BotTask guides / Research
Best AI research tools
BotSherpa tracks 7 research tools, 6 of them with a free tier. Our 4 research task guides each name one best pick and one alternative. Most often picked: Elicit (2 guides), ChatPDF (1 guide), Perplexity (1 guide).
Research task guides
| Task | Best pick | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| AI to chat with a PDF | ChatPDF | NotebookLM |
| Academic research | Elicit | Consensus |
| Literature review | Elicit | Consensus |
| Research | Perplexity | NotebookLM |
All research tools
| Tool | Pricing | Free tier |
|---|---|---|
| Perplexity | Free tier, paid from ~$20/mo | Yes |
| Elicit | Free Basic plan; Plus from $11/user/mo billed annually | Yes |
| Consensus | Free tier, paid plans available | Yes |
| NotebookLM | Free, with higher limits in Google plans | Yes |
| Scite | Paid from $12/mo billed yearly; 7-day free trial | No |
| ChatPDF | Free tier; Plus plan available | Yes |
| Humata | Free (60 pages/mo); Expert from $9.99/mo | Yes |
Pricing changes often; check the official site before buying. Tool cards for this category.