Best JSTOR Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from academic research databases ranked against JSTOR on the same published basis.
- 1JSTOR vs CORE
- 2JSTOR vs MAXQDA
- 3JSTOR vs The Lens
- 5JSTOR vs OpenAlex
- 6JSTOR vs Europe PMC
- 7JSTOR vs AGRICOLA
- 8JSTOR vs arXiv
- 9JSTOR vs Dimensions
- 10JSTOR vs PubMed
- 11JSTOR vs SSRN
- 12JSTOR vs ERIC
- 13JSTOR vs Directory of Open Access Journals
- 14JSTOR vs CAB Abstracts
- 15JSTOR vs Embase AI
- 16JSTOR vs medRxiv
- 17JSTOR vs Project MUSE
- 18JSTOR vs ProQuest Central
- 19JSTOR vs zbMATH Open
- 20JSTOR vs Academia.edu
- 21JSTOR vs APA PsycInfo
JSTOR alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CORE | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | API, Browser, Web |
| 2 | MAXQDA | 7.7 | No | — | Mac, Windows |
| 3 | The Lens | 7.7 | Free plan | $83.33/mo | API, Web |
| 5 | OpenAlex | 7.1 | Free plan | $416.67/mo | API, Browser, self-hosted, Web |
| 6 | Europe PMC | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | API, Web |
| 7 | AGRICOLA | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 8 | arXiv | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | API, Web |
| 9 | Dimensions | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 10 | PubMed | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | API, Web |
| 11 | SSRN | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 12 | ERIC | 6.5 | No | — | API, Web |
| 13 | Directory of Open Access Journals | 6.4 | No | — | API, Web |
| 14 | CAB Abstracts | 6.0 | No | — | Web |
| 15 | Embase AI | 6.0 | No | — | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android |
| 16 | medRxiv | 5.9 | No | — | Web |
| 17 | Project MUSE | 5.9 | No | — | Web |
| 18 | ProQuest Central | 5.9 | No | — | Web |
| 19 | zbMATH Open | 5.9 | No | — | Web |
| 20 | Academia.edu | 5.8 | No | — | Web |
| 21 | APA PsycInfo | 5.8 | No | — | Web |
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Questions about JSTOR alternatives
What is the best alternative to JSTOR?
CORE, number 1 in academic research databases with a score of 7.7 out of 10. The others here: MAXQDA, The Lens, OpenAlex and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to JSTOR?
CORE 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 how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on.