Research tools
Last updated
Research is one of the faster-moving corners of the AI tool market, with 6 tools currently tracked in this catalog. Rather than one dominant product, the space is split between a handful of well-funded leaders and a long tail of focused, single-purpose tools.
Most research tools compete on three things: how much setup they require before they're useful, how well they fit into tools you already use, and how transparent their pricing is once you outgrow the free tier. A quick trial against a real task from your own workflow tells you more than any feature comparison chart.
Where most people start
Consensus
AI-powered search engine for scientific research that finds and synthesises consensus from peer-reviewed papers on any research question.
Elicit
AI research assistant that searches and synthesises academic papers, extracts key findings, and helps researchers review scientific literature efficiently.
SciSpace
AI research tool for reading, understanding, and discovering academic papers, with an AI research assistant that explains complex concepts from papers.
Filter Research tools
Research tools curated for practical business use cases.
Consensus
AI-powered search engine for scientific research that finds and synthesises consensus from peer-reviewed papers on any research question.
Elicit
AI research assistant that searches and synthesises academic papers, extracts key findings, and helps researchers review scientific literature efficiently.
SciSpace
AI research tool for reading, understanding, and discovering academic papers, with an AI research assistant that explains complex concepts from papers.
AlphaSense AI
AI-powered market intelligence platform searching earnings calls, SEC filings, expert transcripts, news, and research to surface insights for financial and corporate professionals.
Scite.ai
AI tool that analyses how papers have been cited, distinguishing between supporting, contrasting, and mentioning citations for better literature evaluation.
Wolfram Alpha AI
Computational intelligence engine that answers mathematical, scientific, and factual questions with computed, verifiable answers rather than AI-generated text.
Consensus vs Elicit
Two of the top Research tools, compared side by side.
Consensus
Consensus
Elicit
Elicit
Free plan with limited searches and basic features. Premium $11.99/month or $89.99/year. Team plans available. Enterprise custom pricing.
Free plan with 5,000 papers and limited monthly queries. Plus $12/month with more queries and advanced features. Enterprise custom pricing.
Review Consensus's data handling policy. Uploaded content may be processed by third-party AI providers.
Review Elicit's data handling policy. Uploaded PDFs may be processed by third-party AI providers. No personal health data storage.
Review privacy policy before using with sensitive research questions. Consensus does not store personal health information.
Review privacy policy before uploading sensitive research documents. Enterprise plans include data handling agreements.
- Consensus Meter provides an accessible visual summary of research direction
- Good for quickly understanding the state of evidence on a question
- Useful for non-specialists who need to assess scientific evidence
- Reasonable pricing for research productivity gains
- Dramatically reduces time for initial literature review and paper screening
- Comparative paper tables make cross-study synthesis efficient
- Strong for scoping reviews and initial evidence mapping
- Reasonable pricing for the time savings it provides
- Database coverage thin for niche topics and emerging research areas
- Not appropriate for systematic reviews requiring exhaustive coverage
- Consensus summaries may oversimplify complex or contested topics
- AI extractions are not always accurate for specific quantitative data
- Not a substitute for careful reading of important papers
- Search database is large but not exhaustive of all literature
Buying Guide
How to choose a research tool
- Shortlist two or three research tools and run the same real task through each before picking one — feature lists rarely predict day-to-day fit.
- Check the pricing model closely: usage-based plans can look cheap at first and scale unpredictably once you're a regular user.
- Confirm data handling and retention policies if the tool will touch anything proprietary or customer-facing.