CORE vs OpenAIRE Explore

CORE9.2Visit OEOpenAIRE Explore8.7Visit

Higher score CORE #3 in Research Paper Discovery Tools 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 5 features Visit CORE

vs

OE OpenAIRE Explore #8 in Research Paper Discovery Tools 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 5 features Visit OpenAIRE

• CORE fits best

  Open-access full-text search and research data

• OpenAIRE Explore fits best

  Exploring research outputs and their connections

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Side by side

Feature	CORE 9.2/10 Visit ↗	OEOpenAIRE Explore 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.7
Ranking	#3 in Research Paper Discovery Tools	#8 in Research Paper Discovery Tools
Best for	Open-access full-text search and research data	Exploring research outputs and their connections
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	—	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Browser extension	Cloud
Platforms	Web, Chrome extension	Web
Support	Email, Docs	Email
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features CORE 0/5 · OpenAIRE Explore 2/5
Citation graph	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Semantic search	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Related-paper suggestions	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Literature mapping	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Natural-language search	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Export formats	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Searches a multidisciplinary scholarly collection with structured fields Provides open-access full texts and related-article recommendations Offers API access and bulk datasets for research and analysis	Searches publications, research data, software, and other research products Connects outputs with citations, grants, organizations, and data sources Includes tools to find repositories and link outputs to grants or ORCID
Cons	Paid Supporting and Sustaining tiers focus on institutions and researchers Repository-management and compliance tools are less relevant to casual searchers Chrome extension is available, but the core service is centered on web and API access	Focused on discovery rather than managing research workflows Citation and usage statistics come from open sources Available as a web portal, with no listed non-web platform
Our verdict	CORE is a not-for-profit scholarly discovery database and open research infrastructure service hosted by The Open University. Researchers and the public can search its multidisciplinary collection for openly accessible papers, while… Read the review →	OpenAIRE Explore is a free web portal for researchers and others looking for open research information. It searches publications, research data, software, and other research products indexed in the OpenAIRE Graph, then lets users follow… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• CORE — where it wins

  • Searches a multidisciplinary scholarly collection with structured fields
  • Provides open-access full texts and related-article recommendations
  • Offers API access and bulk datasets for research and analysis

  Where it doesn't

  • Paid Supporting and Sustaining tiers focus on institutions and researchers
  • Repository-management and compliance tools are less relevant to casual searchers
  • Chrome extension is available, but the core service is centered on web and API access

• OpenAIRE Explore — where it wins

  • Searches publications, research data, software, and other research products
  • Connects outputs with citations, grants, organizations, and data sources
  • Includes tools to find repositories and link outputs to grants or ORCID

  Where it doesn't

  • Focused on discovery rather than managing research workflows
  • Citation and usage statistics come from open sources
  • Available as a web portal, with no listed non-web platform

• CORE9.2/10 · Free plan

  Search multidisciplinary research and access open full texts, API data, and bulk datasets.

  Visit COREFull verdict →
• OEOpenAIRE Explore8.7/10 · Free plan

  A free web portal for finding research outputs and exploring their connections.

  Visit OpenAIREFull verdict →