Open Access Button
Open Access Button was a free browser extension and web tool operated by the non-profit OA.Works that helped researchers and the public find free-to-read versions of paywalled academic articles via Unpaywall integration. The service was shut down on November 18, 2025.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- Headquarters—
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
Open Access Button firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Open Access Button
- Legal name
- Open Access Button
- Website
- https://openaccessbutton.org
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Closed
- Short description
- Open Access Button was a free browser extension and web tool operated by the non-profit OA.Works that helped researchers and the public find free-to-read versions of paywalled academic articles via Unpaywall integration. The service was shut down on November 18, 2025.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Open Access Button industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Open Access Research Discovery Tools
- NAICS
- Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (519290), Libraries and Archives (519210), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Open Educational Resources (OER) & Open Access Academic Publishing (MPAJABAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Open Access Scholarly Journals & Monographs (EDAGAFAJ), OER Repositories, Discovery & Metadata Services (EDAGAJAL)
Keywords
Open Access Button business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Free Service: Open Access Button was a free tool provided to help researchers, students, and the public access academic literature without paywalls. The service was operated by OA.Works, a non-profit organization, and was funded through grants and donations rather than direct revenue from users.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Open Access Button product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Open Access Button was a free browser extension and web tool that detected paywalled academic articles and surfaced open access versions via integration with the Unpaywall database. The service helped researchers, students, and the public find free-to-read scholarly literature. The product was retired on November 18, 2025.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Open Access Button
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Open Access Button technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Open Access Button partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- UnpaywallcoreUnpaywall is an open database of free-to-read scholarly articles that Open Access Button integrated with to deliver its core service. Upon Open Access Button's shutdown, users were redirected to Unpaywall as the recommended alternative for finding open access articles. This integration was fundamental to the product's functionality.
Scale indicators1 record
Open Access Button competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Unpaywall: Unpaywall is the leading open database of free-to-read scholarly articles. Open Access Button was a wrapper/integrator of Unpaywall data, and at shutdown users were redirected to Unpaywall as the recommended alternative, making it the most directly comparable peer.
- ShareYourPaper: ShareYourPaper is a sibling product under OA.Works that helps researchers make their papers openly available. It addresses the same open access mission as Open Access Button but from the author/supply side rather than the reader/discovery side.
- BASE (Bielefeld Academic Search Engine): BASE is a search engine for open access scholarly resources operated by Bielefeld University. It provides discovery of freely available academic literature comparable to Open Access Button's discovery function.
- CORE: CORE aggregates open access research outputs from repositories worldwide and provides discovery services. It is functionally similar to Open Access Button in surfacing free scholarly content at scale.
- OA.Report: OA.Report is another OA.Works product that gives institutions a snapshot of their open access compliance. It shares the same parent organization and open access mission, making it a direct organizational peer.
- DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals): DOAJ is a curated directory of open access peer-reviewed journals. It overlaps with Open Access Button in helping researchers find open access scholarly content, though focused on journals rather than article-level discovery.
Broad incumbents
- Google Scholar: Google Scholar is a broad scholarly search engine that includes free full-text links where available. It is a broader incumbent offering, with overlapping discovery functionality for researchers but a much wider scope.
- Semantic Scholar: Semantic Scholar is an AI-powered academic search and discovery platform. It serves researchers seeking scholarly literature with some open access surfacing, comparable in audience though differentiated by AI features.
- Web of Science (Clarivate): Web of Science is a major subscription-based scholarly citation platform that acquired Kopernio. It is a broad incumbent in scholarly discovery with overlapping open access access features.
Emerging players
- 1science: 1science provides open access discovery tools and analytics for scholarly content. It is a niche player in the same open access discovery space as Open Access Button, with a comparable target audience.
Market position
Customer concentration
Open Access Button social profiles
Digital presenceOpen Access Button financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Open Access Button leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Open Access Button funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Open Access Button M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Open Access Button
What does Open Access Button do?
Open Access Button was a free browser extension and web tool that detected paywalled academic articles and surfaced open access versions via integration with the Unpaywall database. The service helped researchers, students, and the public find free-to-read scholarly literature. The product was retired on November 18, 2025.
Is Open Access Button a public or private company?
Open Access Button is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently closed.
When was Open Access Button founded?
Open Access Button was founded in -1.
How does Open Access Button make money?
One revenue line is on record: free Service.
Who are Open Access Button's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Unpaywall, ShareYourPaper, BASE (Bielefeld Academic Search Engine), CORE, OA.Report and DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals). Broad incumbents are Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar and Web of Science (Clarivate). 1science is listed as an emerging player.
Does Open Access Button have an API?
No public API is recorded for Open Access Button.
What industry is Open Access Button in?
Open Access Button's product category is Open Access Research Discovery Tools. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJABAG, Open Educational Resources (OER) & Open Access Academic Publishing, with a secondary code of EDAGAFAJ, Open Access Scholarly Journals & Monographs. Its NAICS code is 519290 and its SIC code is 7372.