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Universiteit Utrecht (the Netherlands)

ASReview LAB

Dutch open-source tool from Universiteit Utrecht that speeds up the screening of titles and abstracts for systematic reviews using active learning: the model learns from your decisions and puts the most relevant studies first. Runs locally or on your own server.

Shared spot2of 18 professional tools with a GDPR profileOur summary of what the provider itself publishes about your data: whether the data is stored in the EU (2 points), whether there is a certification or GDPR guarantee (1), and whether the provider is established in the Netherlands or the EU (1). 3 or 4 points is Strong, 2 Good, 1 Limited, 0 Unknown. How we measure in research & science
GDPR: Good
  • Provider based in the Netherlands
  • Publishes certification/GDPR safeguards

Each block is a professional tool in research & science, with the strongest GDPR profile on the left. 6 professional tools, like ASReview LAB, have a Good profile: they share this spot. Click through for that tool.

PriceFree (open source)free (open source); server/configuration variant can be self-hosted
Free trialYes
Based inNetherlandsNetherlands
ModelNot publicopen source and can be run locally on your own laptop or institutional server, so your dataset never leaves your own environment; uses active-learning models that you can choose and simulate in advance. The makers explicitly mention GDPR compliance and no tracking cookies.

Last checked: 27 October 2026 · How we check

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What it does

Screening of titles and abstracts with active learning
Installable locally (macOS, Linux, Windows)
Server & cloud: self-hostable, via browser
Import from RIS, CSV, TSV and Excel (xlsx)
Choose AI models or assemble your own
Simulation tool for testing model performance
Download labels and project files
Crowdscreen for screening with multiple experts

Comparable in research & science

All 18 professional tools for research & science
Underlying model

open source and runnable locally on your own laptop or institutional server, so your dataset never leaves your own environment; uses active-learning models that you can choose and simulate in advance. The makers explicitly cite GDPR compliance and no tracking cookies. Many tools build on a large model from, for example, OpenAI or Anthropic. If in doubt, ask for the data processing agreement: it states where your data goes.

GDPR check for research & science

Questions about ASReview LAB

Which AI model does ASReview LAB use?
The maker of ASReview LAB does not publicly disclose which AI model sits underneath. Open source and runnable locally on your own laptop or institutional server, so your dataset never leaves your own environment; uses active-learning models you can choose and simulate in advance. The makers explicitly state GDPR compliance and no tracking cookies.
How much does ASReview LAB cost?
free (open source); server/institutional variant can be self-hosted. Check the current price on the provider's website; rates change often.
Who is ASReview LAB for?
ASReview LAB is aimed at research & science. It fits work such as literature searching and exploration with semantic search and citation networks, screening titles, abstracts and full texts for systematic reviews, and extracting and summarising data and study characteristics from papers.
What should I look out for with AI in research & science?
Never use AI as a source: every reference must be traceable to the original article, as fabricated or wrongly attributed citations are the most common error. Unpublished data, research proposals and peer-review manuscripts are confidential or commercially sensitive, so do not enter them into a consumer account without a data processing agreement, and check whether the provider stores your input or uses it for training (publishers usually prohibit this explicitly for peer review). If you work with personal data from research participants, the GDPR and your own ethics review apply: running models locally or using an EU-hosted tool with data minimisation is then the safe route. Finally, document your search strategy and your AI use: journals and funders increasingly ask for this, and a review must remain reproducible.

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