AI Research Assistants Compared: Perplexity, Elicit, Consensus
June 10, 2026 · 8 min read
General chatbots summarize; research tools cite. That difference is everything.
Web research
Perplexity is fastest for current, general questions with visible sources.
Literature review
Elicit structures papers into comparable columns, which saves days of reading.
Evidence checks
Consensus is best for "what does the research actually say" questions.
Verification
Always open at least two primary sources before citing anything.