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This guide will help you start using Freiya in just a few minutes. By the end, you’ll have your account set up, your first paper added, and you’ll be ready to explore all of Freiya’s features.
Already have an account? Skip to adding your first paper.

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Create your account

You can sign up for Freiya using email or Google OAuth, both are quick and secure.
  1. Visit freiya.ederspark.com/auth/signup
  2. Enter your name, email, and password
  3. Click Sign Up
  4. Check your email for a verification code
  5. Enter the 5-digit code to verify your account
Signup form with name, email, and password fields
New accounts start on the Free tier with 5 papers and 2 collections. You can upgrade anytime.

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Take a tour

After signing in, you’ll see the main Freiya interface:
Annotated screenshot of main dashboard with sidebar, chat area, and top bar
Key interface elements:
  • Sidebar - Navigate between chats, papers, collections, and settings
  • Main area - Your current view (chat, paper library, or PDF viewer)
  • Top bar - Quick actions, search, and account menu
  • Chat input - Start a conversation with AI (on chat page)

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Add your first paper

Let’s add a research paper to your library. Freiya supports three methods:
The fastest way to add papers with complete metadata.
1

Click Add Paper

Find the Add Paper button in the top-right corner
2

Select DOI search

Choose Search by DOI from the options
3

Enter the DOI

Paste the DOI (e.g., 10.1234/example.doi)
4

Review and save

Freiya automatically fetches title, authors, abstract, and more. Click Save
Add Paper modal with DOI search tab and input field
Find DOIs on journal websites, Google Scholar, or at the bottom of PDF papers.

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Start an AI chat

Now let’s try Freiya’s AI chat feature:
1

Navigate to chat

Click Chat in the sidebar or press Ctrl/Cmd + N for a new chat
2

Select a model

Choose an AI model from the dropdown (Free tier users see basic models)
3

Ask a question

Type your question in the input box. Try asking about your paper!Example: “Analyze the impact of remote work on employee productivity and well-being”
4

Get AI response

Watch as the AI streams its response in real-time
Chat interface showing AI conversation with streaming response
Your chats are automatically saved and titled. Find them in the sidebar under “Chats”.

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Try the PDF viewer

If your paper has a PDF, you can read and annotate it in Focus mode:
1

Open a paper

Go to your paper library and click on a paper
2

Click View PDF

Click the View PDF or Focus button
3

Highlight text

Select any text to see the highlighting toolbar
4

Choose a color

Pick a highlight color (yellow, green, blue, red, purple, orange)
5

Add a comment

Optionally add a comment to your highlight
PDF viewer with highlighted text and annotation toolbar
All your highlights are saved and can be exported for your writing later.

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Create a collection

Keep your research organized by creating collections:
1

Go to Collections

Click Collections in the sidebar
2

Click New Collection

Click the New Collection button
3

Name your collection

Enter a name like “Thesis Chapter 1” or “Machine Learning Papers”
4

Add papers

Drag papers into your collection or use the “Add to Collection” button
Free tier users can create 2 collections. Upgrade to Pro for 20 collections.

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What’s next?

You’re all set! Here are some suggestions for what to explore next:

Explore AI chat

Learn about model selection and usage tracking

Organize your library

Master tags, search, citations, and library management

Advanced annotations

Discover all PDF viewer features and annotation tools

Upgrade your plan

Unlock more papers, collections, and advanced AI models

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Helpful shortcuts

Speed up your workflow with these keyboard shortcuts:
ActionShortcut
New chatCtrl/Cmd + N
Add paperCtrl/Cmd + P
Quick searchCtrl/Cmd + K
Open settingsCtrl/Cmd + ,
Toggle dark modeCtrl/Cmd + D
See all keyboard shortcuts →

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Common questions

The Free tier includes 5 papers total with a limit of 5 papers per month. Pro and Nova tiers give you 500 papers and 500/month.
Yes! You can upload PDFs on all tiers. File size limits are 10MB (Free), 50MB (Pro), and 100MB (Nova).
Each model type has a monthly message allocation based on your tier. Usage resets on the 1st of each month.
Yes! You can export citations in multiple formats including BibTeX, RIS, APA, MLA, Chicago, and more. Highlights can be exported as Markdown.
Absolutely. Your data is encrypted, secure, and private. Only you can access your papers, chats, and annotations. See our privacy policy for details.

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Need help?

If you run into any issues or have questions: Welcome to Freiya! We’re excited to help you streamline your research workflow.