View all AI Search / Deep Research Alternatives
Best Free Alternatives to Perplexity Pro
Stop paying $20/mo. Discover professional-grade tools that won't break your budget.
Category: AI Search / Deep ResearchVerified for 2025
Top Recommended Replacements
Genspark
FREEBest Deep Research Alternative
Why we like it
The 2025 breakout star; creates 'Sparkpages'—custom, highly structured reports with comparison tables and videos—for any query; completely free; feels more like a research assistant than a chatbot.
Keep in mind
Newer platform; mobile app is less polished than Perplexity's.
ChatGPT Search
Best 'Bundle' Option
Why we like it
If you already pay for ChatGPT Plus ($20), you now have 'Perplexity' built-in via the new Search button; it uses Bing's index and GPT-4o to provide cited, real-time answers. Don't pay twice.
Keep in mind
Standalone free version has usage limits on deep search.
Arc Search
FREEBest for Mobile
Why we like it
The 'Browse for Me' feature is magic; it reads 6 websites instantly and builds a custom web page summarizing the answer; unmatched speed on iPhone/Android.
Keep in mind
Mobile-first experience; desktop version is a full browser (Arc), which some find too heavy.
Open WebUI + SearXNG
FREEBest Self-Hosted
Why we like it
The 'Privacy' option; connect a local LLM (Llama 3) to a meta-search engine (SearXNG) inside Open WebUI; you get a Perplexity clone running entirely on your own server/laptop.
Keep in mind
Requires technical setup (Docker).
iAsk.ai
FREEBest for Quick Facts
Why we like it
Extremely fast, highly accurate, and ad-free; focuses on factual precision rather than 'creative' writing; widely trusted for checking stats/dates.
Keep in mind
Interface is utilitarian; lacks the 'workspace' features of Perplexity.
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