Free AI Research Assistants
Which AI research assistants a startup can search papers and the web, read PDFs and summarize sources with for free today, how many searches, documents or questions the free plan allows, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each provider's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Research assistants change their free plans from time to time: confirm the terms on the provider's page before you rely on it.
AI research assistants a startup can use for free today include Semantic Scholar (Free AI search and discovery tools), NotebookLM (Free with a Gmail account), Elicit (Unlimited search of 138M+ papers), Anara (Free plan, limited AI usage), and Consensus (Basic paper search, no AI analysis). Each of the 11 free plans below links to the provider's page that states it, with its main limit, its daily or monthly caps, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
Market research, competitor analysis, literature reviews and long PDFs all go faster with an AI assistant that searches and reads for you and cites its sources. Several research search engines and chat-with-your-documents tools have a free plan.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. Free plans cap advanced searches, documents or questions a day, refresh quotas every few hours and keep stronger models for paid plans. Each assistant below shows what is free, its main limit, its search and upload caps, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the provider's own page with the date we read it.
Which assistants we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the providers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which assistants are listed or where.
AI research search with a free plan
Search the web or academic papers and get cited answers, free to start.
- 1
Semantic Scholar
Searching academic papers with no cost to start
Semantic Scholar's search and discovery tools are free, according to its about page, which describes no paid tier and no usage cap.
Start free at Semantic ScholarTerms read on semanticscholar.org on Semantic Scholar: the free allowance and how to start - 2
Elicit
Literature searches across 138 million papers
Elicit's Basic plan is free with unlimited search across more than 138 million papers. Research Agent and Research Reports are limited on it, and Plus is $11 per user a month billed yearly.
- 3
Consensus
Quick checks of what peer-reviewed research says
Consensus keeps basic paper search free, without AI analysis. The free plan includes 10 Pro messages and up to 3 Deep reviews a month, and Pro is $12 a month billed annually.
- Searches and uploads
- Up to 3 deep reviews a month (source: consensus.app)
- First paid plan
- Pro: $12 a month, billed annually (source: consensus.app)
Start free at ConsensusTerms read on consensus.app on Consensus: the free allowance and how to start - 4
Perplexity
Quick, sourced answers from the web
Perplexity's Standard (Free) plan gives practically unlimited basic searches. Pro Searches are very limited on it, and file uploads are basic and limited.
- Searches and uploads
- Basic file uploads (limited) (source: perplexity.ai)
Start free at PerplexityTerms read on perplexity.ai on Perplexity: the free allowance and how to start - 5
Undermind
Finding papers that keyword search misses
Undermind's Free plan is $0 for exploratory research, with standard rate limits on chats and searches. Pro is $16 a month billed annually, for serious, ongoing research.
- First paid plan
- Pro: $16 a month, billed annually (source: undermind.ai)
AI document assistants with a free plan
Upload PDFs and papers and ask questions about them, free to start.
- 1
NotebookLM
Chatting with your own sources in notebooks
NotebookLM is free with a Gmail account, and its usage quota refreshes every 5 hours. Google AI Plus, the first paid plan, is $4.99 a month.
- Searches and uploads
- 50 sources per notebook (source: support.google.com)
- First paid plan
- Google AI Plus: $4.99 a month (source: one.google.com)
Start free at GoogleTerms read on support.google.com on NotebookLM: the free allowance and how to start - 2
Anara
Searching and questioning papers you upload
Anara's Free plan needs no credit card and includes limited AI usage that refreshes daily, with uploads of up to 20MB or 120 pages. Plus is $10 a seat a month.
- Searches and uploads
- 20MB or 120 pages per upload (source: anara.com)
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: anara.com)
- First paid plan
- Plus: $10 a seat a month (source: anara.com)
Start free at AnaraReferral linkTerms read on anara.com on Anara: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Humata
Asking questions of a few PDFs at a time
Humata's Free plan covers basic features for up to 60 pages a month, with no credit card. Expert is $9.99 a month for up to three people.
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: humata.ai)
- First paid plan
- Expert: $9.99 a month, up to 3 people (source: humata.ai)
- 4
AskYourPDF
Quick answers from one document at a time
AskYourPDF's Free plan is $0.00 a month, with 50 questions a day and a 15MB upload limit. The first paid plan is $11.99 a month.
- Searches and uploads
- Max upload size 15MB (source: askyourpdf.com)
- First paid plan
- Paid plan: $11.99 a month (source: askyourpdf.com)
Start free at AskYourPDFTerms read on askyourpdf.com on AskYourPDF: the free allowance and how to start - 5
ChatPDF
One or two PDFs a day, no account to start
ChatPDF's free plan lets you analyze 2 documents every day, and its Plus plan provides unlimited document analysis.
- Main limit
- 2 documents a day (source: chatpdf.com)
- First paid plan
- Plus: unlimited document analysis (source: chatpdf.com)
- 6
Paperguide
Research agents and PDF chat on a credit allowance
Paperguide's Free plan gives 1,500 AI credits a month, with limited AI searches and 10 Search API requests a month. Plus is $12 a seat a month billed annually.
- Searches and uploads
- 10 Search API requests a month (source: paperguide.ai)
Start free at PaperguideTerms read on paperguide.ai on Paperguide: the free allowance and how to start
Also useful for research
Referral links, picked for fit and ordered by fit (70%) and what a signup earns us (30%), at no cost to you. They never change this page's ranking.
How this comparison is built
The list covers AI research assistants a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each assistant's terms. Every term comes from the assistant's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on searches, uploads or questions a day or month, stronger models kept for paid plans can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the provider states them. Some of these assistants pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a assistant appears, and no assistant pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free AI research assistant?
By the terms each provider states, Elicit offers unlimited search of 138M+ papers, Perplexity practically unlimited basic searches, NotebookLM is free with a Gmail account and up to 50 sources per notebook, and Anara's free plan refreshes its AI usage daily.
Is NotebookLM free?
Yes. NotebookLM is free with a Gmail account, with up to 50 sources per notebook and a quota that refreshes every 5 hours; Google AI Plus is $4.99 a month.
Can I chat with a PDF for free?
Yes. ChatPDF's free plan covers 2 documents a day, AskYourPDF 50 questions a day and Humata 60 pages a month, and Anara takes uploads of up to 20MB or 120 pages.
Is Perplexity free?
Perplexity's free plan includes practically unlimited basic searches, with very limited Pro Searches and limited file uploads.
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