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AI Research Tools

AI-powered research assistants for finding, analyzing, and synthesizing information

Expert analysis
Unbiased comparisons
Updated monthly
3
Solutions reviewed
$0 - $150
Price range per user/month
Free
Options available
2026
Last updated
P

Perplexity

Freemium (Free + Paid Tiers)
From $20.00/month
View details

Perplexity is an AI research assistant that provides accurate, sourced answers to complex questions. Real-time web access with citations for every claim.

✓ Strengths

  • • Excellent for research with citations
  • • Real-time web access
  • • Multiple AI models in one platform
  • • Clean, focused interface
  • • Great for fact-checking
  • • Pro Search provides detailed answers

✗ Limitations

  • • Free tier has limited Pro searches
  • • Max tier is expensive ($200/month)
  • • Not ideal for creative writing
  • • Primarily a research tool

Best for: Researchers, students, journalists, analysts, and anyone who needs accurate, verifiable information with clear source attribution.

G

NotebookLM

Free (Always Free)
Contact for pricing
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NotebookLM by Google is an AI research tool that reads and understands your documents. Upload sources and get AI-powered insights, summaries, and Q&A.

✓ Strengths

  • • Generous free tier
  • • Excellent for research and studying
  • • Audio Overviews are unique and useful
  • • Strong source citation
  • • Grounded in your documents (no hallucination)
  • • Included with Google AI Pro subscription

✗ Limitations

  • • Limited to uploaded sources only
  • • No real-time web access
  • • Audio Overviews English-only currently
  • • Free tier has usage limits

Best for: Students, researchers, lawyers, analysts, and anyone who needs to deeply understand specific documents or collections of sources.

O

Elicit

Freemium (Free + Paid Tiers)
From $10.00/month
View details

AI research assistant for literature review and data extraction

✓ Strengths

  • • Quickly summarizes complex research papers
  • • Deep semantic search across academic literature
  • • Excellent data extraction capabilities
  • • Research matrix for systematic reviews
  • • Time-saving for literature reviews

✗ Limitations

  • • Limited free tier (5,000 credits/month)
  • • May misinterpret complex studies occasionally
  • • Web-based only, no mobile app
  • • Best suited for empirical research domains

Best for: Academic researchers, graduate students, scientists, and anyone conducting literature reviews or systematic research.

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Buying Guide

How to Choose the Right AI Research Tools

Feb 04, 2026