Best CORE Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from academic research databases ranked against CORE on the same published basis.
- 2CORE vs OpenAlex
- 3CORE vs The Lens
- 4CORE vs arXiv
- 5CORE vs ERIC
- 6CORE vs Directory of Open Access Journals
- 7CORE vs JSTOR
- 8CORE vs AGRICOLA
- 9CORE vs MAXQDA
- 10CORE vs SSRN
- 11CORE vs Dimensions
- 12CORE vs CAB Abstracts
- 13CORE vs medRxiv
- 14CORE vs Project MUSE
- 15CORE vs ProQuest Central
- 16CORE vs PubMed
- 17CORE vs zbMATH Open
- 18CORE vs Academia.edu
- 19CORE vs APA PsycInfo
- 20CORE vs bioRxiv
- 21CORE vs Europe PMC
CORE alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | OpenAlex | 7.4 | Free plan | $416.67/mo | API, Browser, self-hosted, Web |
| 3 | The Lens | 7.4 | Free plan | $83.33/mo | API, Web |
| 4 | arXiv | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | API, Web |
| 5 | ERIC | 7.0 | No | — | API, Web |
| 6 | Directory of Open Access Journals | 6.9 | No | — | API, Web |
| 7 | JSTOR | 6.0 | Free plan | $16.58/mo | Android, iOS, Web |
| 8 | AGRICOLA | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 9 | MAXQDA | 5.9 | No | — | Mac, Windows |
| 10 | SSRN | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 11 | Dimensions | 5.7 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 12 | CAB Abstracts | 5.2 | No | — | Web |
| 13 | medRxiv | 5.2 | No | — | Web |
| 14 | Project MUSE | 5.2 | No | — | Web |
| 15 | ProQuest Central | 5.2 | No | — | Web |
| 16 | PubMed | 5.2 | Free plan | Free | API, Web |
| 17 | zbMATH Open | 5.2 | No | — | Web |
| 18 | Academia.edu | 5.1 | No | — | Web |
| 19 | APA PsycInfo | 5.1 | No | — | Web |
| 20 | bioRxiv | 5.1 | No | — | Web |
| 21 | Europe PMC | 5.1 | Free plan | Free | API, Web |
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Questions about CORE alternatives
What is the best alternative to CORE?
OpenAlex, number 2 in academic research databases with a score of 7.4 out of 10. The others here: The Lens, arXiv, ERIC and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to CORE?
OpenAlex is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 9 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it.