Best ProQuest Central Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from academic research databases ranked against ProQuest Central on the same published basis.
- 1ProQuest Central vs CORE
- 2ProQuest Central vs MAXQDA
- 3ProQuest Central vs The Lens
- 4ProQuest Central vs JSTOR
- 5ProQuest Central vs OpenAlex
- 6ProQuest Central vs Europe PMC
- 7ProQuest Central vs AGRICOLA
- 8ProQuest Central vs arXiv
- 9ProQuest Central vs Dimensions
- 10ProQuest Central vs PubMed
- 11ProQuest Central vs SSRN
- 12ProQuest Central vs ERIC
- 13ProQuest Central vs Directory of Open Access Journals
- 14ProQuest Central vs CAB Abstracts
- 15ProQuest Central vs Embase AI
- 16ProQuest Central vs medRxiv
- 17ProQuest Central vs Project MUSE
- 19ProQuest Central vs zbMATH Open
- 20ProQuest Central vs Academia.edu
- 21ProQuest Central vs APA PsycInfo
ProQuest Central 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 |
| 4 | JSTOR | 7.1 | Free plan | $16.58/mo | Android, iOS, 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 |
| 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 ProQuest Central alternatives
What is the best alternative to ProQuest Central?
CORE, number 1 in academic research databases with a score of 7.7 out of 10. The others here: MAXQDA, The Lens, JSTOR and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to ProQuest Central?
CORE is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 10 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.