Compare AI tools
Side-by-side: what they do, what they cost, what Kai actually thinks. Pass up to 4 tools via ?tools=claude,chatgpt,gemini.
Pick tools (3 selected)
Coding
Image
Productivity
Writing
Marketing
Elicit S | Recraft S | Cursor S | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tagline | AI research assistant for academic literature. | Vector + raster AI for designers. Actually controls the output. | VS Code fork that made AI coding actually work. |
| Category | Research | Image | Coding |
| Pricing | Free + $12-$42/mo | Free + $12-$48/mo | Free + $20/mo Pro + $40/mo Business |
| Best for | Grad students, researchers, anyone doing literature reviews. | Designers, brand teams, anyone needing vector output or tight style control. | Developers. Non-developers who want to ship working code. |
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| Kai's verdict | S-tier for academic research. Nothing else comes close for systematic reviews. | S-tier for designers. The only one that takes vectors seriously. | S-tier for coding. If you write code of any kind, this pays back the $20 in a day. |
| Link | Open → | Open → | Open → |