Frequently asked questions
Is PaperFinder free?
Yes — completely free, with no paid tier, no subscription and no account required. Small, non-intrusive ads help cover hosting and running costs.
Do I need to create an account or log in?
No. You can search, read, summarize, compare and save papers without ever signing up. Anything you save lives in your own browser, not on our servers.
Does PaperFinder host PDFs or bypass paywalls?
No. PaperFinder is a discovery tool. It links to legitimate, publicly available sources and helps you find legal open-access copies, preprints and repository versions. It never hosts copyrighted files or defeats publisher access controls.
How does the AI summary work, and is it free?
AI summaries are bring-your-own-key: you paste your own API key (Claude, OpenAI, Google Gemini, or a local model) in Settings, and it's used only to answer your requests. That keeps the service free to run and your key private to your browser. Summaries are machine-generated, so always verify them against the original paper.
Where does the data come from?
PaperFinder searches trusted public scholarly sources including OpenAlex, Crossref, arXiv, PubMed/PMC, Semantic Scholar, Unpaywall and GitHub, and merges the results into one clean list. Rights to the underlying works stay with their authors and publishers.
Is my library and data private?
Yes. Your saved papers, preferences and any API keys are stored only in your browser (local storage). They are not sent to or stored on our servers, and clearing your browser storage removes them.
Can I use it on my phone?
Yes — PaperFinder is built to work well on mobile, with a slide-in menu, large touch targets and readable typography.
How do I export my citations?
Hit “Cite” on any result for a ready-made APA, MLA, Chicago, BibTeX or RIS citation, or select papers in My Library and export them all as BibTeX, RIS or CSV — no account needed.
Still have a question? Read more about PaperFinder or browse the research guides.