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Best free AI for search & research
Options you can use without paying: free, open source or with a free tier, ranked from public benchmarks.
STop ranked: Exa (Exa), 80 on Artificial Analysis Search Index (Search APIs).15 options listed · data verified 19 Oct 2026
Ranked list
| Tier | Name | Approach | Runs | Rated by | Price | Skill | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S |  ExaExa | Search APIs & engines | Cloud | 80 on Artificial Analysis Search Index (Search APIs) | Free tier | intermediate | |
| S |  SciraScira | Apps | Cloud | via GPT-6.1 Sol | Free tier · $15/mo | beginner | |
| S | Microsoft Copilot Microsoft | Apps | Cloud | via GPT-6.1 Sol | Free tier · $9.99/mo | beginner | |
| S |  OpenRouterOpenRouter | Search APIs & engines | Cloud | via GPT-6.1 Sol | Free tier | intermediate | |
| S |  ClaudeAnthropic | Apps | Cloud | via Claude Fable 5.1 | Free tier · $20/mo | beginner | |
| A |  ParallelParallel Web Systems | Search APIs & engines | Cloud | 75 on Artificial Analysis Search Index (Search APIs) | Free tier | intermediate | vs Exa |
| A |  Brave Search APIBrave | Search APIs & engines | Cloud | 75 on Artificial Analysis Search Index (Search APIs) | Free tier | intermediate | vs Exa |
| A |  GeminiGoogle | Apps | Cloud | 50 on DeepResearch Bench (RACE, GPT-5.5 judge) | Free tier · $4.99/mo | beginner | |
| A |  You.com APIsYou.com | Search APIs & engines | Cloud | 74 on Artificial Analysis Search Index (Search APIs) | Free tier | intermediate | vs Exa |
| A |  ChatGPTOpenAI | Apps | Cloud | 48 on DeepResearch Bench (RACE, GPT-5.5 judge) | Free tier · $20/mo | beginner | |
| A |  Kagi AssistantKagi | Apps | Cloud | via Gemini 3.1 Pro (Preview) | Free tier · $5/mo | beginner | |
| B |  LinkupLinkup | Search APIs & engines | Cloud | 68 on Artificial Analysis Search Index (Search APIs) | Free tier | intermediate | |
| B |  PerplexityPerplexity AI | Apps + Search APIs & engines | Cloud | 43 on DeepResearch Bench (RACE, GPT-5.5 judge) | Free tier · $20/mo | beginner | |
| B |  GrokSpaceXSI (formerly xAI) | Apps | Cloud | 41 on DeepResearch Bench (RACE, GPT-5.5 judge) | Free tier · $8/mo | beginner | |
| B |  TavilyTavily | Search APIs & engines | Cloud | 66 on Artificial Analysis Search Index (Search APIs) | Free tier · $30/mo | intermediate |
Tiers come only from public benchmarks (Artificial Analysis Search Index (Search APIs), DeepResearch Bench (RACE, GPT-5.5 judge)); tools without a result of their own inherit the tier of the best model they offer. How we rank.