shouldiuse.io

Comparison

Web of Science vs Google Scholar

Web of Science lands on Depends, and Google Scholar lands on Worth it.

Web of Science versus Google Scholar
CompareWeb of ScienceGoogle Scholar
VerdictDependsWorth it
Best forUniversity librariesStudents and researchers
Who it's not forIndividual researchers without institutional accessSystematic reviewers needing PRISMA-grade completeness
PrivacyNo known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.11No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.
Support qualityNo reliable evidence foundUsers report uncorrected errors, no channel
Public sentimentForums debate whether its recognition and citation features justify the cost versus Scopus and free Google Scholar, and G2 shows 4.9/5 but from just 11 reviews.¹Users love the free, comprehensive search but repeatedly warn against relying on it alone for rigorous reviews.15
Biggest gotchaLicences get cut: Twente ended access Dec 2025, Jyväskylä Jan 2026, both citing cost⁸Searches are not reproducible or comprehensive enough for systematic reviews alone.

Pick Web of Science when

  • University libraries
  • Bibliometrics researchers
  • Systematic review teams
  • Tenure and grant committees

When Web of Science is not a fit

  • Individual researchers without institutional access
  • Startups or businesses needing quick literature lookups
  • Anyone fine with free Google Scholar
  • Small libraries that cannot absorb price hikes

Pick Google Scholar when

  • Students and researchers
  • Quick interdisciplinary literature scans
  • Authors tracking citations via profiles
  • Anyone wanting free scholarly search

When Google Scholar is not a fit

  • Systematic reviewers needing PRISMA-grade completeness
  • Teams needing an official API for apps
  • Anyone expecting responsive support or data corrections
  • Workflows committed to de-Googling

Sources

  1. Web of Science Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2g2.com
    review
  2. Which is better: Scopus or Web of Science? : r/academiareddit.com
    review
  3. Web of Science & ProQuest - why do they exist? : r/Librariesreddit.com
    review
  4. Open Science Alternatives to Scopus and the Web of Sciencemdpi.com
    review
  5. Web of Science Platform | Clarivateclarivate.com
    official
  6. Web of Science Core Collection | Clarivateclarivate.com
    official
  7. Web of Science Coverage Detailswebofscience.zendesk.com
    official
  8. Web of Science licence will end on 31 December 2025 (Univ. of Twente)utwente.nl
    news
  9. The subscription to the Web of Science database will end on January 1, 2026 (Univ. of Jyväskylä)jyu.fi
    news
  10. Web of Science gets cut, educators aim to adapt - The Equinoxkscequinox.com
    news
  11. Security compliance - Clarivate Trust Centerclarivate.com
    security
  12. Clarivate Security Rating, Vendor Risk Report - UpGuardupguard.com
    security
  13. Google Scholar (official)scholar.google.com
    official
  14. Google Scholar 20 years . Google blogblog.google
    official
  15. Google Scholar . Common Sense Mediacommonsensemedia.org
    review
  16. Google Scholar is free . Business Insiderbusinessinsider.com
    news