Best AI Research Assistants in 2026
Updated
Research workflows vary: you might need to explore sources, assess citations, work from uploaded files, or share findings with a team. Compared on deep research mode, source access, and source citations, these assistants also surface file-upload support and source limits. Team workspace, free-plan availability, and paid-from pricing provide further points to check against your needs. Perplexity, Elicit, and Liner are among the options shown, as are Consensus and Scite. Consider which parts of gathering and reviewing material matter most in your work, and compare the listed features with the way you research and collaborate.
AI Research Assistants, one module each.A lit port is something its maker publishes; 13 of 13 with a known API signal have a public API.
- 01 Perplexity API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.4$20/mo
- 02 Elicit API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.3$11/mo
- 03 Felo AI Research API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.2$12.50/mo
- 04 Folio API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.2$8.25/mo
- 05 Liner API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.2$1.25/mo
- 06 You.com API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.2Free
- 07 Consensus API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.1$20/mo
- 08 GPT Researcher API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.1Free
- 09 Scite API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.1$14/mo
- 10 Undermind API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.1$15/mo
- 11 Local Deep Research API yesDOCS 6.8
- 12 Fabric API yesDOCS 6.7$8/mo
- 13 Iris.ai API yesDOCS 6.7
- 14 Embarke FREE yesDOCS 5.8$39/mo
- 15 Gab AI Research Assistant FREE yesDOCS 5.8$16.67/mo
- 16 Genspark Design FREE yesDOCS 5.8$19.99/mo
- 17 Innogath FREE yesDOCS 5.8$2.67/mo
- 18 LeapSpace FREE yesDOCS 5.8£20.83/mo
- 19 Praxa FREE yesDOCS 5.8$29.99/mo
- 20 Rabbit Hole FREE yesDOCS 5.8$29/mo
- 21 Scholarly FREE yesDOCS 5.8$1/mo
- 22 SciSpace FREE yesDOCS 5.8$5.83/mo
- 23 CLARA FREE yesDOCS 5.7Free
- 24 Gemini Notebook FREE yesDOCS 5.7$9.99/mo
- 25 Kimi Deep Research FREE yesDOCS 5.7Free
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Source citations | Deep research mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perplexity | 7.4 | Free plan | $20/mo | Yes | |||
| 2 | Elicit | 7.3 | Free plan | $11/mo | Yes | 11 /user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 3 | Felo AI Research | 7.2 | Free plan | $12.50/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 4 | Folio | 7.2 | Free plan | $8.25/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 5 | Liner | 7.2 | Free plan | $1.25/mo | Yes | 14.99 /user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 6 | You.com | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | 15 /user/mo | ||
| 7 | Consensus | 7.1 | Free plan | $20/mo | Yes | |||
| 8 | GPT Researcher | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 9 | Scite | 7.1 | Free plan | $14/mo | Yes | |||
| 10 | Undermind | 7.1 | Free plan | $15/mo | Yes | 15 /user/mo | ||
| 11 | Local Deep Research | 6.8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| 12 | Fabric | 6.7 | $8/mo | Yes | 8 /user/mo | |||
| 13 | Iris.ai | 6.7 | Yes | |||||
| 14 | Embarke | 5.8 | Free plan | $39/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 15 | Gab AI Research Assistant | 5.8 | Free plan | $16.67/mo | Yes | 16.67 /user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 16 | Genspark Design | 5.8 | Free plan | $19.99/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 17 | Innogath | 5.8 | Free plan | $2.67/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 18 | LeapSpace | 5.8 | Free plan | £20.83/mo | No | 26 /user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 19 | Praxa | 5.8 | Free plan | $29.99/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 20 | Rabbit Hole | 5.8 | Free plan | $29/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 21 | Scholarly | 5.8 | Free plan | $1/mo | Yes | 12 /user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 22 | SciSpace | 5.8 | Free plan | $5.83/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 23 | CLARA | 5.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | ||
| 24 | Gemini Notebook | 5.7 | Free plan | $9.99/mo | Yes | |||
| 25 | Kimi Deep Research | 5.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.