Workflow

Content research

Gather sources, synthesize findings, and export briefs your team can trust.

researchwriting

Best experience

Cited answers

Suggested tools

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Perplexity
Web-grounded answers with citations. Optimal when research must be checkable and up to date.
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NotebookLM
Ground answers in your PDFs and docs. Best for deep synthesis after you’ve gathered sources.

Live web research plus document-grounded synthesis.

Balanced cost & quality

Balanced

Suggested tools

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Claude
Long documents and careful reasoning. Hybrid when you want strong analysis without a full research suite.
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ChatGPT
Fast iteration and summarization everyone knows. Balanced default for team research with lower friction.

Long context for PDFs; verify every claim manually.

Free-first stack

Free-first

Suggested tools

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Microsoft Copilot
Often bundled with tools you already pay for. Budget-friendly entry to AI in Word and Edge workflows.
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Gemini
Free tier for quick scans and drafts. Good when you need breadth without adding another subscription.

Free tiers for quick scans; keep primary sources open side by side.

Find more tools in Discover.