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Petal

petal.org

From $2.55/mo Free plan WebBrowser extension
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Spec score 8.0 #21 of 57 in Citation generators

What it is

Petal is a web-based research assistant and reference manager for academic work, also available as a browser extension. Its plans include a free tier and paid options listed from $4.99/user/mo (annual). It helps users narrow literature reviews and compare studies, while providing a library for uploading and organizing PDFs with collections, metadata, and tags. AI tools offer translation, summaries, explanations, key-point extraction, suggestions for questions and search terms, and conversational assistance. Shared workspaces support group projects, co-authored papers, and reviews. The citation generator supports more than 10,000 styles and can copy citations or export them to BibTeX or Word. References can be brought in through identifiers such as DOI, PMID, ArXivID, ISBN, ISSN, and EAN, or by capturing metadata from URLs. Browser add-ins are listed for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, alongside a Word add-in for citations and bibliographies. The free plan includes 1 GB storage, one seat, three guests, 400 AI credits, two collections, and three annotations per document; citation export is not included.

Spec sheet

Intended users
Petal says it was created to serve academia and names research institutes, universities, and large organizations as enterprise-license prospects.Read 2 Oct 2026 · petal.org
Support
The FAQ says Petal generally responds to customer support requests within 30 minutes.Read 2 Oct 2026 · petal.org
Headquarters
Walnut Creek, California, United StatesRead 23 Sep 2026 · petal.org
Founded
2021Read 23 Sep 2026 · petal.org
Company
Petal's site identifies the company as Paladin Max, Inc. and gives a Walnut Creek, California mailing address.Read 2 Oct 2026 · petal.org
AI tools
Petal lists translation, summarization, explanation, question and search-term suggestions, key-point extraction, and conversational AI.Read 2 Oct 2026 · petal.org
Browser and Word add-ins
The product page lists web importer add-ins for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, plus a Word add-in for inserting references and generating bibliographies.Read 2 Oct 2026 · petal.org
Citation styles
The citation generator supports over 10,000 citation styles and can copy citations or export them as BibTeX or Word.Read 2 Oct 2026 · petal.org
Collaboration
Shared workspaces support collaboration on group projects, co-authored papers, and reviews.Read 2 Oct 2026 · petal.org
Free-plan limits
The Free plan includes 1 GB cloud storage, one seat, three guests, 400 AI credits, two collections, and three annotations per document.Read 2 Oct 2026 · petal.org
Privacy and security
Petal's privacy policy says user information is primarily stored on servers in Oregon, describes encryption and access controls, and says the company was in the process of seeking ISO 27001 certification when the policy took effect.Read 2 Oct 2026 · petal.org
Reference imports
Petal says it can import by DOI, PMID, ArXivID, ISBN, ISSN, and EAN lookup and capture metadata from URLs.Read 2 Oct 2026 · petal.org
Research assistant
Petal describes itself as an AI-powered research assistant for academia that helps narrow literature reviews and compare studies.Read 2 Oct 2026 · petal.org
Research library
Users can upload, store, and access PDF documents and organize them with collections, metadata, and tags.Read 2 Oct 2026 · petal.org

Plans and prices

Free Free $0 /mo 1 GB cloud storage · 1 seat · 3 guests · 400 AI credits · 2 collections · 3 annotations per document · citation export not included Read 2 Oct 2026 · petal.org
Plus $2.55 a month $2.55* /mo; page also lists $2.99 with .edu account and $4.99 otherwise 2 GB cloud storage · 1 seat · 3 guests · 400 AI credits/month · unlimited collections and annotations · no multi-doc chat or AI Create Read 2 Oct 2026 · petal.org
Advanced $8.49 a month $8.49* /mo; page also lists $9.99 with .edu account and $13.99 otherwise 10 GB cloud storage · 1 seat · 3 guests · 1,200 AI credits/month · unlimited collections and annotations · priority support Read 2 Oct 2026 · petal.org
Premium $25.49 a month $25.49 /mo 25 GB cloud storage · 1 seat · 3 guests · 2,000 AI credits/month · unlimited collections and annotations · priority support Read 2 Oct 2026 · petal.org

Every Petal plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Organizes PDFs with collections, metadata, and tags.
  • Shared workspaces support collaborative research.
  • Citation generator offers more than 10,000 styles.
  • Imports references by multiple identifiers or URL metadata.
  • Browser and Word add-ins are listed.

Limits

  • Free plan includes 1 GB of cloud storage.
  • Free plan has one seat and three guests.
  • Free plan excludes citation export.
  • No mobile apps are listed.

Who it suits

Petal suits academic researchers and groups managing PDF libraries, literature reviews, or shared writing projects. Its free plan has defined storage, seat, credit, collection, and annotation limits.

Verdict

Petal combines PDF organization, citation tools, collaboration, and AI assistance for academic research. Check the free-tier limits and whether citation export or more storage is required before choosing a plan.

Where Specifiction places it

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