Metaso

Metaso

Search & Research
Metasota
FreemiumAPI

About

A leading Chinese AI search engine by Metasota. Ad-free with direct answers, it auto-generates outlines, mind maps and cited sources, supports academic search and deep research modes, and offers an open API

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Our Verdict

Recommended

China's sharpest AI search — built for research, not link-clicking

Metaso answered a question Chinese users had been asking for years: what would search look like without ads? Its results page is a small revelation — a direct, citation-backed answer flanked by an auto-generated outline, mind map and timeline, so a single query lands you halfway into structured research. The academic mode is the sleeper hit, reaching into Chinese journal databases that Western AI search barely touches, and the deep research mode turns complex topics into long-form reports. The ¥0.03-per-query API quietly became infrastructure for developers left stranded by Bing's API retirement. The honest limits: English-language coverage trails Perplexity, heavy research chews through member credits, and the best models sit behind a modest membership fee. But for anyone whose work lives even partly in Chinese sources — students, analysts, developers — Metaso is the strongest argument yet that AI search can respect both your time and your intelligence.

Best for

  • Researchers and students working heavily with Chinese-language sources
  • Anyone tired of ad-cluttered search who wants direct, cited answers
  • Developers needing a cheap, self-built Chinese-index search API

Consider alternatives if

  • Your research is mostly in English-language sources (→ Perplexity)
  • You want multilingual search plus slide/document generation (→ Felo)

Supported Platforms

Web AppiOSAndroidAPI

Available platforms include Web App, iOS, Android, and API.

Key Features

Ad-free AI search that answers directly with cited sources — no link farms
Auto-generates outlines, mind maps, timelines and related people for every query
Academic search mode digs into scholarly papers and Chinese journal databases
Deep research mode produces structured long-form reports on complex topics
iOS and Android apps alongside the web version, with cloud knowledge base support
Open search API priced at ¥0.03 per query — a drop-in Bing Search API alternative

Pricing

free
Core AI search is free and ad-free with a daily allowance of basic searches; advanced modes and heavy research consume member credits.
paid
Membership unlocks advanced/long-thinking modes and higher quotas; on the US App Store the monthly membership lists at $5.99 and the annual at $29.99, with credit packs sold separately (mainland pricing is in RMB via the official site). The search API costs ¥0.03 per query. (Verified against the official site and App Store listing, 2026-07-28.)

Use Cases

Chinese-language research where Baidu's ad-heavy results waste your time
Students and academics mining papers via the academic search mode
Turning a vague topic into an outline and mind map in one query
Developers needing an affordable Chinese-index search API

Pros

Genuinely ad-free with direct, citation-backed answers — a rarity in Chinese search
Outline, mind map and timeline generation turns search into structured research
Academic mode is unusually strong for Chinese scholarly sources
Search API at ¥0.03/query is one of the cheapest ways to tap a Chinese index

Cons

Strongest on Chinese-language sources; English coverage trails Perplexity
Deep research and advanced modes burn through member credits quickly
Long-thinking and premium models sit behind the membership paywall
Like all AI search, citations still need spot-checking for hallucinated claims

Latest Update

2026: Metaso has expanded from pure AI search into a research workbench — deep research reports, academic search, cloud knowledge bases and report templates for business analysis. Its self-built multilingual index now powers an open search API at ¥0.03 per query, positioned as a successor to the retired Bing Search API for Chinese developers.

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