Perplexity may suit people who want sourced answers across web search, files, and connected apps.
Free plan From $20 a month AndroidiPhone & iPadWebWindowsMacAPI
Best AI Search Engines 2026
Facts read 20 Sep 2026 – 15 Oct 2026
For research that begins with a question, source handling and access options can shape how an AI search engine fits your needs. Compare citation format, source filters and deep research mode to understand the research features covered here. API access and browser extension support offer other workflow criteria, while mobile apps and monthly query limits help frame access. Perplexity, Andi AI and Consensus are among the listed services. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing add cost considerations. Weigh these details against the kinds of questions you want to investigate and how you prefer to search, using the listed criteria to identify the features most relevant to your work.
The standings: top 10
| Name | In a line | Record score | Price from | Try it free | Runs on | Facts read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Perplexity | Perplexity may suit people who want sourced answers across web search, files, and connected apps. | 6.0 | $20 a month | Free plan | Android, iPhone & iPad, Web, Windows | 28 Sep 2026 |
| 02 SciSpace | SciSpace may suit researchers and students who need to search literature, ask questions about PDFs, or work on scientific writing. | 6.0 | $96 a year | Free plan | Android, iPhone & iPad, Web, Browser extension | 15 Oct 2026 |
| 03 Genspark Design | It suits product managers, marketers, founders, engineers, and creators who want to make designs without Figma or Canva expertise. | 5.9 | $19.99 a month, billed yearly | Free plan | Android, iPhone & iPad, Web, Windows | 30 Sep 2026 |
| 04 You.com | You.com suits developers building AI agents, RAG systems, knowledge bases, or other data-driven applications that need web retrieval and grounded responses. | 5.7 | Free plan | Free plan | Android, iPhone & iPad, Web, API | 4 Oct 2026 |
| 05 Google AI Mode | 5.6 | $4.99 a month | Free plan | Android, iPhone & iPad, Web | 1 Oct 2026 | |
| 06 Consensus | Consensus suits researchers, students, and clinicians looking for scientific papers and citation-backed research answers. | 5.5 | $20 a month, billed yearly | Free plan | Android, iPhone & iPad, Web, Browser extension | 15 Oct 2026 |
| 07 Scite | Scite suits researchers evaluating evidence, checking references, and tracking how papers are cited. | 5.4 | $14 a month, billed yearly | Free plan | Web, Browser extension, API | 30 Sep 2026 |
| 08 Andi AI | It suits people who want AI-assisted web search and summaries, as well as developers adding search to products or research tools. | 5.3 | $49 a month | Free plan | Android, iPhone & iPad, Web, Browser extension | 3 Oct 2026 |
| 09 Felo Search | Felo Search may suit people who want web answers with linked footnotes or need to analyze supported document formats. | 5.1 | $14.99 a month | Free plan | Android, iPhone & iPad, Web | 28 Sep 2026 |
| 10 Jina AI | 5.1 | $50 one-time | Free plan | Web, API, Self-hosted | 3 Oct 2026 |
02
SciSpace
SciSpace may suit researchers and students who need to search literature, ask questions about PDFs, or work on scientific writing.
AndroidiPhone & iPadWeb+2 Record6.0 Visit
03
Genspark Design
It suits product managers, marketers, founders, engineers, and creators who want to make designs without Figma or Canva expertise.
AndroidiPhone & iPadWeb+3 Record5.9 Visit
04
You.com
You.com suits developers building AI agents, RAG systems, knowledge bases, or other data-driven applications that need web retrieval and grounded responses.
AndroidiPhone & iPadWeb+1 Record5.7 Visit
05
Google AI Mode
AndroidiPhone & iPadWeb Record5.6 Visit
6
Consensus
AndroidiPhone & iPadWeb+2 $20 a month, billed yearly Record5.5 Visit Consensus suits researchers, students, and clinicians looking for scientific papers and citation-backed research answers.
7
Scite
WebBrowser extensionAPI $14 a month, billed yearly Record5.4 Visit Scite suits researchers evaluating evidence, checking references, and tracking how papers are cited.
8
Andi AI
AndroidiPhone & iPadWeb+2 $49 a month Record5.3 Visit It suits people who want AI-assisted web search and summaries, as well as developers adding search to products or research tools.
9
Felo Search
AndroidiPhone & iPadWeb $14.99 a month Record5.1 Visit Felo Search may suit people who want web answers with linked footnotes or need to analyze supported document formats.
11
Arc Search
AndroidiPhone & iPadWindows+1 Free plan Record5.0 Visit Arc Search may suit people who want a mobile browser with multi-page search summaries, automatic tab archiving, and built-in blocking.
12
Elicit
WebAPI $11 a month, billed yearly Record5.0 Visit It suits researchers who want to search literature, organize evidence, or review uploaded papers.
14
PropensityAI
WebSelf-hosted €8,000 one-time Record5.0 Visit PropensityAI suits people researching across mixed media, PDFs, and internal knowledge sources.
15
Yahoo Scout
AndroidiPhone & iPadWeb Free plan Record5.0 Visit Scout may suit adults looking for AI-generated answers, summaries, planning help, or follow-up conversations on web or mobile.
17
Microsoft Copilot Search
AndroidiPhone & iPadWeb Free plan Record4.8 Visit Copilot Search suits people who want cited answers, summaries, and follow-up exploration from web searches.
18
OpenEvidence
AndroidiPhone & iPadWeb Free plan Record4.8 Visit OpenEvidence is for healthcare professionals who can verify their status and want cited information for clinical questions.
23
Embase AI
AndroidiPhone & iPadWeb+2 — Record4.3 Visit It suits biomedical researchers in settings such as pharma, medtech, universities, and libraries who want to search and refine literature queries.
24
AlphaSense Generative Search
AndroidiPhone & iPadWeb — Record4.2 Visit AlphaSense Generative Search is aimed at financial services firms, corporations, and professional services organizations.
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