Scholarly

Turn your own PDFs and recordings into lectures, decks and flashcards

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Screenshot of Scholarly, Turn your own PDFs and recordings into lectures, decks and flashcards

What is Scholarly?

Scholarly is an academic research tool that turns your own PDFs and recordings into lectures, decks and flashcards. A source-grounded workspace that converts PDFs, recordings and websites into narrated video lectures, slide decks, podcasts, flashcards, quizzes, 3D models and cited research deliverables.

Scholarly is a study and knowledge workspace that takes material you already own (a PDF, a recording, a video, a website) and converts it into learning artifacts: narrated video lectures, slide decks, podcasts, flashcards, quizzes, infographics, 3D models and cited answers. The core promise is narrow and consistent. Every output is built only from the uploaded source, and the source stays attached to the artifact so you can trace claims back to the page they came from. The company reports more than 200,000 users. The feature set splits into three habits. Retention covers flashcard generation from any file type, spaced repetition scheduling, timed practice exams and the option to challenge an answer key you believe is wrong and have it rechecked against the source. Visual learning covers video lectures that can run in Freestyle (the AI picks the format), Standard, Illustrated, Short or Manim Math Animation, with chapters, captions, transcripts, chat and pause-to-quiz checkpoints, plus paid export to Anki and PDF for decks. Research covers a source-grounded assistant with a Sources button on every answer and a deliverable mode that returns a brief, comparison table, cited report or slide deck, with a preference for journals, handbooks, news or government material. In practice the workflow is upload first, then choose an output. A student drops a lecture PDF and asks for flashcards, then sits a practice exam. A consultant attaches reports and requests a cited brief. The same chat thread follows you across Home, an open PDF and a project, and history keeps past conversations. Because outputs are strictly grounded, the tool is a poor fit for open-ended brainstorming where no source exists. Competitively, Scholarly sits between single-purpose flashcard apps and general chat assistants. It bundles far more formats than a flashcard tool and enforces citation discipline that general assistants do not. Teams get a shared library, roles, activity reporting and per-model access controls, including EU-hosted options and a Zero Data Retention rule. The free tier is deliberately tight. One lifetime AI creation and one upload, no credit card required, so evaluation is quick but real testing requires a paid plan.

How do you use Scholarly?

  1. 1Create a free account
    Register with the sign up link. No credit card is required, and the free tier starts with one upload and one AI creation, so pick the file you most want to test.
    Scholarly — Create a free account
  2. 2Upload your first source
    Add a PDF, recording, video or website URL from the home upload area. The source stays attached to everything generated from it and feeds the citation checks later.
    Scholarly — Upload your first source
  3. 3Generate a learning artifact
    Choose the output that matches your goal: a flashcard deck for recall, a video lecture for explanation, or a podcast for passive review. Each is built only from the uploaded material.
    Scholarly — Generate a learning artifact
  4. 4Pick a lecture format and runtime
    When creating a video, either accept Freestyle and let the AI choose the format, or select Standard, Illustrated, Short or Manim Math Animation yourself. Set the length and the narration is paced from real audio.
    Scholarly — Pick a lecture format and runtime
  5. 5Interrogate the material with cited chat
    Open AI chat and ask across your documents. Every answer carries a Sources button listing the pages used, and citations are verified against your sources before the answer is saved.
    Scholarly — Interrogate the material with cited chat
  6. 6Request a finished research deliverable
    In a research project, state the question or attach sources, then choose a brief, comparison table, cited report or slide deck and set source priorities. The output arrives as a file you can circulate.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Outputs are locked to your uploaded sources with a Sources button that opens the exact page usedAI
  • Unusually broad format range in one workspace, from flashcards and quizzes to Manim math animation and 3D modelsAI
  • Video lectures include chapters, captions, transcripts, chat and pause-to-quiz checkpointsAI
  • Flashcard decks support spaced repetition, timed practice exams and rechecking an answer key against the sourceAI
  • Team tier adds shared library, roles, activity reporting, per-model access and a Zero Data Retention ruleAI

Cons

  • Free plan allows only 1 lifetime AI creation and 1 upload, which is barely enough for a real trialAI
  • Flashcard export to Anki and PDF is restricted to paid plans, so decks stay trapped in the tool on freeAI
  • 3D model builds consume an AI Creation Credit and the feature is still labelled betaAI
  • Since answers are strictly source-bound, the assistant will not help much when you have no document to uploadAI
  • Creative depth depends on source quality: thin or poorly formatted PDFs will produce thin lectures and decksAI

How much does Scholarly cost?

Free trial

A free account is offered with no credit card required, limited to 1 lifetime AI creation and 1 upload rather than a time-boxed trial.

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Pricing

Free tier: 1 lifetime AI creation and 1 upload, no credit card required. Paid plans are not itemised on the homepage, but team pricing is stated: Premium for Teams from $35 per seat per month for 1 to 29 seats self-serve, and Laureate for Teams from $110. Individual plan prices sit on the pricing page.

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Integrations

Export paths are stated for specific outputs: flashcard decks to Anki and PDF on paid plans, and 3D models to PowerPoint, Keynote or a turntable video. Models are drawn from nine labs, including open-source and EU-hosted options.

Features

Around 25 tools in one workspace: flashcards with spaced repetition and practice exams, narrated video lectures in Freestyle, Standard, Illustrated, Short and Manim Math Animation designs, PDF chat, podcasts, slides, meeting notes, summaries, infographics, 3D models from documents, deep research deliverables, and a source-grounded assistant with verified citations.

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Frequently asked questions about Scholarly

  • How much does Scholarly cost?
    Free tier: 1 lifetime AI creation and 1 upload, no credit card required. Paid plans are not itemised on the homepage, but team pricing is stated: Premium for Teams from $35 per seat per month for 1 to 29 seats self-serve, and Laureate for Teams from $110. Individual plan prices sit on the pricing page.
  • Does Scholarly offer a free trial?
    A free account is offered with no credit card required, limited to 1 lifetime AI creation and 1 upload rather than a time-boxed trial.
  • How do you use Scholarly?
    The walkthrough on this page covers 6 steps: 1. Create a free account 2. Upload your first source 3. Generate a learning artifact 4. Pick a lecture format and runtime 5. Interrogate the material with cited chat 6. Request a finished research deliverable.
  • What platforms does Scholarly support?
    Scholarly is available on Web App.
  • What does Scholarly integrate with?
    Export paths are stated for specific outputs: flashcard decks to Anki and PDF on paid plans, and 3D models to PowerPoint, Keynote or a turntable video. Models are drawn from nine labs, including open-source and EU-hosted options.
  • What are the limitations of Scholarly?
    Free plan allows only 1 lifetime AI creation and 1 upload, which is barely enough for a real trial. Flashcard export to Anki and PDF is restricted to paid plans, so decks stay trapped in the tool on free. 3D model builds consume an AI Creation Credit and the feature is still labelled beta.

Status

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Added10/21/2026

Platforms

Web App

Pricing

FreemiumSubscription