# Alternatives to iAsk

iAsk is an AI search engine that answers natural-language questions with sourced, structured responses.

iAsk ranks #3 of 6 in AI search engines, with an Alt Score of 72. It is freemium from $7.95/month (billed annually; $9.95/month billed monthly) and available on Web, iOS and Browser extension. 10 of 13 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/iask/
Category: AI search engines

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: iAsk.ai targets students and everyday users who want quick, factual answers to homework and general questions, positioning itself as a free alternative to ChatGPT and traditional search engines.
- **What you get**: A free AI answer engine with cited, source-backed responses across selectable modes (Student/academic, Question, Thinking, Forums, Wiki), plus writing and summarization tools; a paid iAsk Pro tier adds document upload and analysis, AI image generation, an AI video tutor, follow-up questions, search history, and a fully ad-free experience.
- **How it works**: Users type a natural-language question into the search box and choose a mode to steer where iAsk pulls its answer from (academic sources, general web, forums, or wikis), receiving a direct answer with citations rather than a list of links; the same engine is also available as a Chrome browser extension, an iOS app, and a usage-priced developer API.

## Profile

- **License**: ?
- **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-07-16)
- **Starts at**: $7.95/month (billed annually; $9.95/month billed monthly) (verified 2026-07-16)
- **Platforms**: Web, iOS, Browser extension
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-16)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Felo](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/felo.md) | 86 | ? | Web, iOS, Android, Browser extension |
| 2 | [Genspark](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/genspark.md) | 86 | Proprietary | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS |
| 3 | [Andi](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/andi.md) | 62 | Proprietary | Web, Browser extension |
| 4 | [Perplexica](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/perplexica.md) | 62 | MIT | Linux, macOS, Windows, Web |
| 5 | [You.com](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/you-com.md) | 62 | ? | ? |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| AI search engines checklist | iAsk | Felo | Genspark | Andi | Perplexica | You.com |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | Free | Free | Usage-based |
| Starts at | $7.95/month (billed annually; $9.95/month billed monthly) | $14.99/month | $19.9/month | Free | Free | $1.00 per 1,000 pages (Contents API) |
| License | ? | ? | Proprietary | Proprietary | MIT | ? |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Browser extension | Web, iOS, Android, Browser extension | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Browser extension | Web, Browser extension | Linux, macOS, Windows, Web | ? |
| Cited sources / references | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Follow-up conversational search | Partial | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | ? |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Choice of underlying LLM | ? | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes |
| File / document upload | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes |
| Image generation | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | No | ? |
| Code-focused answers | ? | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | ? |
| API access | Yes | ? | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | ? | ? |
| Ad-free | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Custom / focus modes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Data not used for training | ? | ? | ? | Yes | Partial | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for iAsk. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **Pricing model**: Freemium — <https://iask.ai/pricing> (verified 2026-07-16)
  - Note: Free tier ($0/month, ads shown) plus a paid iAsk Pro subscription tier unlocking additional features.
  - Quote: “iAsk Free $0 per month ... AI search with limited ads”
- **Status**: active — <https://iask.ai/pricing> (verified 2026-07-16)
  - Note: Current-year footer copyright, plus a live API pricing page marked "NEW" and pricing-page copy referencing "Best Search Engine of 2026," indicate ongoing active development.
  - Quote: “© 2026 Ai Search Inc. All rights reserved.”
- **Starts at**: $7.95/month (billed annually; $9.95/month billed monthly) — <https://iask.ai/pricing> (verified 2026-07-16)
  - Note: annual ? '7.95' : '9.95'">9.95</span> per month" — The pricing page's annual/monthly billing toggle displays $9.95/month by default and $7.95/month when annual billing is selected; $7.95/month is the cheapest advertised price for the iAsk Pro tier.
  - Quote: “$<span x-text=”
- **Platforms**: Web, iOS, Browser extension — <https://iask.ai/pricing> (verified 2026-07-16)
  - Note: "Download Mobile App" links to the iAsk iOS app on the Apple App Store; "iAsk Browser Search" links to the Chrome Web Store extension. No Android, Windows, or macOS app pages were found in site naviga
  - Quote: “Download Mobile App ... iAsk Browser Search”
- **Cited sources / references**: Yes — <https://iask.ai/image> (verified 2026-07-16)
  - Note: Search box placeholder on the same page also reads: "Ask AI a Homework Question or Anything Else and Receive a Factual Response from the World's Most Authoritative Sources."
  - Quote: “No Hallucinations, Authoritative Citations”
- **Follow-up conversational search**: Partial — <https://iask.ai/image> (verified 2026-07-16)
  - Note: Follow-up questions are listed as a feature unlocked by the paid iAsk Pro tier, implying the free tier does not support conversational follow-ups.
  - Quote: “iAsk Pro not only provides you with the most accurate and fastest AI available but also unlocks new features, such as Document Analysis, Image Creation, the ability to ask Follow-Up questions, access ”
- **Free tier**: Yes — <https://iask.ai/pricing> (verified 2026-07-16)
  - Quote: “iAsk Free $0 per month Your everyday AI search toolkit”
- **File / document upload**: Yes — <https://iask.ai/pricing> (verified 2026-07-16)
  - Quote: “Upload full documents (PDFs, essays, articles) for instant analysis”
- **Image generation**: Yes — <https://iask.ai/pricing> (verified 2026-07-16)
  - Quote: “Generate stunning visuals from simple text prompts”
- **API access**: Yes — <https://iask.ai/api> (verified 2026-07-16)
  - Note: Usage-based developer API with tiered per-1000-response pricing.
  - Quote: “Basic $1.20 per 1000 responses ... Regular $6 per 1000 responses ... Advanced $12 per 1000 responses”
- **Browser extension**: Yes — <https://iask.ai/pricing> (verified 2026-07-16)
  - Note: Links to https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/iask-search/mffancafpblpbeocjmjafjkgcpneiioc.
  - Quote: “iAsk Browser Search”
- **Mobile app**: Yes — <https://iask.ai/pricing> (verified 2026-07-16)
  - Note: Links to the iAsk iOS app on the Apple App Store (apps.apple.com/us/app/iask-ai-unlimited/id6449653022); no Android app was found.
  - Quote: “Download Mobile App”
- **Ad-free**: Partial — <https://iask.ai/pricing> (verified 2026-07-16)
  - Note: The free iAsk Free tier shows limited ads; only the paid iAsk Pro tier is fully ad-free.
  - Quote: “AI search with limited ads ... 100% ad-free experience”
- **Custom / focus modes**: Yes — <https://iask.ai/image> (verified 2026-07-16)
  - Note: Search mode selector offers Student (academic), Question, Thinking, Forums ("Search Online Discussion and Web Forums to Find Out What People Think about"), and Wiki ("Search or Ask Questions From Thou
  - Quote: “Student ... Question ... Thinking ... Forums ... Wiki”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/