
| Plagiarism or AI-writing detection | No. No plagiarism or AI-writing detection. | Not stated. Not stated on the pages we read. (source: https://scite.ai/features) |
| Formats the manuscript to a journal template | Yes. Format Paper applies one of 21 templates, or your own .docx template, to your .docx. The file is edited, not rebuilt. | Not stated. Not stated on the pages we read. (source: https://scite.ai/features) |
| Suggests journals, with the fee to publish | Yes. Journal Suggestion matches your abstract against about 98,000 journals, with the fee to publish and whether each still publishes. Free. | Not stated. Not stated on the pages we read. (source: https://scite.ai/features) |
| Drafts cover letters | Yes. Submission Letters drafts cover, resubmission and transfer letters, leaving marked blanks instead of inventing names or funders. | Not stated. Not stated on the pages we read. (source: https://scite.ai/features) |
| Charts from your data | Yes. Figure Builder turns your table (CSV, TSV or XLSX) into a publication chart, in the styles your data can support (45 in all). SVG, PNG or vector PDF. | Not stated. Not stated on the pages we read. (source: https://scite.ai/features) |
| Diagrams from text (flowcharts, PRISMA, CONSORT) | Yes. Figure Builder draws 15 diagram types from your text, including PRISMA 2020 and CONSORT 2025 flow diagrams on the official templates, editable in place. No number appears unless your text states it. | Not stated. Not stated on the pages we read. (source: https://scite.ai/features) |
| Turns the paper into slides | Yes. Paper to Slides turns a .docx into a deck, in your words or with drafted speaker notes. | Not stated. Not stated on the pages we read. (source: https://scite.ai/features) |
| Price | 5 free credits every month, no subscription. Checking one paper against one journal and formatting it is 3 credits, so it fits inside the free credits. Beyond them you pay per task: ₹1,000 a credit, ₹3,000 for that check and format. | Basic $20 a month and Pro $50 a month, both billed yearly, with a 7-day free trial. Team $250 a month for 8 seats. Shown in USD in India. (source: https://scite.ai/pricing) |
| Where your manuscript goes | Readiness Check and Figure Builder run in your browser, so the file is never uploaded. Format Paper works on the file in memory and keeps no copy. | For Reference Check, the PDF is held in a private store and deleted once the report is made; the report's metadata, references and citation statements are kept. (source: https://scite.ai/blog/how-do-i-use-the-scite-reference-check) |
"Not stated" means Scite's own pages, read on 7 October 2026, don't say. Scite pricing
Both flag retractions. Scite reads a PDF and shows how each reference has been cited since, including contrasting findings. ORBIT reads a .docx or a pasted list, checks each entry's details against Crossref, OpenAlex and DataCite, finds citations with no entry and entries never cited, and rewrites the list in a journal style.
With ORBIT, the reference list is read in your browser and the parsed references are what is sent to be checked. Scite's Reference Check takes the PDF, deletes it after the report, and keeps the report's references and citation statements.
Scite is a yearly plan after a 7-day trial. ORBIT is pay per use, with 5 free credits a month; a reference check is 1 credit for a pasted list or 2 credits for a manuscript.
This compares what each tool does, not how accurately. We haven't run the same papers through both.
Names are trademarks of their owners. ORBIT isn't affiliated with any of them. Facts checked on 7 October 2026. Report something out of date.