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Research plays a crucial role across various sectors, from education to business and marketing projects. It serves as a vital step in avoiding costly mistakes and ensuring the creation of products or services that resonate with your customers. However, research has become a dynamic process in today's progressive world.
With modern technologies, researchers can access many web-based and mobile tools that streamline data collection and analysis. With AI-powered features integrated into research platforms, numerous tasks can be automated, allowing researchers to explore more topics and uncover insights much faster. In this article, you will explore 15+ best digital tools for researchers in 2024 and learn more about their advantages.
Why do you need tools while conducting research?
Whether it's academic research or a market research project, key steps like gathering information, data analysis, and conducting online surveys are essential. To perform any research project successfully, finding and using the most effective tools tailored to your workflow needs is crucial.
While time-saving is the most obvious advantage, online research tools offer a range of additional benefits that may surprise you. Below, we've prepared the most valuable insights and benefits of research tools to empower you in reaching your goals and enhancing your workflow:
Advantages of research tools
- Effective project management: If you are struggling with academic research papers or conducting market research, online tools organize multiple tasks, helping you easily handle the workload.
- Time optimization: Research tools save time by automating repetitive tasks like data collection and formatting. They organize information from web pages, enabling quick access to relevant content.
- Language support: Many online services, including AI tools for research, offer language support to researchers in writing error-free content and facilitating clear communication. Moreover, they provide translation options for accessing information from global sources.
- Advanced search and analysis options: Research tools offer improved search functions and data analysis features, allowing you to dig deeper into collected data. These insights can lead to richer and better research results.
15+ Useful tools for researchers
Exploring online platforms tailored to specific needs can take time. Whether you're interested in discovering market trends or finding the best research tools for students, identifying the right platform is important. To simplify your search, we've compiled a list of 15+ best tools for researchers, along with their pricing plans and key features, to help you make an informed decision:
1. forms.app
The homepage of forms.app
forms.app is a valuable tool for researchers because it facilitates the creation of web forms, surveys, and quizzes. This platform's robust features empower researchers to design online surveys easily. forms.app makes it a convenient and efficient choice for researchers looking to gather data through online surveys for various purposes and research fields.
Highlights
- Intuitive interface
- 4000+ excellent pre-made templates
- Has more than 20 pre-designed research survey templates
- AI-powered features
- Integrates with many platforms like Slack and Google Sheets
- Providing mobile app
💡Best known for being an ideal survey tool for various research types and other projects.
forms.app pricing
- Free plan ✅
- Basic Plan: $25 per month
- Pro Plan: $35 per month
- Premium Plan: $99 per month
2. Dropbox
The homepage of Dropbox
Dropbox is a versatile tool that helps research professionals to easily share files, folders, and links with colleagues, regardless of time or location. Particularly valuable for researchers, Dropbox ensures efficient research management through folder organization and clear documentation. This platform streamlines collaboration and enhances productivity during your work processes.
Highlights
- All types of file organization
- Automatic backups for the safety of your files
- Integration with platforms like Google Docs and Microsoft Office
- Collaboration with team members
- Easy access control
💡Best known for providing organized online storage for researchers and offering quick document sharing.
Dropbox pricing
- Free plan ✅
- Plus: $11.99 per month
- Professional: $19.99 per month
- Standard: $18/user per month
- Advanced: $30/user per month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
3. Elink.io
The homepage of Elink.io
Elink.io platform is designed to help researchers efficiently save and organize content from the web. You can bookmark links to articles, videos, social networking posts, and more. Also, this tool helps you add custom notes and edit titles to suit your particular needs. Elink.io makes it easy to organize and share online content, making it a must-have tool for researchers.
Highlights
- Customizable titles and descriptions
- Option to send content as newsletters
- Integration with websites and blogs
- Features for effective team research projects
💡Best known for offering researchers a convenient solution for saving and organizing valuable information from across the web.
Elink.io pricing
- Free plan ✅
- Pro Plan: $15 per month
- Auto Pilot: $45 per month
4. Grammarly
The homepage of Grammarly
Grammarly is a digital writing app designed to improve the quality of written content. With its ability to check full text for punctuation errors, enhance vocabulary, and detect plagiarism, Grammarly helps you ensure the accuracy and originality of writing, saving you time. Grammarly is an ideal choice for researchers aiming to achieve top-quality results and enhance their success.
Highlights
- Mistake-free writing
- Adjusting the mood and attitude of your text
- Generative AI assistance
- Providing custom style guides
- Plagiarism detection
💡Best known for its grammar checking and suggestions for improving writing style and clarity.
Grammarly pricing
Billed annually only
- Free plan ✅
- Premium: $12 per month
- Business: $15/user per month
5. Asana
The homepage of Asana
Effective project management is essential in the research process to ensure tasks are organized, and resources are optimized. Asana tool is an online work-space for managing projects, allowing teams to track progress, share files, exchange comments, and meet deadlines effectively. Asana is invaluable for researchers, helping them organize projects and collaborate effectively toward achieving research goals.
Highlights
- Effective task organization
- Sharing files, comments, and notes
- Tasks and deadlines visualization
- Various views such as list, board, calendar, and timeline
- Great reporting tools
💡Best known for its intuitive task and project management features.
Asana pricing
- Free plan ✅
- Starter: $13.49/user per month
- Advanced: $30.49/user per month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
6. Zotero
The homepage of Zotero
Zotero is a handy tool for researchers because it helps collect, organize, and cite research sources. With this app, you can effortlessly save references from various sources, including library catalogs, research databases, and the web. Zotero makes the research process more efficient and organized.
Highlights
- Various file types, including PDFs, images, audio, and video files
- Bibliographies in multiple citation styles
- Annotations creation feature
- Quick collaboration options
💡Best known for being a user-friendly reference management tool.
Zotero pricing
You can use this platform for free.✅
In addition, Zotero Storage gives you online storage space for your Zotero files:
- Storage Limit 300 MB: Free ✅
- Storage Limit 2 GB: $1.67 per month
- Storage Limit 6 GB: $5 per month
- Unlimited storage space: $10 per month
7. Slack
The homepage of Slack
Sharing ideas and findings contributes to the project's success. Slack is a messaging platform built for seamless team communication and collaboration. With channels for group chats and direct messaging, this great platform helps researchers stay connected and coordinate their work effectively in the same office or remotely. For example, you can use Slack’s video call features to discuss the research summary with your team.
Highlights
- Real-time communication
- Files, documents, images, and video sharing
- Channels for different topics, projects, or teams
- Voice and video call features
- Integrates with Google Drive, Dropbox, and Trello
💡Best known for its excellent messaging platform, streamlining team communication and collaboration.
Slack pricing
- Free plan ✅
- Pro: $8.75 per month
- Business+: $15 per month
- Enterprise Grid: Custom pricing
8. ResearchGate
The homepage of ResearchGate
If you are searching for helpful academic research tools, we have a solution for you. ResearchGate is a great platform for researchers, offering access to millions of publications and keeping users updated on field trends. Through its community, this service supports research sharing, collaboration, and idea discovery. ResearchGate helps researchers enhance their visibility and impact in their fields.
Highlights
- Providing 160+ million publication pages
- Offering insights into the readership, such as views and downloads
- Discovering new research ideas and trends
- Feedback on your work from experts
💡Best known for being a platform for research sharing and discovery in the academic community.
ResearchGate pricing
You can use this platform for free.✅
9. Google Scholar
The homepage of Google Scholar
Google Scholar offers a web search engine for searching a wide range of scholarly literature from various disciplines and sources, including articles, theses, books, and more. With its focused approach to academic content, Google Scholar provides researchers with a valuable resource to explore relevant research within their fields of interest.
Highlights
- Searching across diverse disciplines and sources
- Literature from academic publishers, universities, and other reputable sources
- Simple and intuitive interface
- Scholarly literature from around the world
💡Best known for providing researchers with access to academic resources from various disciplines.
Google Scholar pricing
You can use this platform for free.✅
10. Google Trends
The homepage of Google Trends
If you are interested in the best tools for your market research, consider using the Google Trends platform. It is a robust market analysis tool that offers insights into the popularity and trends of Google search topics across different regions and languages. With its research options, Google Trends simplifies data analysis and helps businesses make informed decisions based on current market trends.
Highlights
- Data filtering options
- Insights into trending topics for market analysis
- Visual representation of search term popularity
💡Best known for tracking search query trends, helping researchers analyze emerging topics and monitor keyword popularity.
Google Trends pricing
You can use this platform for free.✅
11. Scholarcy
The homepage of Scholarcy
Scholarcy is one of the best AI tools for researchers, offering article summarization and document organization features. It quickly generates summaries of academic papers, making it easy to extract key insights. Scholarcy helps you convert documents into searchable and shareable libraries of summary flashcards accessible across various devices.
Highlights
- Effective article summarization
- Integration with Word, Excel, EndNote, Zotero, and Mendeley
- Import files from PDF, Word, PowerPoint, and ePub
- Collaborative note-taking and annotation
💡Best known for its ability to generate summaries of various material texts.
Scholarcy pricing
- Free plan ✅
- Scholarcy Plus: $9.99 per month
12. Tableau
The homepage of Tableau
Tableau is a perfect data visualization tool that empowers researchers by transforming raw data into visually engaging charts, graphs, and dashboards. Researchers often deal with complex datasets containing vast amounts of information. With Tableau, you can easily manage your data based on your research type and sample size, organizing it into tables for clearer visualization and analysis.
Highlights
- User-friendly interface
- Innovative AI features
- Cross-device accessibility
- Advanced analytics features
- Many customization options
💡Best known for its powerful data visualization features.
Tableau pricing
Billed annually only
- Tableau Viewer: $15/user per month
- Tableau Explorer: $42/user per month
- Tableau Creator: $75/user per month
13. BuzzSumo
The homepage of BuzzSumo
BuzzSumo is an indispensable tool for researchers seeking to understand and engage with their target market. With robust content marketing and social media analysis features, BuzzSumo provides valuable insights into trending topics, popular content, and influential voices across various platforms. It is a helpful go-to resource for staying informed and competitive in the digital landscape.
Highlights
- Gathering data from over 8 billion articles
- Connecting with many journalists
- Analyzing content from Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and YouTube
- Accessing links and trends over the last five years
💡Best known for providing valuable insights into trending topics and popular content across social media platforms.
BuzzSumo pricing
Has a free 30-day trial ✅
- Content Creation: $199 per month
- PR & Comms: $299 per month
- Suite: $499 per month
- Enterprise: $999 per month
14. Bit.ai
The homepage of Bit.ai
Bit.ai is a modern workspace and document collaboration tool that simplifies how teams manage and share information. Unlike traditional tools, Bit.ai offers powerful organizational features, allowing users to create separate workspaces for different teams and departments. For researchers, it provides a way to manage research materials and access valuable knowledge resources, making it an essential tool for modern research workflows.
Highlights
- Versatile document collaboration feature
- Separate digital workspaces for different teams
- Adding various types of media
- Integration with Slack, Figma, and Google Forms
- Powerful AI features
💡Best known for offering effective document management and collaboration options.
Bit.ai pricing
- Free plan ✅
- Pro Plan: $12/user per month
- Business Plan: $20/user per month
- AI Genius Writing Assistant: $10/100K words per month
15. Canva
The homepage of Canva
Once you've completed the main steps of the research process, it's essential to craft a perfect presentation of your research results and findings. Canva is a versatile design program that offers researchers a user-friendly platform to create visually appealing research presentations. If you are presenting at conferences or summarizing findings for publication, Canva provides all the necessary tools.
Highlights
- Templates for research presentations, infographics, and social media posts
- Wide range of design elements
- Integrating with social media platforms
- Easy-to-use interface
💡Best known for creating professional-looking research presentations, posters, and graphics.
Canva pricing
- Free plan ✅
- Canva Pro: $14.99 per month
16. ATLAS.ti
The homepage of ATLAS.ti
ATLAS.ti is qualitative data analysis software for research professionals. It has AI-powered tools to analyze and organize data from interviews, surveys, and literature reviews. Supporting various file types and platforms, it enhances collaboration and automates coding. The intuitive interface and AI features reduce manual workload, enabling deeper analysis and insights.
Highlights
- AI-driven data coding for faster insights
- Support for text, audio, video, and social media data
- Seamless real-time team collaboration
- Multi-platform support (Windows, Mac, Web)
- Comprehensive training and expert support
💡 Best known for: Streamlining qualitative data analysis with AI technology and collaborative tools.
ATLAS.ti pricing
- Free trial available ✅
- Web Student License: $9.00/month
- Individual Student License: $225/year
- Web Individual License: $7/month
- Single-User License (Desktop): $865
Key points to take away
To wrap up, in our modern world filled with advanced technology, the research process has become faster and more productive. Online research tools are incredibly useful for all kinds of research, whether studying or conducting research for your business's growth. With the help of various tools available, researchers can achieve greater success.
However, the challenge lies in finding the right tool that suits your needs. In this article, we showed the top 15 tools for researchers in 2024, highlighting their benefits and key features. Using these tools, researchers across different sectors can enhance their workflow, uncover valuable insights, and boost business success.
Yulia is a content writer at forms.app. She has skills in advertising and translating. Using her knowledge in these departments, she researches marketing topics and creates articles. Yulia loves to travel, learn different languages, and explore new things. Her expertise lies in the best tools and marketing.
