Best AI research tools

Find, check and summarise information. Ranked best first. Updated 16 Oct 2026.

1. #1Perplexity

   freemium

   Price not verified · Free tier available

   Best for: Fast answers with sources

   Why it's the pick: Citations on every answer

   The catch: We couldn't verify current paid pricing

   Visit Perplexity →

2. #2Google Gemini

   freemium

   From £4.49/mo (AI Plus) · Free tier available

   Best for: Google Workspace users

   Why it's the pick: Searches your Gmail and Drive, cheap AI Plus at £4.49/mo

   The catch: Answers can be less detailed than rivals

   Visit Google Gemini →

3. #3Claude

   freemium

   From £18/mo (£15/mo billed annually) · Free tier available

   Best for: Reading long reports and PDFs

   Why it's the pick: Handles very long documents well

   The catch: Web research depends on plan

   Visit Claude →

4. #4ChatGPT

   freemium

   Price not verified · Free tier available

   Best for: All-round research

   Why it's the pick: Deep research mode and broad tools

   The catch: We couldn't verify current paid pricing

   Visit ChatGPT →