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ResearchGate pricing, features, company info, and alternatives
A factual product page for ResearchGate as a professional network for scientists and researchers.
Last updated April 2026 · Pricing and features verified against official documentation
Pricing
Current public pricing tiers on file for ResearchGate, last verified Apr 16, 2026.
Free
$0 / month
Core researcher access is free; business solutions are sold separately.
What You Can Do With It
The main capabilities that shape how people use ResearchGate today.
Access over 160 million publication pages and browse topic pages to discover relevant work.
Share publications, follow researchers, and collaborate in a large scientific network.
Track reads, citations, and Research Interest Score, with weekly reports on the mobile app.
Use iOS and Android apps to keep up with new work and notifications on the go.
Best For
Who ResearchGate is most clearly built for.
Researchers who want a public scholarly profile and a broad science community.
People who want to track citations, reads, and engagement around their publications.
Users who want a discovery and networking layer rather than a narrow literature-review assistant.
Company
Leadership and company context for ResearchGate GmbH.
CEO
Ijad Madisch
Founders
Ijad Madisch, Sören Hofmayer, Horst Fickenscher
Investors
Goldman Sachs Investment Partners, Benchmark, Founders Fund, Tenaya Capital, Bill Gates, Groupe Arnault, Wellcome Trust, Xavier Niel, Four Rivers Group, A-Grade Investments
Headquarters
Berlin, Germany
Platforms
Where you can use ResearchGate today.
Web
iOS
Android
Privacy Notes
Publicly stated data-handling notes that matter when evaluating ResearchGate.
ResearchGate says profile visibility is public by default, but users can change that in privacy settings.
The security page says ResearchGate is headquartered in Germany, follows German data protection law, and stores servers in Canada.
The privacy policy says the service covers the web app plus iOS and Android apps, and that users can request deletion and other privacy actions.
Alternatives
Other tools worth considering alongside ResearchGate.
AI literature review tool for discovering papers, tracing citation networks, and organizing collections.
Free AI-powered research tool for scientific literature search and discovery.
AI-assisted reference manager for collecting, organizing, reading, annotating, and citing research papers.
Free, open-source reference manager for collecting, organizing, annotating, and citing research.
Product Snapshot
ResearchGate is a professional network for scientists and researchers. It combines publication discovery, researcher profiles, collaboration, and engagement stats in one platform.
What You Can Do With It
- Discover research through publication pages, topic pages, and field-specific search.
- Share publications, follow researchers, and collaborate with peers across disciplines.
- Track reads, citations, and Research Interest Score for your work.
- Use the iOS and Android apps to keep up with new research and notifications on the go.
Why It Stands Out
It combines a scholarly network, publication discovery, and profile analytics in one system instead of treating those as separate products.
Tradeoffs To Know
- The core product is free, but the business model also includes separate recruitment and marketing solutions.
- Profile visibility is public by default, so privacy settings matter if you want a quieter presence.
- It is a research network first, not a literature-review or AI writing assistant.
Sources
- researchgate.net
- researchgate.net/about
- researchgate.net/privacy-policy
- researchgate.net/blog/looking-ahead-ijad-madisch
- researchgate.net/profile/Ijad-Madisch
- crunchbase.com/organization/researchgate
- crunchbase.com/organization/researchgate/company_financials
- researchgate.net/institution/ResearchGate
- researchgate.net/aboutus.Careers.html
- help.researchgate.net/hc/en-us/sections/4405078553873-Getting-Started
- help.researchgate.net/account-settings/security-and-privacy
- apps.apple.com/us/app/researchgate/id1208163937
- play.google.com/store/apps/details
- help.researchgate.net/hc/en-us/articles/14295705136017-ResearchGate-app-for-iOS
- help.researchgate.net/mobile-apps/researchgate-app-for-android
- researchgate.net/security
- researchgate.net/settings/privacy