CLARA
CLARA: A free web workspace for archival research with page-linked citations and document uploads. Ranked #20 of 28 in AI Research Assistants by our editors (7.2/10); pricing: Free plan; best for free archival and document-based research.
At a glance
- Editor score7.2 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forFree archival and document-based research
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- Source citationsYes
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Links answers to exact pages in original documents
- Searches curated archives and uploaded files together
- Creates reports, timelines, summaries, and exportable files
Where it doesn't
- Web access is the only listed platform
- Personal workspace is not designed for team collaboration
- Its collections focus on selected archival research topics
Our verdict on CLARA
CLARA is a free, web-based AI research assistant operated by the University of Oxford. It is designed for researchers, lawyers, journalists, students, NGOs, and policymakers working with archival material and source documents. The service searches curated collections covering corporate accountability, public health, environmental issues, and related topics, then returns answers with citations linked to exact document pages. Users can also upload PDFs, Word documents, text files, and images for combined searching.
Its strongest feature is the connection between AI-generated research and underlying documents. CLARA can produce reports, timelines, and summaries while keeping the relevant source pages attached to answers. A personal research workspace adds rich-text editing, file version history, and the ability to export or download research files. This makes it a practical fit for projects that need an organized path from document discovery to editable research output, rather than a simple question-and-answer interface.
According to the published FAQ, CLARA is completely free, with no paid plans or trials. That makes it suitable for individuals and organizations seeking archival research support without a subscription tier to evaluate. The trade-off is a narrower working model: the listed platform is web-based, and the workspace is personal rather than a team workspace. Choose CLARA for citation-backed archival and document-based research, especially when page-level references and file handling matter. Choose another tool if shared team workspaces or a broader collaboration environment are central requirements.
Your product? Our editors can test CLARA in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
CLARA pricing
CLARA fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Source citations | Yes |
| Deep research mode | Not verified |
| Source access | Not verified |
| File uploads | Yes |
| Source limit | Not verified |
| Team workspace | No |
| Deployment | Cloud |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | Email, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market (editorial estimate) |
| Pricing | Free plan |
| Website | clara-research.com |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
Alternatives to CLARA
- ElicitA focused research assistant for literature reviews, evidence synthesis, and clinical-trial analysis.9.4
- ConsensusA broad scholarly search workspace with deep analysis, citations, and research integrations.9.2
- ScholarlyA cited research workspace for web, file, and team-based investigation.9.0
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The editor score above is our own research. What this page doesn't have yet is a reader's view — what you used CLARA for, what worked and what didn't. No stars are seeded and no review is paid for; an editor reads every one before it appears.
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Featured on iTechGuides
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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