Best AI Search Tools in 2026
The top-rated AI search tools on Ellnow are Perplexity Pro, Elicit and Phind. Ellnow lists 8 in this category, and 7 of them are free or have a free plan. Scores are editor's scores out of 5.
| Tool | What it does | Pricing | Score |
|---|
| Perplexity Pro | Deep research mode — runs multiple searches and synthesizes comprehensive cited reports. | Free plan + paid upgrades | 4.8 |
| Elicit | AI research assistant that finds and summarizes academic papers for you. | Free plan + paid upgrades | 4.5 |
| Phind | AI search engine built specifically for developers and technical questions. | Free plan + paid upgrades | 4.5 |
| Consensus | Search engine that finds scientific consensus on any question from research papers. | Free plan + paid upgrades | 4.4 |
| Exa AI | Search API built for AI — semantic search across the web for agents and developers. | Free plan + paid upgrades | 4.4 |
| You.com | AI-powered search engine with summarized answers and cited sources. | Free plan + paid upgrades | 4.3 |
| Tavily | AI-powered web search API optimized for use by AI agents and apps. | Free plan + paid upgrades | 4.3 |
| Profound | AI SEO tool that optimizes your content to rank in AI search engines and LLM answers. | Paid | 4.3 |
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