Rayyan
Fast, collaborative screening for systematic reviews — with a generous free tier.
At a Glance
- Publisher
- Rayyan Systems
- Coverage
Not a content database — a tool for screening references in systematic reviews, with blind dual screening, labels, and AI-assisted ranking (verify current counts).
- Access
Freemium — a capable free tier; paid plans for teams and advanced features.
- Free alternative
- It is the free-tier option; Covidence for full workflow.
- Regional
Global.
Our Take
Rayyan is the popular, accessible screening tool — its free tier is generous enough for many reviews, and its blind dual-screening and AI relevance ranking speed the title/abstract stage considerably. It focuses on screening rather than the full end-to-end workflow Covidence offers, so it’s lighter and cheaper but does less of the extraction and PRISMA machinery. Use it for fast, collaborative screening, especially when budget is tight; step up to Covidence or DistillerSR when you need the full auditable review pipeline.
Power Tips
- Use blind mode for dual screening so reviewers don’t bias each other.
- Let the AI relevance ranking surface likely-includes first to screen faster.
- Export decisions cleanly for your PRISMA counts and next-stage tools.
Alternatives & Complements
Covidence, DistillerSR, Zotero, Abstrackr
Figures last verified: June 15, 2026