Rayyan alternative
SysRevAI vs Rayyan: the same screening, and the whole review, on your server
Rayyan is a good cloud screening tool. SysRevAI does the screening and keeps going: full text, extraction, risk of bias, GRADE and PRISMA, open source and with no per-licence fee.
In 30 seconds
Privacy: the data stays on your institution’s server, not in a third party’s cloud.
Cost: €0 for up to 10 users and unlimited reviews. Rayyan’s free plan has 3 active reviews.
Scope: from the question to GRADE in one tool; PRISMA and risk of bias included without changing plan.
Open source: AGPL-3.0. You can audit it and you are not locked in to any vendor.
Detailed comparison
Stage by stage, what each one includes. Rayyan’s prices are the published ones, in dollars, billed annually.
| Feature | SysRevAI | Rayyan |
|---|---|---|
| Model and cost | ||
| Licence | Yes: Open source, AGPL-3.0 | No: Proprietary |
| Where it runs | Yes: On your server, or hosted by us | No: Only in Rayyan’s cloud |
| Free plan | Yes: Every feature, up to 10 users and unlimited reviews | Partial: 3 active reviews and 2 reviewers, no PRISMA or risk of bias |
| Paid plans | Yes: Institution, tailored: unlimited users and domains | Partial: From $4.99 per licence per month; Business $41.67 per licence per month, at least 5 |
| Trial | Yes: 30 days on our server, up to 6 people | Yes: Permanent free plan |
| Privacy and security | ||
| Where the data is stored | Yes: On your server; you decide its location and backups | Partial: Rayyan’s cloud (AWS and Azure) |
| AI and data | Yes: Optional, with your key; only the text of each action is sent | Partial: Built into the service |
| Access | Yes: Roles, two-step verification and an activity log | Partial: SSO and SAML on the Enterprise plan |
| Your data, always | Yes: Automatic backups and full export | Yes: Export of references and decisions |
| Search and import | ||
| Built-in search | Yes: PubMed, OpenAlex, CrossRef and Europe PMC at once | Not listed |
| Living reviews | Yes: Saved searches that run again on their own | Not listed |
| Import | Yes: RIS, BibTeX, PubMed, CSV and others | Yes: RIS, BibTeX, PubMed, CSV and others |
| Duplicates | Yes: Three passes (DOI/PMID, title, similarity) and an AI check | Partial: Detection; automatic resolution on paid plans |
| Screening | ||
| Modes | Yes: Blind, double blind, double blind with a third reviewer, and pilot | Yes: Blind mode |
| Agreement | Yes: Cohen’s and Fleiss’ kappa | Not listed |
| Sharing the work | Yes: References assigned per reviewer | Not listed |
| AI help | Yes: Prioritises the queue and pre-screens with a threshold; every decision is traceable | Yes: Relevance ranking |
| On your phone | Yes: Native iOS and Android apps, offline too | Yes: Native iOS and Android apps |
| Full text | ||
| Getting the PDFs | Yes: Automatic retrieval from 9 legal open-access sources | Partial: Manual upload |
| Full-text screening | Yes: PDF next to the criteria, mandatory reason and AI proposal | Yes: Decision on the PDF |
| Extraction and quality | ||
| Data extraction | Yes: Templates with the PDF alongside and an AI-filled draft | Partial: Forms; AI PICO extraction on the Advanced plan |
| Risk of bias | Yes: RoB 2, ROBINS-I, Newcastle-Ottawa and JBI | Partial: NOS and MMAT on the Advanced plan |
| Synthesis, reports and team | ||
| PRISMA 2020 | Yes: Automatic, as editable SVG | Partial: Paid plans |
| GRADE | Yes: Summary of findings table in Word and CSV | Not listed |
| Critical article analysis | Yes: AI critical report (five axes, devil’s advocate) and help writing the manuscript with the Copilot | Not listed |
| AI-use statement | Yes: Word document to attach to the publication | Not listed |
| API | Yes: REST API in every edition | Partial: Enterprise plan |
| Support | Yes: Tickets from inside the platform, Community included; Institution includes installation on the organisation’s servers | Partial: Priority on paid plans |
included · partial or depends on the plan · not available · “Not listed”: not found in Rayyan’s public documentation.
When Rayyan may be the better choice
We say it plainly, so you can choose well:
- You only need to screen titles and abstracts for a small review and want no server at all.
If you have no server, the hosted SysRevAI plan saves you installing anything, and the 30-day trial is free.
Move from Rayyan to SysRevAI in three steps
- In Rayyan, export the references as RIS or CSV.
- In SysRevAI, create the review and import the file: duplicates are detected automatically.
- Invite the team and carry on screening, now with full text, extraction and GRADE.
Frequently asked questions
Is SysRevAI really free?
Yes. The Community edition includes every feature, up to 10 users per domain and unlimited reviews. The only optional cost is AI, which you pay directly to Anthropic with your own key and a budget you set.
Do I need a server?
For Community, yes: hosting with PHP 8.2 and MySQL 8 or MariaDB 10.6. If you have none, we can host SysRevAI for you, or you can try it for 30 days on our server.
Where does the data go when I use AI?
AI is optional. When you turn it on, only the text needed for that action is sent to Anthropic (Claude), with your institution’s key. Every use is recorded in the review’s AI-use statement.
Try SysRevAI for 30 days, nothing to install
Create an account, import your Rayyan export and compare for yourself.
Sources: rayyan.ai/pricing, rayyan.ai/enterprise and help.rayyan.ai, checked on 28 October 2026. Third-party prices and features may change; if you spot outdated data, write to us and we will fix it. Rayyan is a trademark of Rayyan Systems, Inc. This page is not affiliated with or endorsed by Rayyan.