MetaSo AI Search (metaso.cn) is a new-generation artificial intelligence search engine independently developed by MetaSo Technology (MetaSo), positioned as a deep knowledge acquisition tool that is "ad-free, direct-result, and automatically organizes mind maps." Its underlying architecture integrates large-scale language models (LLMs), real-time web retrieval, and knowledge graph technology, adopting a three-stage "search + reasoning + structured output" pipeline that transforms traditional search engine link lists into directly readable, logically clear comprehensive answers while simultaneously generating hierarchical mind maps, significantly improving the efficiency of information acquisition and knowledge organization. As one of China's leading AI productivity tools, MetaSo AI Search has unique advantages in academic retrieval, deep Q&A, and localized semantic understanding. By 2026, it has covered over ten million users and is widely used in scientific research, education, content creation, and business analysis, becoming the most-watched AI search platform in the Chinese context after "Perplexity."

From an industry perspective, MetaSo AI Search is not just an "answer engine" but also a "knowledge transformation platform." Through automatic source tracing, cross-validation, and structured presentation, it addresses pain points such as information overload, ad interference, and unreliable sources in traditional search engines, while organizing fragmented information into systematic knowledge through visualized mind maps. Its R&D background relies on MetaSo Technology's long-term accumulation in natural language processing, deep reasoning, and multi-modal generation, and it continuously iterates to adapt to complex Chinese semantics and academic terminology, forming a differentiated philosophy of "searching is thinking."

• Ad-free direct results - The search results page contains no commercial ads or promotional content, directly presenting core answers and relevant summaries to avoid information interference and save screening time.
• Intelligent mind maps - Automatically generates structured mind maps based on logical hierarchy from the answer content, allowing users to quickly grasp key points and organize knowledge, with support for exporting as images or document formats.
• Academic search mode - Built-in academic literature retrieval layer that prioritizes sources such as papers, patents, and authoritative reports, with automatic citation format generation tailored for research and academic writing scenarios.
• Multi-turn dialogue and follow-up prompts - Supports continuous follow-up questions, clarifications, or deep expansions based on current search results; the system understands context and provides more precise supplementary information.
• Source tracing and credibility analysis - Each viewpoint or paragraph is annotated with reference sources (e.g., web pages, papers, official documents), along with source credibility labels to help users assess information reliability.
• Deep research mode - For complex questions, automatically decomposes them into sub-questions, performs multi-round retrieval and reasoning, and ultimately outputs a comprehensive research report, supporting long-form notes and key point extraction.

• Step 1: Registration and Login - Visit metaso.cn, log in using your mobile number or WeChat scan. New users get the free version by default; no client download is needed, and it is usable on both web and mobile.
• Step 2: Familiarize with interface navigation - The homepage's center has a search input box, with three mode switches below: "General Search," "Academic Search," and "Deep Research." On the right side, you can view history and favorites; the top has a settings button to adjust language, theme, and result detail level.
• Step 3: Enter a prompt (task description) - In the input box, describe in natural language the question you want to know or the task you want to complete, e.g., "Compare the pros and cons of Transformer vs. Mamba for long-text processing." You can add constraints (such as time range, source type) to precisely control search results.
• Step 4: View results and export - After submission, the system automatically generates comprehensive answers (with citation links) and a mind map. You can read directly, click citation sources to verify, or export the map as PNG or SVG, and copy the answer as Markdown or Word. For further analysis, click the "Follow-up" button for multi-turn dialogue.
• Step 5: Advanced operations - For paid users, use "Deep Research" to generate structured reports; in "My Space," manage historical questions and maps, and support creating knowledge bases for organized classification.

Example 1: Workplace research - Prompt: "Compile the global AI chip market size, major manufacturers, and competitive landscape in 2025, and point out trends for the next three years." The system outputs three sections: market data (with sources like IDC, Gartner), manufacturer comparison (NVIDIA, AMD, Huawei Ascend, etc.), and trend forecast (Chiplet, heterogeneous computing), automatically generating a logical tree-structured mind map to help quickly create PPTs.

Example 2: Academic writing assistance - Prompt: "Find review papers from the last three years on 'application of affective computing in human-computer interaction' and summarize core research directions." The system enters academic mode, returns over 10 relevant papers (with DOI links), automatically extracts abstracts and categorizes them into themes (e.g., multimodal emotion recognition, affect-adaptive systems, wearable devices), and finally provides citation text and reference list formats.

Example 3: Life decision reference - Prompt: "2026 new energy vehicle purchase guide, budget 150,000-200,000 RMB, requires range above 600 km, good safety, and high comfort." The system compares popular models (BYD Qin L, XPeng MONA, Deepal L07, etc.), gives a comparison table (text description) based on range, safety rating, comfort features, and user reviews, and generates a mind map to help quickly filter.

• Deep Chinese semantic understanding - Specialized optimization for Chinese ambiguity, industry terminology, and academic expressions, with accuracy and nuance superior to international tools (e.g., Perplexity) in their Chinese versions.
• Zero ads, zero interference experience - Search results contain no promotions or sponsored content, ensuring high information purity, especially suitable for scenarios requiring high information authenticity like scientific research and investment decisions.
• Automatic mind map generation - Unique visualization of knowledge structure, transforming linear information into hierarchical logic diagrams, greatly improving knowledge digestion and memory efficiency.
• Deep integration of academic resources - Connects to numerous domestic and international academic databases and preprint platforms (e.g., partial inclusion in CNKI, arXiv, Semantic Scholar, etc.), providing one-click academic citations and reference management.
• Flexible cost and pricing - The free version offers core features, while paid plans are priced lower than most similar products and support on-demand subscriptions, suitable for individual and team scalable use.

Main competitors: Perplexity AI, Tiangong AI Search, and ERNIE Bot. Compared with Perplexity, MetaSo AI Search has more localization advantages in Chinese support and mind map presentation, and offers more generous free quotas; compared with Tiangong AI Search (positioned as general AI conversation + search), MetaSo focuses on deep knowledge organization, with a more professional academic mode and more intuitive map output; compared with ERNIE Bot (leaning towards encyclopedia and general Q&A), MetaSo has stronger real-time web retrieval capabilities and citation tracing mechanisms, with better content organization and visualization. Overall, MetaSo AI Search has built a differentiated barrier in the niche of "Chinese AI academic search + structured output."

MetaSo AI Search adopts a "free + premium subscription" business model. The free version (permanently valid) provides a limited number of searches per day (typically 30 per day), supporting general search mode, mind map generation, and basic citations, sufficient for daily light usage. The paid version, called "MetaSo Pro," costs ¥39.9 per month (with a discounted continuous subscription price of ¥29.9) or ¥299 per year. Pro offers unlimited searches, priority access to Deep Research mode, high-concurrency retrieval, advanced access to academic databases, longer context output, and cloud synchronization of history. Additionally, the team version "MetaSo Team" is billed per seat at ¥25 per person per month (minimum 3 seats), supporting shared knowledge bases and unified account management. The API is currently invite-only for enterprises, offering customized search and knowledge extraction services billed per usage; specific quotes require contacting sales.

• Academic researchers, university faculty, and students - Need to quickly search literature, organize research status, generate citations, and draft review skeletons; the academic search mode greatly improves literature survey efficiency.
• Software engineers and product managers - In technology selection, API document queries, and best practice searches, they obtain ad-free, directly citable answers and use mind maps to quickly understand new technical frameworks.
• Self-media and content creators - When writing in-depth articles, video scripts, or industry analyses, they can use Deep Research mode to obtain structured material; maps and cited sources make content more convincing and professional.
• Consultants and business analysts - For industry research, competitor analysis, and market trend assessment, they can quickly obtain multi-source data and visual organization, supporting rapid production of high-quality PPTs and reports.

• Workplace copywriting - Input "Help me draft a framework for a marketing plan on digital transformation," MetaSo AI Search automatically collects industry cases, strategy points, and generates a hierarchical mind map for users to fill in details.
• Programming assistance and code refactoring - Search "How to efficiently implement concurrent tasks in Python," getting comprehensive answers with code examples, performance comparisons, and best practices, along with official documentation links, without jumping to multiple tech forums.
• Intelligent customer service consultation - Used for internal enterprise knowledge base retrieval; employees ask "What is the company's travel reimbursement process?", and the system extracts answers from internal documents and policies with sources, improving self-service efficiency.
• Multilingual localization translation - Input "Translate the following English technical term list into Chinese and explain each," the system combines domain corpora to provide accurate translations and term background, and can generate a bilingual comparison mind map.
• Academic literature review - In academic mode, input a specific research direction; the system automatically summarizes the core contributions, methods, and limitations of multiple papers, generating a basic structure for a review draft, greatly saving writing time.