AI research stack
For consultants, analysts, or journalists who need sourced summaries without confusing generative AI with a search engine.
- Selection
- 3 tools
- Target budget
- $29 per month
- Profile
- Optimization business stage
Which tool does what?
Why these tools together?
Perplexity has a feature called 'Focus' (Web, Academic, YouTube, Reddit) that the majority of users never activate. Academic Focus queries Semantic Scholar and PubMed simultaneously: for sector synthesis or client notes citing studies, the quality is fundamentally different. Claude Projects maintains context from all documents and conversations within a project across sessions: for analyzing recurring quarterly reports or market studies, this is the feature that changes the structure of the work.
A good fit if…
Competitive intelligence, synthesis notes, benchmarks, light due diligence.
Look elsewhere if…
You need specialized paid databases (legal, scientific, financial).
What should you budget?
Perplexity$20
Claude$20
Gemini$5
The target budget is the recommended starting envelope. The list price adds up each core tool's first paid plan. Optional tools are not included.
What to watch out for
Citing ChatGPT as a reliable source instead of using a tool built for sourcing.
Questions to ask yourself
Do you use Perplexity's Focus or Spaces to filter your sources?
No → you get generic Web results when you could have targeted academic or sector-specific sources. Academic Focus alone justifies the subscription for anyone writing client synthesis notes.
Do you analyze recurring documents (quarterly reports, sector studies) for clients?
Yes → Claude Projects keeps the document in the context of all project exchanges, not just the current session. For recurring reports, the difference is structural.
Do you cross-check your AI summaries with primary sources before delivering?
No → one convincing hallucination in a client note costs more in credibility than you save in time. Perplexity + citation verification = non-negotiable minimum protection.
