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Research · head to head

Elicit vs OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences

Elicit logo

Elicit

Research

The AI research assistant

From
Free
Rated
-
OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences logo

OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences

Research

Computational chemistry toolkits and the Orion cloud platform, now inside Cadence

From
On request
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Elicit has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Elicit pro and Scale plans available at different monthly prices; annual billing options not specified; OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences the free Public Domain Research Licence requires surrendering intellectual property rights and publishing results into the public domain, which rules it out for any academic group with a technology transfer office or patent ambitions.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Elicit and OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences actually diverge.

Attributes where Elicit and OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences differ
AttributeElicitOpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebLinux, Windows, macOS, Web, API

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Research).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Elicit

Nothing recorded that OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences does not also cover.

Only in OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences

  • OMEGA
  • ROCS
  • ROCS X
  • Orion platform
  • Programmatic toolkits
  • Academic routes
  • Structure preparation
  • Docking and scoring

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Elicit

  • Screening and summarizing 40,000+ academic papers in systematic reviewsnot OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences
  • Extracting structured data from 200+ research sources automaticallynot OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences
  • Querying full-text papers using AI for custom literature analysisnot OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences
  • Tracking new relevant research with personalized notification alertsnot OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences

OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences

  • A pharmaceutical discovery team screening a multi-billion compound library by three-dimensional shape rather than by two-dimensional similaritynot Elicit
  • A computational chemist embedding conformer generation into an internal pipeline through the Python toolkitsnot Elicit
  • A university group publishing openly that can accept the public domain licence terms in exchange for zero costnot Elicit
  • A biotech scaling virtual screening on cloud compute without building its own clusternot Elicit

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Elicit

  • Pro and Scale plans available at different monthly prices; annual billing options not specified
  • Enterprise plan pricing not disclosed; requires contacting vendor

OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences

  • The free Public Domain Research Licence requires surrendering intellectual property rights and publishing results into the public domain, which rules it out for any academic group with a technology transfer office or patent ambitions.
  • Free academic licences are renewable but re-evaluated annually with no guarantee of continuation, so a multi-year research programme has no assured software entitlement beyond the current year.
  • OpenEye now sits inside Cadence Design Systems, whose core business is chip design, so the roadmap and licensing culture are set by a company for which molecular sciences is one growth line among several.
  • Commercial pricing is entirely unpublished and structured as annual subscriptions with separate Orion compute, making total cost of a screening programme hard to forecast before contracting.
  • The toolkits assume real computational chemistry expertise; they are libraries and applications for specialists, not an interface a medicinal chemist can drive without training.

Pricing, plan by plan

Elicit

Free
  • BasicFree
    • Limited usage for Research Agent and Research Reports
    • Unlimited search across 138+ million papers
    • Unlimited summaries and chat with papers
  • Pro$49/month
    • Standard usage for Research Agent, Research Reports, and Systematic Literature Reviews
    • Dedicated workflow screening up to 5,000 papers
    • Up to 20 table columns
  • Scale$169/month
    • 5x usage for Research Agent, Research Reports, and Systematic Literature Reviews
    • Figure extraction and interpretation
    • Real-time team collaboration
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • Custom usage limits
    • Unlimited alerts and up to 40,000 paper screening
    • Up to 40 table columns

OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences

On request
  • Commercial licence$undefined/year
    • Annual subscription priced through Cadence sales
    • Toolkits and applications licensed separately from the Orion platform
    • Orion compute billed on top of software entitlements
  • Academic Package$undefined/year
    • Paid annual subscription for university groups under ten members
    • Includes support
    • Researchers retain intellectual property rights
  • Public Domain Research LicenceFree
    • No cost
    • No support of any kind
    • No intellectual property rights retained

Which should you pick?

Choose Elicit if

  • You want to start without paying.

Choose OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences if

  • You need omega.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, macOS, Web, API.
  • You also want rocs.

Questions people ask

Is Elicit or OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences better?
Neither clearly leads. Elicit starts at Free and OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Elicit or OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences?
Elicit has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Elicit and On request for OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences.
Does Elicit or OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences run on more platforms?
Elicit runs on Web. OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, Web, API.
Can I use Elicit for free?
Yes. Elicit has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences starts at On request.
What is Elicit best used for?
Elicit is most often used for screening and summarizing 40,000+ academic papers in systematic reviews, extracting structured data from 200+ research sources automatically, querying full-text papers using ai for custom literature analysis, tracking new relevant research with personalized notification alerts. Of those, screening and summarizing 40,000+ academic papers in systematic reviews and extracting structured data from 200+ research sources automatically are not what OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences is typically brought in for.
What can Elicit do that OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences cannot?
OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences covers OMEGA, ROCS, ROCS X, Orion platform.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Elicit: Does Elicit offer a free plan?

Yes, Elicit's Basic plan is free and includes unlimited search across 138+ million research papers, unlimited summaries, chat with papers, source viewing, and Zotero import. Limited usage is included for Research Agent and Research Reports.

Source
OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences: Is OpenEye still OpenEye?

It trades as OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences, and is part of Cadence Design Systems following acquisition. The product names OMEGA, ROCS and Orion continue.

Elicit: What is the difference between Elicit's Pro and Scale plans?

Elicit's Pro plan ($49/month) includes standard usage limits, dedicated screening of up to 5,000 papers, and access to 135 data sources. The Scale plan ($169/month) offers 5x higher usage limits, screening of up to 40,000 papers, figure extraction, team collaboration, and access to 200 data sources.

Source
OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences: Can academics use it for free?

Yes, through the Public Domain Research Licence or a Teaching Licence, but both come with no support and no intellectual property rights. Keeping IP rights and support requires the paid Academic Package.

Elicit: What security features does Elicit Enterprise offer?

Elicit's Enterprise plan includes single sign-on (SSO), SAML, two-factor authentication (2FA), PRISMA-grade screening and extraction accuracy, and a dedicated customer success team. Pricing is custom and requires contacting the vendor.

Source
OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences: What is ROCS X?

A machine learning enabled extension of ROCS shape search, built on the Orion platform, aimed at screening chemical spaces in the trillions of molecules.

OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences: Is commercial pricing published?

No. Commercial licences are annual subscriptions quoted through Cadence sales, with Orion compute charged separately.

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