Run PapersGPT for Zotero in 1 Minute

Supercharge your research workflow with PapersGPT, the leading Zotero AI research agent.

Claim 20 Free Trial Credits

After downloading the PapersGPT plugin, follow the in-plugin banner prompt and enter your email to claim — new users may receive 20 free trial credits.

  1. Download and install the PapersGPT plugin, then launch it in Zotero.
  2. Click the trial banner inside the plugin and enter your email to claim the free credits.
  3. Once claimed, no API KEY is needed — just select the PapersGPT Pro plan to get started.

After claiming, no API KEY is required. In the PapersGPT Pro plan you can try all premium features — including multi-PDF (collection) comparison & literature review, full-library search, Literature Radar exploration & tracking, and AutoPilot — to supercharge your research and work.

More Than Chatting with a Single PDF: All Premium Features Unlocked by the Trial

PapersGPT is your Zotero AI research agent. During the trial — and in every paid plan — you can use:

Multi-PDF (Collection) Comparison & Review

Select multiple PDFs or an entire Zotero collection at once to ask cross-paper questions, compare viewpoints, and generate literature reviews — not just chat with a single paper.

Full-Library Search

Search and ask questions across every paper you have saved, turning your entire Zotero library into an on-demand knowledge base.

Literature Radar: Explore & Track

Explore surfaces related new papers, while Track keeps following the latest work in your research field.

AutoPilot

An autonomous AI agent that batch-reads 100+ papers and writes structured, cited summaries back into your Zotero notes.

Learn more about Full-Library Search

Already have an API Key? If you possess a valid API key for OpenAI, Gemini 4, Claude, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, Qwen, Mistral, Kimi, GLM, or SiliconFlow, simply enter it directly into the PapersGPT model selection field. You can immediately start processing vast amounts of literature.

No API Key? No Problem. You can use PapersGPT for free instantly. Besides the free trial claim above, here are two more ways to access powerful AI models without a paid subscription. Paid plans go a step further — every plan includes built-in AI chat credits, so no API key is needed at all.

1. Free Cloud LLM API Services

Use these services to access hosted Large Language Models (LLMs) with free tiers.

OpenRouter

  • Register and create an API Key. Search for "Free" in the model box; any model tagged "Free" is cost-free.
  • Availability is dynamic. Models like Grok 4.1 may be free during testing but require credits later.
  • Input your OpenRouter API Key in PapersGPT as the picture below.
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Groq

  • Register and create an API Key. Known for incredible inference speed.
  • Be aware of daily request limits.
  • Select Customized in PapersGPT settings.
  • API URL - https://api.groq.com/openai/v1/chat/completions in PapersGPT settings.
  • Models must be the ones in Free Tier Limits.
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Mistral AI

  • Register and create a Mistral API Key at Mistral Official Website.
  • Access to the free API tier (subject to rate limits).
  • Input your Mistral API Key in PapersGPT settings.
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Qwen

  • Register via the Qwen Landing Page.
  • Receive a free usage quota for cloud-hosted Qwen models.
  • Set as Mistral AI.

GLM

  • Register at www.z.ai and generate an Key.
  • Currently, the GLM-4.5-Flash model is free to use.
  • Set as Mistral AI.

SiliconFlow

  • Register at www.siliconflow.com.
  • Receive a free quota upon registration.
  • Set as Mistral AI.

2. Local Free Open-Source Models

For maximum privacy and zero cost, deploy a permanently free Local LLM directly on your computer.

System Requirements

  • OS: Windows, macOS or Linux.
  • GPU: Graphics card required.
  • VRAM: At least 1GB free VRAM is required. If insufficient, there will be no local models for choosing.
  • After selecting a local model, it will be automatically downloaded from Huggingface. Therefore, please maintain a stable network connection with Huggingface during the model download process.
  • Once the model is downloaded, you can freely chat PDFs in Zotero, and you can even use it when there is no internet connection, such as on a plane or train.

Configure your local model as shown below:

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