Built around research questions rather than everyday search, from a sourced answer to a manuscript and a journal to submit to.
WHICH FITS
Both help with research through answers that cite their sources. The difference is whether you want one AI for many kinds of work or one built for academic research.
Using many AI agents under one subscription, from everyday search to papers and work writing
Work built around academic research, carried from a research question through to a manuscript and submission
COMPARISON
| Feature | tlootoRecommended | Liner |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Sourced answers to research questions | AI agents for search, scholarship and writing |
| Search coverage | 500M+ academic sources plus the web | 480M+ papers |
| Checking sources | Every answer linked to its papers | Citation checks in answers and a citation recommender |
| Writing | Draft in Research Editor | Liner Write and literature review drafts |
| Start free | Ask without signing up | Free plan (limited credits, with ads) |
| Paid plans (monthly) | Smart $9.9 · Scholar $19.9 | Pro $17.99 · Max $35.99 |
* Based on each service's official website as of October 2026. Features and pricing may change.
IN DETAIL
01
Liner started as AI search with cited answers and has grown into academic research and writing with Liner Scholar and Liner Write. With a choice of more than 300 AI models, it suits handling everyday search, work documents and papers under one subscription. tlooto was built for academic research from the start and focuses on one flow: from a research question to an answer linked to its sources, a manuscript and a journal to submit to.
02
Liner Scholar offers agents for each research step, such as generating and evaluating hypotheses, recommending citations, drafting literature reviews, designing surveys and peer review before submission. That helps when you know which step you need. tlooto divides your question into themes and works out why findings are mixed, condition by condition, in one answer linked to the papers behind it.
03
Liner Scholar draws its sources from more than 480 million papers. tlooto searches more than 500 million academic sources along with information on the web. Both work in Korean as well as English, and tlooto lets you ask and read answers in 8 languages, so you can review the international literature in a language you are comfortable with.
04
As of October 2026, Liner's paid plans start at $17.99 a month for Pro ($14.99 a month billed annually), and tlooto's start at $9.9 a month for Smart. Liner's free plan has limited credits and shows ads in answers. tlooto lets you ask a question before signing up, so you can check the answer and its sources on a question from your own field before you pay.
SCENARIOS
The two services help at the same research step in different ways. Pick the one that fits your work.
01Choosing a research topic
“I want to find a topic in remote work research that has not been covered much”
Liner
Strong at shaping an idea into a research hypothesis with its hypothesis generation and evaluation agents.
tlooto
Sets out what prior research has established and where findings diverge, with the papers behind each point, to help you find a research gap.
02Synthesizing prior research
“I want to know why studies on remote work reach different conclusions”
Liner
Drafts a literature review quickly once you enter a topic.
tlooto
Synthesizes prior research by theme and explains why findings are mixed, condition by condition, with the papers behind each point.
03Preparing a manuscript
“I need references for my draft and a journal to submit it to”
Liner
Finds references that fit the sentences in your draft with its citation recommender, and gives feedback before submission with its peer review agent.
tlooto
Write with the papers you found beside you in Research Editor, format the references in APA, MLA or another style, then choose where to submit with Journal Finder.
EXAMPLE
A real answer setting out where prior research agrees and where it diverges, with each claim linked by number to the papers behind it so you can check the source right away.
Question
Summarize prior research on how remote work affects employee productivity and job satisfaction, and explain why the findings are mixed.
Answer summary
FEATURES
Start from one question and keep going, from checking evidence to drafting and submitting, in one place.
01
Search the literature for your research question and summarize the main claims and findings.
02
Open the sources linked to each answer and build the references you need.
03
Draft and refine your manuscript in Research Editor with the evidence you found beside it.
04
Use Journal Finder to check a journal's scope, indexing and key metrics.
BY THE NUMBERS
One question searches more than 500 million academic sources, and you read the answer in your language.
500M+
Papers, scholarly sources and web information across fields, used as the evidence for each answer.
2M+
Researchers and students around the world ask tlooto research questions every month.
100+
Universities and research institutes have adopted tlooto as a research tool.
8
Ask and read answers in 8 languages, including English, Korean, Japanese and Chinese.
HOW TO START
Bring the research question you were working on in Liner Scholar and compare in three steps.
Ask the research question you would take to Liner, without signing up, in your own language.
As you would in Liner, open each citation to check the original and its DOI, then export it in APA, MLA, ISO 690 and more.
Carry the draft you would write in Liner Write into Research Editor with the evidence beside it, then choose a journal with Journal Finder.
FAQ
What people ask when comparing Liner and tlooto.
Liner covers everyday search, academic research and work writing with AI search, Liner Scholar and Liner Write. tlooto is built for academic research: it gives a sourced answer to your research question and carries that answer through writing and journal selection in one flow.
For a narrative literature review, a related-work section or finding a research gap, yes. tlooto sets out where studies agree, where they diverge and why, with the papers behind each point. If you need a tool for a specific step, such as designing hypotheses or simulating surveys, Liner's research agents are built for that.
Yes. You can ask in 8 languages, including Korean, Japanese and Chinese, and read answers built from the international literature, with the original papers shown.
tlooto is built for academic research. It draws on information from the web when answering research questions, but if your main use is everyday search or writing work emails and reports, Liner covers more kinds of work.
As of October 2026, tlooto offers a free plan, Smart at $9.9 a month and Scholar at $19.9 a month, and Liner offers Pro at $17.99 a month and Max at $35.99 a month, with discounts for annual billing. Check each service's pricing page for current prices and what each plan includes.
Yes. Ask about a topic you are interested in and tlooto sets out what prior research has established and where findings diverge, with the papers behind each point, which helps you find what has not been covered yet. If you want a dedicated tool for turning an idea into a hypothesis statement, Liner's hypothesis generator is worth trying alongside it.
tlooto lets you ask a research question and check the answer and its sources before signing up, and it has a free plan. Liner also has a free plan, with limited credits and ads in answers.
No. To protect user information, tlooto does not collect your questions or use them for training.
MORE COMPARISONS
Ask both services the same research question and see for yourself which answer is more useful for your research.
