Use cases /

Best AI for research

Find sources, read them, and summarize — with citations you can check.

Our picks

1. 1. Perplexity

   AI answer engine that searches the web and cites sources.

   Verdict: Fast cited answers from the live web; the go-to for quick research.

2. 2. NotebookLM

   Google's research notebook grounded in your own uploaded sources.

   Verdict: Upload your own sources and get grounded answers (and audio overviews).

3. 3. ChatGPT

   OpenAI's general-purpose AI assistant with chat, images, voice and search.

   Verdict: Deep research mode produces long, cited reports on a topic.

4. 4. Gemini

   Google's AI assistant with huge context windows and Google integration.

   Verdict: Deep Research plus Google Search integration.

5. 5. Elicit

   AI research assistant for finding and summarizing academic papers.

   Verdict: Purpose-built for academic papers and literature reviews.

6. 6. Grok

   xAI's assistant with real-time X/web search.

   Verdict: Useful for what people are saying right now on X.

Picks are editorial and not paid. Pricing and features change often — check each official site.