Metaso

Metaso is an AI search engine built by a Chinese team. Ask a question and it searches the web and writes an answer with cited sources — no ads, no paid placement. An academic mode restricts results to papers, and it can generate mind maps and outlines to get you up to speed on a new topic.

For users in China it works as a home-grown alternative to Perplexity: no special network setup, better coverage of Chinese sources than overseas competitors, and a clean interface. When the need is “I want to understand roughly what is going on here”, its structured results are far more useful than a list of links.

It can still cite weak sources, so open the originals for anything important.

Key features

• Cited answers: it goes straight to a conclusion after searching, with sources marked on each section and linked to the originals.
• Search depth options: quick answers for simple questions, and a deeper mode for complex ones that consults more sources and builds a fuller answer.
• Academic search: restrict the scope to papers and scholarly material when you need research evidence.
• Mind maps and outlines: turn an answer into a mind map or outline to see the shape of a topic at a glance.
• No ads: no promotions or paid rankings in the results.

How to use

1. Open the website and type a question; signing in saves your search history.
2. Choose a search depth to match the question, and switch to academic scope when you need papers.
3. Check the cited sources as you read, and open the originals for important conclusions.
4. When you need to map out a whole topic, look at the generated mind map or outline.

Best for

• Getting oriented on an unfamiliar topic with a structured, sourced overview.
• Chinese-language research: domestic policy, industry news and Chinese companies are well covered.
• Students and researchers doing a first pass at the literature via academic mode.
• Replacing ad-cluttered traditional search when you just want the answer.

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

• Directly accessible in China and free to use.
• Strong Chinese-language coverage, with a better grasp of local topics than overseas tools.
• No ads, and the mind maps and outlines are genuinely useful for organising a topic.

Limitations

• It can still cite mediocre sources, so verify key information yourself.
• Coverage of English and international material trails overseas tools such as Perplexity.
• Academic search is fine for a first look but no substitute for systematic searching in specialist databases.