Best AI tool for research
See why Perplexity leads this ranking for answers that come with the sources beside them
This ranking covers AI tools that help you research a topic and see where the answer came from. Perplexity is first because a question returns a short write-up with numbered sources you can open. The tools below it are useful for papers and evidence-focused questions.
- 01
Perplexity
Perplexity searches the web for your question and writes a short answer with links you can open, so the first hour of tab-hopping is shorter.
- Sources sit next to the answer
- Follow-ups stay in one thread
- A free account shows the workflow
- Deeper modes when the topic is large
- 02
Elicit
Elicit searches more than 138 million academic papers for your question, then extracts methods and results into columns, with quotes you can check.
- A question returns a set of papers
- Columns make studies comparable
- Answers point back to the text
- 03
Consensus
Consensus searches scientific papers for your question, summarizes what the top results report, and links each claim to the study behind it.
- Results come from papers
- Every summary links its sources
- See where studies agree
How we rank these tools
We focus on tools that help you get the job done with less time and effort. Our selections consider relevant features, ease of use, and who each tool is best suited for—so you can find the right fit for your needs.