The AI map · Agents and research

Research and search

Tools that search many sources for you, read them, and give you a cited answer or a full report you can check. The ones that lead it as of 29 October 2026.

  1. Perplexity

    Perplexity

    Quick answers with sources from the live web, and a Research mode for longer reports.

    Pick it You want a cited answer fast, the way you would use a search engine.

    Price Free tier; Max $200 a month; Pro price not confirmed

    Source: perplexity.ai

  2. ChatGPT deep research

    OpenAI

    A multi-step research agent in ChatGPT that browses many sources and writes a long, cited report.

    Pick it You already use ChatGPT and need a thorough report rather than a quick answer.

    Price Limited on Free; expanded on Plus ($20 a month); maximum on Pro (from $100 a month)

    Source: openai.com

  3. Gemini Deep Research

    Google

    Browses hundreds of sites, and your Gmail, Drive and Chat if you allow it, then writes a multi-page report you can also hear as audio.

    Pick it You want a free deep research tool, or your own files in Google Workspace are part of the question.

    Price Included on the free Gemini plan; higher limits on Google AI Plus ($4.99), Pro ($19.99) and Ultra

    Source: gemini.google

  4. Claude Research

    Anthropic

    Claude searches the web and your connected tools and returns a cited write-up.

    Pick it You already use Claude for writing and analysis and want the research in the same place.

    Price Pro $20 a month and above; not on Free

    Source: claude.com

  5. Gemini Notebook New since July

    Google

    Formerly NotebookLM: upload your own sources and ask questions, get summaries, and make audio and video overviews grounded in them.

    Pick it The answer has to come from documents you supply (reports, papers, transcripts), not the open web.

    Price Free; more Audio Overviews and notebooks on Google AI Plus ($4.99 a month) and above

    Source: androidauthority.com

  6. Elicit

    Elicit

    Searching and extracting data from 138 million academic papers, including systematic literature reviews.

    Pick it You need to screen and compare many studies in a table.

    Price Free basic plan; Pro $49 per user a month billed yearly

    Source: elicit.com

  7. Consensus

    Consensus

    An academic search engine over 400 million peer-reviewed papers that says what the research finds, with citations.

    Pick it You want to know what the evidence says on a question, cheaply.

    Price Free (10 Pro messages a month); Pro $12 a month billed yearly

    Source: consensus.app

What changed

  1. 16 Jul 2026 Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook; the product works the same, and notebooks sync with the Gemini app. androidauthority.com

Questions people ask about it

Search & Research

  1. Why use AI (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, deep research modes) instead of Google?
  2. How do founders run 'deep research' to get report-quality answers?
  3. How do I fact-check AI answers and avoid hallucinations?
  4. Which AI research tool should I actually use: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, or Grok?
  5. How do I write research prompts that get consistently better answers?
  6. How do founders use AI for market research and market sizing (TAM/SAM/SOM)?

Market Research

  1. How do founders validate a startup idea with AI in a weekend?
  2. How do I use AI to map competitors, pricing, and positioning?
  3. How do founders size a market (TAM/SAM) with AI assistance?
  4. How do I use AI deep research agents (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity) to produce a market research report?
  5. How do founders run and analyze customer interviews with AI?
  6. Can synthetic users and AI personas replace talking to real customers?

The rest of the map

Checked 29 October 2026. Prices and rankings move every few months; each tool links the page its claims were read from.

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