How to choose: Best AI Research Tool

How to choose an AI research tool in five steps

1. Name the job. Write one sentence that says what you need, such as a sourced market brief or a literature table.
2. Set a budget per report. Divide the plan price by the number of reports you expect in a month, then add seats for anyone else who will use it.
3. Check the limits. Find the cap on research use, or the note that limits apply. If no number is published, plan a pilot to measure it.
4. Check data handling. Read the retention and training policy for your plan, and confirm any team features such as SSO before you upload client material.
5. Run one brief through two or three tools. Score the output on sources, figure checks and gaps, not on length.

Test it yourself: a one-week pilot

Pick a question you already know well, so you can spot errors. Use the same wording in every tool, give each one the same time limit, and save each output as it arrives. Start with a free option where one exists, then move to a paid trial only for the tool that performs best.

• Count the sources, and open five at random to check the claims.
• Log each limit you hit, with the time and the number of uses.
• Note any figure with no source, and any source that does not support its claim.
• Save the output in the format your team uses.

After the pilot, compare the cost per report that passed your checks. That number matters more than the list price. Hyperresearch's first Deep report is free, so it can be part of the same test.

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