The Best AI Search Engines in 2025

In the digital age, searching the internet has become a necessity, but it’s also increasingly frustrating. Endless ads, irrelevant results, and overwhelming information often make it harder to find what you're looking for. Enter AI-powered search engines—a new breed of search engines that aim to streamline the process, bringing the power of artificial intelligence to help you get straight to the answers you need.

In 2025, these AI search engines are setting new standards. They offer smarter, more conversational search experiences, allowing you to get more accurate, helpful results without the usual hassle of navigating through multiple websites. Let’s dive into the best AI search engines of 2025 that promise to revolutionize how we search for information.

The Best AI Search Engines of 2025

AI Search Engine Standout Feature Best For Pricing Notes Perplexity

1.Perplexity: Redefining the AI Search Experience

Standout Feature: Interactive Conversational Interface with Follow-Up Questions

Ideal For: Effortless, engaging search interactions and comprehensive research queries.

Perplexity has quickly emerged as a leading player in the AI-driven search landscape, offering a conversational experience that sets it apart from traditional search engines. Unlike conventional search engines that typically return a list of results, Perplexity engages users in a dialogue, enabling follow-up questions within the same conversation. This seamless exchange of queries allows for a more intuitive and fluid search process, particularly for users seeking quick facts or conducting in-depth research without the need to navigate multiple pages.

A standout example of this functionality is the ability to ask sequential questions. For instance, after querying "How long was Barack Obama president?", users can immediately ask "How old was he during his presidency?" and receive an accurate, contextually relevant response without rephrasing. This capacity to remember previous queries and tailor answers accordingly underscores Perplexity's strength in delivering a personalized, efficient search experience.

Powered by advanced AI models, Perplexity sources data from reliable, curated materials to ensure that responses are both accurate and relevant. This reduces the need for redundant searches, making it a valuable tool for knowledge retrieval, especially when users need reliable answers quickly. The platform's AI-driven approach stands as a significant improvement over traditional search engines, providing users with direct answers and reducing the time spent sifting through irrelevant results.

However, while Perplexity excels in responding to well-defined questions, it currently struggles with delivering real-time information, such as the latest sports scores or breaking news. Our tests revealed that it was unable to provide up-to-date details on dynamic topics. Nonetheless, for general informational queries, Perplexity's combination of AI-driven responses and web scraping techniques makes it an excellent choice for most users.

Pricing: Free, with an optional Pro version priced at $20 per month, offering enhanced features like document scanning and access to more powerful AI models for even more precise search capabilities.

2. Google AI Overviews: Best for Up-to-Date Information

Standout Feature: Combines Traditional Search with AI Summaries

Best for: Getting real-time updates, especially for factual queries.

Google AI Overviews merges traditional search engine results with AI-assisted summaries, offering users the best of both worlds. When you search for a query, Google shows a list of results along with a brief AI-generated summary from trusted sources placed right at the top. This feature is perfect for those who want quick answers without sifting through multiple articles.

However, while Google AI Overviews is excellent for static queries—like definitions, historical facts, and general knowledge—it isn’t as effective with ongoing events. If you're looking for the latest sports scores or breaking news, Google’s AI overview won’t always be as timely or accurate as you’d like.

Moreover, the AI doesn't allow for follow-up questions or deeper conversational engagement like Perplexity does, so if you're looking for an interactive experience, Google might not be your best bet.

Pricing: Free for basic features, with optional Gemini Advanced for $19.99/month, which provides access to better AI models and additional tools.

3. Arc Search: Best for Mobile AI Search

Standout Feature: "Browse for Me" Feature that Automates Research

Best for: Mobile browsing and hands-free research.

Arc Search offers a unique solution by combining web browsing, search, and AI into one powerful mobile tool. Available exclusively on iOS and iPadOS, Arc Search automates the usual browsing process by generating detailed reports based on your queries. For example, if you ask about a sports tournament like the U.S. Open, Arc Search will create a dedicated page summarizing key match results, notable upsets, and player highlights. You can access, share, and even edit these summaries on the go.

What sets Arc Search apart is its automation. Rather than manually browsing different links, Arc will do the heavy lifting for you, compiling information from multiple sources into a single, easy-to-read format. This is especially useful for mobile users, where screen space and time are limited.

That said, Arc Search is still in its early stages and can occasionally pull outdated or inaccurate information. Its reliance on the Arc browser may also limit its appeal for those who prefer other mobile browsers.

Pricing: Free on iOS and iPadOS.

4. Onion AI: Best for Comprehensive, Multi-Source AI Search

Standout Feature: Deep Search Across Multiple Domains and Customizable Search Filters

Best for: Power users and those who need cross-platform search capabilities.

Onion AI, an emerging search engine platform, has quickly garnered attention for its extensive and highly customizable search features. The platform allows you to search not only web pages but also documents, multimedia, and more, all processed through its powerful AI models to provide rich, comprehensive answers.

What makes Onion AI stand out is its ability to perform deep, multi-domain searches—this means it can gather information across various content types like images, videos, and even PDFs, offering a far broader spectrum of results than typical search engines. Additionally, its customizable search filters let you fine-tune your queries, ensuring that you get results that are as precise as possible.

Onion AI is also designed to integrate seamlessly with existing AI tools, making it a highly adaptable platform for businesses, researchers, and everyday users looking for reliable information across a variety of content types.

Pricing: Free for basic usage, with premium features available for advanced searches and faster response times.

What Makes a Great AI Search Engine?

The best AI search engines in 2025 combine the best of traditional search with AI-driven responses that go beyond just linking to articles. These platforms work by understanding natural language, providing summarized answers, and even remembering follow-up queries to keep the conversation going. They also integrate AI in a way that refines traditional search engine functionalities—whether it’s by offering concise, fact-based summaries or generating multi-source reports.

Here’s what makes an AI search engine great:

• Accuracy and Relevance: The ability to pull information from trusted sources and synthesize it into meaningful responses.
• Interactivity: A conversational interface that allows users to ask follow-up questions, narrowing down or expanding upon previous queries.
• Up-to-Date Information: Real-time search results, especially for time-sensitive topics like news, sports, or financial data.
• Ease of Use: A user-friendly interface that minimizes unnecessary steps and makes the search experience smoother, especially on mobile.
• Customization: Advanced features that allow users to refine and filter their searches for more tailored results.

What About All the Other AI Search Engines?

In addition to the major AI search engines mentioned earlier, there are several other noteworthy AI search engines on the market. While they may not be the focus of this article, they still deserve attention. Here are some of the ones that didn't make the cut:

1. Brave Search: Brave, the privacy-focused web browser, has launched an AI search engine aimed at protecting user privacy by not collecting data or tracking users. However, its proprietary search index has some limitations, particularly in fetching up-to-date information. It often fails to provide facts from years beyond 2022. Additionally, while privacy-focused users appreciate the lack of data collection, many remain wary of AI, making Brave’s AI search engine less popular among privacy advocates for now.
2. Microsoft Bing: Microsoft’s Bing search engine has integrated AI-generated overviews to supplement its traditional search results. However, in my tests, I found it not very helpful. For example, one test showed that Bing’s AI overview incorrectly reported outdated soccer match results, pushing the correct results down the page. Its page ranking algorithms don't quite match up to Google’s, and the interface is cluttered with unnecessary pop-ups and clickbait articles. Bing's AI feature may appeal to users of Copilot, allowing for follow-up questions, but overall, it’s not yet ready for widespread use.
3. SearchGPT: OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, are currently testing an AI search engine called SearchGPT. Unfortunately, both my editor and I were unable to gain access as it is still in limited beta. We are on the waitlist, though, and as soon as it becomes more widely available, we will test it to see if it deserves a spot on this list.
4. You.com: You.com was one of the first search engines to incorporate AI in 2022. Over time, however, it has shifted to become more of an AI assistant tool. It offers various modes depending on the user’s query, such as "Research" for detailed responses and "Genius" for visual content. Unfortunately, You.com’s search index is not as up-to-date as other AI search engines, and it’s more of an alternative to ChatGPT than a direct competitor to Google.
5. Kagi: Kagi is another privacy-focused search engine that combines AI and highly customizable search results. With an emphasis on privacy, Kagi provides an ad-free experience, while its AI algorithms help users refine and personalize their search results. Kagi’s AI capabilities make it particularly strong in providing more accurate and personalized search results, and its focus on privacy is a plus for many users.
6. Meta's LLaMA (Large Language Model Meta AI): Meta’s LLaMA, while not strictly an AI search engine, represents the future potential of AI in search technology. Meta is working on integrating its LLaMA model with search engines to enhance their capabilities. By incorporating LLaMA into future AI search engines, we may see improved contextual understanding and more accurate results, particularly in complex queries.
7. Felo: Felo is a newer AI search engine that stands out for its ability to provide highly personalized search results by learning from user preferences and behavior. Felo's AI-powered search engine adapts to individual queries, providing tailored responses based on contextual understanding. While it's still in the early stages of development, Felo is gaining attention for its user-centric design and ability to refine search results as it learns more about user habits.
8. iAsk: iAsk is an AI-powered search engine that focuses on answering specific user questions in a conversational format. By utilizing natural language processing (NLP), iAsk offers a more interactive search experience, allowing users to ask complex questions and receive detailed, contextually relevant answers. iAsk aims to bridge the gap between traditional search engines and AI assistants like ChatGPT by delivering precise, on-demand information for users.
9. Hika: Hika is another emerging AI search engine designed to provide smarter, more intuitive search results. It is geared toward users looking for highly specialized, niche information. Hika’s advanced machine learning algorithms enable it to sift through vast amounts of data to provide precise and relevant search results. Hika also offers a unique "learning mode," allowing it to adapt and improve its responses over time based on user feedback.

What's the Future of AI Search?

As the internet’s knowledge graph continues to expand, the need for AI-powered search engines is growing. AI has the potential to address many of the limitations of traditional search engines, especially when it comes to processing vast amounts of data. However, AI search engines still face a number of challenges, including accuracy, data privacy, and content rights.

1. Accuracy and Reliability: Although AI search engines can generate answers quickly, their accuracy still falls short compared to traditional search engines. Since AI search engines rely on large language models to generate responses, errors or biases can creep into the answers. For example, AI might provide outdated or incomplete answers, or in some cases, not understand the context of a complex query.
2. Content Rights and Copyright: AI search engines often pull information from various websites to generate answers, which means the original content creators are not compensated or credited for their work. This has raised concerns about the impact on content creators and potential copyright issues. Some AI search engines, such as Perplexity AI, are attempting to address this by making their content sources more transparent, but it remains an ongoing challenge.
3. Business Models of Search Engines: Traditional search engines like Google and Bing generate revenue through advertising and clicks, while many AI search engines are still exploring sustainable business models. Some AI search engines, like Neeva and Kagi, use subscription-based models, but whether this will be viable in the long term remains uncertain.
4. The Combination of AI and Traditional Search Engines: Some traditional search engines are already integrating AI capabilities into their search results. Google and Bing have both added AI-generated overviews to enhance their search results. This suggests that AI may not entirely replace traditional search engines, but rather augment them, offering a hybrid solution. Users can choose which tool to use based on their needs, whether they prefer a more traditional search experience or an AI-enhanced one.
5. Diversified Applications of AI Search Engines: Different AI search engines will serve different use cases. For example, Arc Search is optimized for mobile browsing, Perplexity AI excels at providing detailed answers for research, and Google AI Overviews offer useful add-ons to traditional search results. As AI search technology evolves, we may see even more specialized engines for tasks like visual search, legal research, and technical problem-solving.
6. The Future Outlook: As data continues to grow and AI technology advances, AI search engines may become an essential part of our daily lives. Whether by enhancing search efficiency or providing more accurate answers, AI search engines hold enormous potential. However, they will need to address concerns regarding accuracy, scalability, and privacy before they can fully replace traditional search engines.

In summary, while AI search engines show great promise, they still face several challenges that must be addressed. Each AI search engine is suited to different use cases: Arc Search is great for mobile browsing, Perplexity AI is powerful for research, and Google’s AI overviews are a helpful supplement to traditional search. As technology continues to improve, AI search engines will likely become an indispensable tool, though they are not yet capable of fully replacing traditional search engines.