1. Perplexity
Rating: 4.7/5 | Pricing: Free / Pro $20/mo
AI-powered answer engine that provides sourced, real-time research results.
Best AI Research Tools (2026)
Find the best AI-powered research tools for academic, market, and competitive research.
5 tools reviewed | Updated monthly | Independent reviews
All AI Research Tools Reviewed
2. Semantic Scholar
Rating: 4.5/5 | Pricing: Free
Free AI-powered academic search engine by the Allen Institute for AI.
3. Elicit
Rating: 4.4/5 | Pricing: Free tier / Plus $12/mo
AI research assistant that finds and analyzes academic papers automatically.
4. Consensus
Rating: 4.3/5 | Pricing: Free tier / Premium $9.99/mo
AI search engine for scientific research with evidence-based answers.
5. Scite
Rating: 4.2/5 | Pricing: From $20/mo
AI tool that shows how scientific papers have been cited — supporting or contrasting.