How to choose: Best Research AI

Five steps to choose a research AI

1. Write down the output you need: a cited report, a paper list, a quick answer, or a checked figure.
2. Note which sources the work depends on, such as the open web, filings, paper databases or your own files.
3. Shortlist two or three tools that match both points. Do not compare more than three at once.
4. Check how each tool handles citations. Ask whether quotes are matched to pages and whether figures are checked before delivery.
5. Read each tool's plan and limits page, and note what the free tier or trial covers.

Write the five steps on one page before you open any tool. A written list keeps you from being swayed by the newest interface.

Test it yourself

Pick one question you can already answer, and one live question where the answer is still open. Run both through each shortlisted tool. The question you know tests accuracy. The open one tests how well the tool finds and reads new sources.

1. Score each report on three points: did it answer the question, do the cited sources say what it claims, and did it miss an important source.
2. Open five cited sources per tool and check the figures and dates against the text.
3. Note how much control you had over the plan and whether you could stop or change the run.
4. Record the cost of each trial, including any usage limits you hit.

The first Deep report from Hyperresearch is free, so it can be part of the pilot at no cost. Keep your notes short and decide after the pilot, not before it.

Keep the pilot to one afternoon of comparison work. The goal is a clear choice, not an exhaustive review of every product on the market.

Continue this reading path

• Resource directory
• Best Research AI

Cite this entry