Folio
An integrated workspace for finding, writing, citing, and verifying research.
At a glance
- Editor score9.0 / 10
- PricingFree plan · paid from $9.99/mo
- Best forResearchers building a connected personal library
- Free planYes
- Source citationsYes
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Grounded AI answers with linked citations from your library
- Broad search, citation graphs, and Research Radar support discovery
- Free Scholar plan includes unlimited documents and sources
Where it doesn't
- Scholar has a monthly AI allowance
- Advanced integrity and discovery features require Fellow
- Available through web and Chrome extension
Our verdict on Folio
Folio is a research workspace for students, academics, instructors, and institutions. It brings together scholarly and web search, source libraries, document writing, citation management, AI answers grounded in user-provided materials, and authorship verification. Researchers can import PDFs, URLs, DOIs, ISBNs, DOCX files, and reference libraries, then generate cited answers, bibliographies, and manuscript exports. Its browser extension adds a way to save and query sources while browsing.
The published plans give Folio a broad free starting point. Scholar costs $0 and includes unlimited documents and sources, citation styles with DOCX and BibTeX export, a monthly AI allowance, three authorship certificates per month, and an MCP connector. Fellow costs $9.99 per month and adds citation and claim integrity checking, Daily Document Audit, Discovery Agents, Research Radar, literature synthesis, and collaboration with view and comment. Chair costs $25 per month, adds 2× higher AI limits, unlimited proofreading, Deep Scan and Briefing Audio, Scholar AI in co-editing chat, and priority and direct founder support.
Folio’s strongest fit is for researchers who want one connected environment spanning discovery, writing, verification, and collaboration. Citation-graph discovery, literature synthesis, and tracking by topic, author, journal, and citation extend the library beyond basic storage. Integrations with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code, Zotero, ORCID, and MCP support research and coding workflows. Researchers seeking only lightweight reference storage may find the broader workspace unnecessary, while those who need grounded answers, structured discovery, and integrity checks should consider Folio.
Folio pricing
All 3 Folio plans and prices →
Folio fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Not verified |
| Source citations | Yes |
| Deep research mode | Yes |
| Source access | Web+files+connectors |
| File uploads | Yes |
| Source limit | Not verified |
| Team workspace | Yes |
| Money-back guarantee | 7 days |
| Deployment | Cloud, Browser extension |
| Platforms | Web, Chrome extension |
| Compliance & security | GDPR |
| Support | Email, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 7 integrations: MCP connector, Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code, Zotero … |
| Pricing | Free plan · paid from $9.99/mo (source) |
| Website | usefolio.co |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
Folio integrations
Folio lists 7 integrations on its own site.
- MCP connector
- Claude
- ChatGPT
- Cursor
- VS Code
- Zotero
- ORCID
Alternatives to Folio
- ElicitA focused research assistant for literature reviews, evidence synthesis, and clinical-trial analysis.9.0
- ConsensusA broad scholarly search workspace with deep analysis, citations, and research integrations.4.0
- ScholarlyA cited research workspace for web, file, and team-based investigation.9.0
Folio vs the competition
- Folio vs Elicit
- Folio vs Consensus
- Folio vs Scholarly
- Folio vs SciSpace
- Folio vs GPT Researcher
- Folio vs Scite
Compare Folio with any tool side by side →
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026
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