The best AI tools for research
No single AI tool is best for every kind of research. Some search the web, some search scientific papers, and some work only from documents you give them. Here's which to use for what, and how to avoid being misled by a confident-sounding answer.
Our picks
Five tools, each the best choice for a different kind of research.
Best for web research
1. Perplexity by Perplexity AI
An AI answer engine that searches the web and replies with numbered sources you can click to check. Best when you need current information and want to see where it came from.
- Every answer cites its sources
- Good for up-to-date questions, research and comparisons
- Lets you choose between several leading AI models on paid plans
Watch out: Answers are only as good as the web pages it finds, so check the sources for anything important.
Price: Free plan; paid Pro plan (prices vary by country)On: Web, iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac
Best for quick answers from scientific papers
2. Consensus by Consensus
An AI search engine for scientific research. Ask a question in plain English and it answers from more than 400 million published papers, linking to each study so you can check it.
- Answers come from peer-reviewed research, not random web pages
- The "Consensus Meter" shows how much research agrees on a yes/no question
- Exports citations for reference managers
Watch out: It summarises what studies found but can't judge how good each study is. Read the key papers yourself before relying on them.
Price: Free plan; paid plans for more advanced searchesOn: Web
Best for literature reviews
3. Elicit by Elicit
A research assistant for literature reviews. It searches more than 138 million papers, summarises them and pulls details such as methods, sample sizes and results into a table you can compare.
- Unlimited search and paper summaries on the free plan
- Extracts data from many papers into one table
- Paid plans support full systematic reviews
Watch out: The paid plan is aimed at professional researchers and is expensive. Always check extracted figures against the original paper.
Price: Free plan; Pro $49/month ($588 a year)On: Web
Best free search for academic papers
4. Semantic Scholar by Ai2 (Allen Institute for AI, a non-profit)
A free, AI-powered search engine for academic papers in every field, covering more than 200 million papers. Its reader shows short summaries of cited papers right where you're reading, and highlights each paper's goal, method and results.
- Completely free, from a non-profit research institute
- Covers every field, from medicine to engineering
- Short AI summaries and highlights help you skim papers faster
Watch out: It helps you find and skim papers, but it doesn't write answers for you like Consensus does. You still read and judge the research yourself.
Price: FreeOn: Web
Best for researching your own documents
5. Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) by Google
Add your own sources (PDFs, Google Docs and Slides, websites or YouTube videos) and ask questions about them. It answers from your sources and can turn them into summaries, study guides and podcast-style audio overviews.
- Answers are based on the sources you give it
- Turns long material into audio and video summaries
- Free with a Google account
Watch out: Google renamed it from NotebookLM in July 2026, so older guides use the old name. Check your organisation's rules before uploading confidential documents.
Price: Free with a Google account; higher limits on paid Google AI plansOn: Web, iPhone, Android
How to choose
- A question about current events, products or anything on the web? Perplexity.
- “What does the science say about…?” Consensus.
- Reviewing many papers for a thesis or report? Elicit.
- Looking for papers in any field, for free? Semantic Scholar.
- Making sense of your own reports, notes or course material? Gemini Notebook.
Many researchers combine them: Consensus to find papers, Elicit to organise a review, Gemini Notebook to study the documents in depth.
Check before you trust
A link to a source is not proof. AI tools can misread a study, quote it out of context or rely on a weak paper. For anything that matters, open the source and read the relevant part yourself. See AI fails for what happens when people don’t.
How we pick
Features and prices come from each tool’s official pages, checked on the date shown on each card, and we only include tools that independent reviews also rate well. No tool pays to be listed. See how we pick across all jobs.