At a glance
| # | Tool | Free tier | Status |
|---|
| 1 | Perplexity Our pick | Free: unlimited basic searches with citations, a few Pro Searches per day, limited Research. | Not yet tested |
| 2 | ChatGPT (search and deep research) | Free and Go include limited deep research. | Not yet tested |
| 3 | Google Gemini Deep Research | Deep Research is included free with a Google Account, with daily limits. | Not yet tested |
| 4 | Elicit | Basic: free, unlimited paper search, summaries and paper chat; limited agent/report usage. | Not yet tested |
The tools
- Best for
- Fast answers with citations you can click and check.
- Skip it if
- You need many deep research reports for free; the free plan's Research access is very limited.
- Free tier
- Free: unlimited basic searches with citations, a few Pro Searches per day, limited Research.
- Price
- Pro $20/month ($17/month billed annually); Max $200/month.
- Best for
- People who already use ChatGPT and want web search plus long deep-research reports in one place.
- Skip it if
- You need a published report quota; OpenAI does not publish exact deep-research counts per plan.
- Free tier
- Free and Go include limited deep research.
- Price
- Go $8/month (US), Plus $20/month with expanded deep research.
- Best for
- Free multi-page research reports, especially if you live in Google Docs and Drive.
- Skip it if
- You are under 18; Deep Research requires age 18+.
- Free tier
- Deep Research is included free with a Google Account, with daily limits.
- Price
- Google AI Plus from $4.99/month and Google AI Pro add higher limits (prices vary by country).
- Best for
- Students and researchers working from academic papers.
- Skip it if
- Your questions are about news, products or the general web rather than papers.
- Free tier
- Basic: free, unlimited paper search, summaries and paper chat; limited agent/report usage.
- Price
- Plus (academic pricing) $11/user/month billed annually or $19 monthly.
Pricing checked 14 Nov 2026 from:
elicit.com/pricing. Prices in USD and can change; check the official page before you buy.
How we'll test this
Ask each assistant the same 15 questions (5 quick facts with a recent date, 5 product comparisons, 5 deep-research briefs), then check every citation by hand. Score accuracy, citation honesty, freshness, speed and free-plan limits.
Every tool gets the same task, scored on result quality, speed, ease of use and price/free tier. Results and the test date will appear here, and the ranking can change once we have them. Full methodology
No tool paid to be on this page. Some links may become affiliate links in future; they never change the order. Disclosure