ContextSnapFor researchers who read outside their field
Understand any figure, equation or Methods section in seconds.
Highlight it or snap it. ContextSnap explains it right where you are reading, in plain words and in your language. No copy-paste, no new tab, no losing your place.
- Free plan, no card
- No account to create
- Set up in 30 seconds
Knockdown of PGC-1α reduces mitochondrial biogenesis
Cells treated with siRNA showed a 42% drop in mtDNA copy number. Oxygen consumption rate was normalized to citrate synthase activity to control for mitochondrial content, and the effect persisted across all three biological replicates.Why not just ask a chatbot?
Getting unstuck should not cost you your train of thought.
Every detour to another tab breaks your focus. ContextSnap brings the answer to the paper instead.
The chatbot detour
- Copy the sentence. Or screenshot the figure and save it
- Open a new tab
- Paste it, then explain which paper it is from
- Read a generic answer that ignores the paragraph around it
- Find your way back to where you were
5 steps, every time you get stuck
With ContextSnap
- Highlight the text, or press a shortcut and drag a box around the figure
- Read the answer next to it. It already knows the surrounding paragraph
2 steps. You never leave the page
How it works
Three ways to get unstuck. All without leaving the page.
Use the one that fits what you are stuck on. Then keep asking follow-up questions in the same panel.
Highlight a sentence
Select the text and click Explain, or press ⌥ Q on Mac (Alt Q on Windows). ContextSnap reads the paragraph around it, so the answer fits this paper, not a dictionary.
Snap a figure
Press ⌥ Z (Alt Z) and drag a box around a figure, a table, a chart or an equation. Perfect when what you are stuck on is not text at all.
Snap the context, then the question
Press ⌥ ⇧ Z (Alt ⇧ Z). Snap the whole figure first, then the one panel or symbol you want explained.
Made for the moments you get stuck
You understand most of the paper. This is for the rest.
The figure you cannot read. The test you have never run. The equation with six Greek letters. The sentence that makes sense in your native language but not in English.
Figures and statistics
What this forest plot, these error bars or this p-value actually say, in this figure.
Methods from another field
A technique you have never used, explained by what it measures and why the authors chose it.
Equations
Every symbol, and what the equation is doing, step by step in plain words.
Reading in a second language
Answers come in the language you choose, whatever language the paper is written in.
Private by design
Your reading stays yours.
- Nothing is sent until you ask. Only the part you select or snap.
- We never see the page address or your browsing history.
- Conversations are not saved. Close the panel and they are gone.
- Not used to train AI. We use Google’s paid Gemini API. Read the details
Pricing
Start free. Upgrade when you cannot read without it.
One explanation is one question plus up to two follow-ups about it. All prices in US dollars.
Free
- 15 explanations a day in your first week, then 5 a day
- Highlight text or snap one or two regions
- Answers in your language
Pro
- 1,000 explanations a month, about 33 a day
- Web search with cited sources, up to 10 searches a day
- Everything in Free
- Cancel any time
Founding member
- Pro for the lifetime of ContextSnap
- 1,000 explanations a month
- Pays for itself in 18 months versus Pro yearly
Lab
- Pro for every member, 1,000 explanations a month each
- One payment for the whole group
Questions
Before you install
Do I need to create an account?
No. Install it and start. The free plan needs no account, no email and no card. You only enter a licence key if you upgrade.
Does it work on PDFs?
Not yet in Chrome’s built-in PDF viewer, because Chrome does not let extensions run inside it. ContextSnap works on web pages, which includes the HTML version of most papers on PubMed Central, arXiv, bioRxiv and journal sites. PDF support is on our roadmap.
How is this different from ChatGPT or Gemini?
It uses a Gemini model, but it lives on the page you are reading. It can see the figure you snap, it reads the paragraph around your selection, and the answer appears right next to it. You do not copy, paste, switch tabs or explain the context first.
Is my content used to train AI?
No. We use Google’s paid Gemini API, and under Google’s terms for paid services your prompts and answers are not used to improve their products. We do not store your selections, images, questions or answers. The Privacy Policy lists exactly what leaves your computer.
Can the answer be wrong?
Yes, like any AI. It is great at getting you unstuck, but check anything important against the paper or another source. It is not medical, legal or financial advice.
Can I use it on more than one computer?
Yes. A Pro licence works on up to 3 of your own devices.
Where is it available?
Anywhere Google’s Gemini API is available. It does not work in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Russia, Belarus, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Syria, Afghanistan or Myanmar.
How do I cancel?
Use the link in your receipt email from Dodo Payments, or email us. You keep Pro until the end of the period you paid for. See the Refund & Cancellation Policy.
Your next paper is already open in another tab.
Add ContextSnap now and the next time you get stuck, you will be unstuck in seconds.
Add to Chrome — it’s freeQuestions first? Email thetristanlinh@gmail.com. A person reads every message and replies within two business days.