The Best AI Search Engines We’ve Tested for 2026

Google is the world’s most popular search engine, and it’s just as much of a juggernaut in the AI search world. Not only does it generate AI Overviews that conveniently summarize results in response to traditional searches, but its AI Mode provides a robust AI search experience that runs on the company’s top-notch Gemini LLMs. With generally accurate, detailed results and broad availability (even if you don’t pay or sign in to a Google account), Google makes AI search just as easy and worthwhile as traditional search. If you pay for Google Gemini, you get increased access to Gemini’s latest models in AI Mode, alongside other features.

Google users: If you’re already a habitual Google Search user, selecting the AI Mode tab within the Google Search interface is the easiest way to try out an AI search engine.

People who want quick answers: The AI Overviews come in handy whenever you want to find an answer to your question as quickly as possible. It usually does a good job of distilling even complex answers into a digestible format.

Perplexity is a robust AI search engine featuring numerous AI chatbot capabilities, including deep research, image and video generation, and more. Its well-designed interface makes parsing responses easy, while its wide selection of models means you can search the web with best-in-class tech from all the top providers. You can use Perplexity for free, but paying $20 per month gets you higher usage limits across the board, image and video generation features, and the ability to select models, among other capabilities.

Fans of AI chatbots: Perplexity is a good choice if you enjoy using chatbot features but not chatting with them. It’s more of an answer engine than a conversation partner.

Feature maximalists: If you want a single service for all your AI needs, Perplexity offers everything from an AI web browser to image recognition tech, in addition to its AI search engine.

Andi bills itself as “search for the next generation” and has a friendly interface that makes it easy to check sources, filter responses, summarize results, view related links, and more. Different viewing options allow you to further customize your experience. Andi doesn’t bother with features outside the core searching experience, but it can leverage an LLM to search the internet effectively and do so entirely for free.

The budget-conscious: If you’re on a tight budget, Andi won’t try and get you to buy credits, sign up for a subscription, or anything else. It’s totally free. The site currently allows you to sign up for a waitlist for Andi+.

First-time AI search users: If you haven’t used AI search engines before, Andi’s straightforward interface makes it just as easy to understand as Bing or Google.

If you’re weary of AI services because of privacy concerns, DuckDuckGo’s privacy protections extend to its AI features, including Search Assist (which generates answers to search queries). It doesn’t share your location by default or train AI models on your data. Moreover, it stores your prompts locally on your device, only sending them to its servers as necessary. DuckDuckGo encrypts said data and stores it only temporarily. This is a best-in-class privacy policy not just for an AI search engine, but for AI services in general.

Occasional AI users: DuckDuckGo allows you to manage the AI features it uses. You can simply turn Search Assist off or decrease the frequency at which it appears. You can even tell DuckDuckGo not to display AI-generated images.

The privacy-conscious: If you appreciate an ironclad privacy policy, DuckDuckGo should be the AI search engine you choose.

Komo has an accessible, uncluttered interface that makes searching with AI effortless. A drop-down menu under its central text field lets you decide which kinds of sources you want your answers based on, including academic research, blogs, general web search, news, social sentiment, and video content. You can use Komo for free, or you can sign up for a paid subscription (starting at $20 per month) to unlock higher search limits, model selection, and more. A 7-day trial is available.

LLM explorers: Komo gives you access to models from every major player in the chatbot space, so you can find the one that works best for you. Just keep in mind that Komo locks the ability to switch models behind a subscription.

People who want specific types of sources: If you want to find out something based only on a certain class of source, Komo makes that easy. For example, if you would rather watch a video about a topic than read about it, Komo allows you to do so.