Best AI research agent

1. Perplexity

   Citations in every answer; Deep Research on Pro.

   Free tier: Yes. Search with cited answers and limited weekly usage.
   Paid: Pro $20/mo ($17/mo annually; adds Computer access, Deep Research, model choice). Max $200/mo ($167/mo annually; 10,000 monthly credits). Enterprise Pro $40/seat.

2. ChatGPT (Work & agent features)

   Deep research plus a built-in browser; limited on Free.

   Free tier: Yes. Unlimited text chats with GPT-6 (abuse guardrails apply) and limited deep research, Codex and ChatGPT Work on desktop.
   Paid: Go $8/mo (may include ads), Plus $20/mo, Pro $100, $200 or $500/mo.

3. Elicit

   Built for academic papers.

   Free tier: Yes.
   Paid: Individual paid plans listed at $11, $39 and $89 per user/mo billed annually. Team-oriented plans at $49 and $229 per user/mo billed annually.

4. Manus

   Wide Research for broad, parallel investigations.

   Free tier: Yes. 300 daily refresh credits, 1 concurrent task, 2 scheduled automations.
   Paid: Pro from $20/mo (4,000 credits), $40/mo (8,000 credits, 7-day trial), up to $200/mo (40,000 credits, per third-party reviews). Team from $20/seat/mo. Annual billing saves 17%.

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