ToolRankCheapest AI research and productivity tools: lowest verified paid plans
Updated 17 Oct 2026 · Prices from vendor pages only · How we rank →
The short answer
This list ranks AI research and productivity tools purely by their cheapest verified paid plan. Kagi comes first: ad-free paid search engine with AI Assistant. The cheapest verified paid plan here is Kagi Starter ($5/month). 7 of the 10 have a free plan we could confirm. Every price below is from the vendor’s own page, checked 16–17 Oct 2026.
Ranked shortlist
- Kagi: Ad-free paid search engine with AI Assistant. Plan: Starter: $5/month
300 searches - Gamma: Generates presentations, docs and sites from a prompt. Plan: Plus: $9/seat/month billed annually ($108/seat/year)
1,000 monthly credits, no Gamma branding - Mem: AI-organised note-taking. Plan: Mem Plus: $9/month
- Notion AI: AI built into the docs and databases teams already use, with custom agents on Business. Plan: Plus: $10/member/month
AI trial - Research Rabbit: Literature discovery and citation mapping. Plan: ResearchRabbit+: $10/month annual or $12.50 monthly
Up to 300 seed articles - Elicit: Purpose-built for literature review, with systematic review workflows and Zotero import. Plan: Plus: $11/user/month billed $132/yr
- Consensus: Cited answers grounded in peer-reviewed papers with a usable free tier. Plan: Pro: $12/month ($144/yr)
Unlimited Pro messages, 15 Deep reviews, 500 API/MCP uses - Scite: Shows how papers are cited: supporting or contrasting. Plan: Basic: $12/month billed yearly
- SciSpace: AI research assistant for reading and searching papers. Plan: Premium: $12/month billed annually or $20 monthly
1,200 monthly credits, deep research - Felo: Multilingual AI search engine. Plan: Pro (annual): $12.50/month billed yearly ($149.99)
15,000 credits/month + 200 daily bonus, API access
Ordered strictly by lowest verified monthly price, cheapest first. Rank in the category ranking is shown on each profile. Anything we couldn’t confirm on a vendor page says “Not yet verified”.
Side by side
| Rank | Tool | Relevant plan | Starting price | Free plan | Best for | Main limitation | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Kagi | Starter: $5/month 300 searches | $5/month (Starter, 300 searches) | Free trial: 100 searches | Ad-free private search with an AI assistant | Free use is a 100-search trial | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #2 | Gamma | Plus: $9/seat/month billed annually ($108/seat/year) 1,000 monthly credits, no Gamma branding | $9/seat/month (Plus, billed annually) | Free: $0, 400 credits at signup, up to 10 slides per prompt | Turning a prompt or document into a presentation, doc or simple website | Free credits are a one-off allowance at signup | 17 Oct 2026 |
| #3 | Mem | Mem Plus: $9/month | $9/month (Mem Plus) | Free: 25 new notes/month | AI note-taking that organises itself | Free plan caps new notes | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #4 | Notion AI | Plus: $10/member/month AI trial | $20/member/month (Business, includes Notion AI) | Free plan includes a trial of Notion AI only | Teams whose knowledge already lives in Notion | Free and Plus only include an AI trial; full AI needs Business ($20/member/month). | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #5 | Research Rabbit | ResearchRabbit+: $10/month annual or $12.50 monthly Up to 300 seed articles | $10/month (ResearchRabbit+, annual; $12.50 monthly) | Free: $0 forever | Mapping related papers visually | Prices marked with an asterisk on the page (may vary by region) | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #6 | Elicit | Plus: $11/user/month billed $132/yr | $11/user/month (Plus, billed annually) | Limited Research Agent and Reports usage, Zotero import | Researchers doing literature and systematic reviews | Free plan has limited Research Agent and Reports usage; systematic reviews need Pro. | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #7 | Consensus | Pro: $12/month ($144/yr) Unlimited Pro messages, 15 Deep reviews, 500 API/MCP uses | $12/month (Pro, billed annually $144) | Basic paper search, 10 Pro messages/month, up to 3 Deep reviews/month | Students and clinicians checking what research says | Free: 10 Pro messages and up to 3 Deep reviews per month. | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #8 | Scite | Basic: $12/month billed yearly | $12/month (Basic, billed yearly) | 7-day free trial | Checking how papers have been cited | No permanent free plan | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #9 | SciSpace | Premium: $12/month billed annually or $20 monthly 1,200 monthly credits, deep research | $12/month (Premium, billed annually; $20 monthly) | Not yet verified | Researchers doing literature reviews and chatting with papers | The upper plans are expensive for individuals | 17 Oct 2026 |
| #10 | Felo | Pro (annual): $12.50/month billed yearly ($149.99) 15,000 credits/month + 200 daily bonus, API access | $12.50/month (Pro, $149.99 billed yearly; $14.99 monthly) | Free: no payment details, 200 credits refreshed daily | Multilingual AI search with slides, deep research and many models in one plan | API access is not available on the free plan | 17 Oct 2026 |
Prices as listed by each vendor on the last-checked date, USD, before tax. Plans and limits change, so follow the sources below.
Who should pick which
Pick Kagi for ad-free private search with an AI assistant (Starter: $5/month). Watch out: free use is a 100-search trial. Pick Gamma for turning a prompt or document into a presentation, doc or simple website (Plus: $9/seat/month billed annually ($108/seat/year)). Watch out: free credits are a one-off allowance at signup. Pick Mem for AI note-taking that organises itself (Mem Plus: $9/month). Watch out: free plan caps new notes. Pick Notion AI for teams whose knowledge already lives in Notion (Plus: $10/member/month); think twice if you don't use Notion. Pick Research Rabbit for mapping related papers visually (ResearchRabbit+: $10/month annual or $12.50 monthly). Watch out: prices marked with an asterisk on the page (may vary by region). Pick Elicit for researchers doing literature and systematic reviews (Plus: $11/user/month billed $132/yr); think twice if you need general web search. Pick Consensus for students and clinicians checking what research says (Pro: $12/month ($144/yr)); think twice if you need non-academic sources.
FAQ
Which of these is cheapest?
Kagi Starter ($5/month) is the lowest paid price we verified on this list (https://kagi.com/pricing, checked 16 Oct 2026). Check the vendor page for tax, billing period and usage limits.
Which of these have a free plan?
Gamma: Free: $0, 400 credits at signup, up to 10 slides per prompt; Mem: Free: 25 new notes/month; Notion AI: Free plan includes a trial of Notion AI only; Research Rabbit: Free: $0 forever; Elicit: Limited Research Agent and Reports usage, Zotero import; Consensus: Basic paper search, 10 Pro messages/month, up to 3 Deep reviews/month; Felo: Free: no payment details, 200 credits refreshed daily.
How were these tools chosen?
They are the tools in ToolRank's rankings with a paid plan price we could read on the vendor page, confirmed on the vendor's own website on 16–17 Oct 2026. Tools we could not verify are left out rather than guessed, and anything unconfirmed is marked Not yet verified.
Sources
- Kagi: Kagi pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Gamma: Gamma pricing checked 17 Oct 2026
- Mem: Mem pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Notion AI: Notion pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Research Rabbit: Research Rabbit pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Elicit: Elicit pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Consensus: Consensus pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Scite: Scite pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- SciSpace: SciSpace pricing checked 17 Oct 2026
- Felo: Felo pricing checked 17 Oct 2026
Related comparisons
Profiles: Kagi · Gamma · Mem · Notion AI · Research Rabbit · Elicit · Consensus · Scite · SciSpace · Felo
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