Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
OpenAI is making its advanced research and analysis feature, Deep Research, more widely available. Originally launched in February as an exclusive offering for ChatGPT Pro users, the tool will now be accessible to users on ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Pro plans, as well as to free users via a new lightweight version.
What is Deep Research?
Deep Research, powered by OpenAI’s o3 model, helps users generate in-depth reports and insights in a fraction of the time it would take a human. It lives within ChatGPT and streamlines the process of gathering and presenting information.
OpenAI says Deep Research has become increasingly popular since its launch, with people using it for literature reviews, market analysis, life decisions like choosing a college or place to live, skincare routine planning, and much more.
To expand access, OpenAI has now launched a lightweight version of Deep Research, powered by its o4-mini model. The company claims this model delivers responses that are “nearly as intelligent” as those from the full version, while being more cost-effective to operate. Though the responses are shorter, OpenAI promises they will still retain the same depth and quality as responses from the full version of the tool.
Deep Research usage limits by plan
While access to Deep Research is going wide, usage limits will vary depending on your ChatGPT subscription:
- Free users: Five tasks per month (lightweight version only)
- Plus & Team users: 10 tasks/month (full version) + 15 tasks/month (lightweight version)
- Pro users: 125 tasks/month (full version) + 125 tasks/month (lightweight version)
- Enterprise users: 10 tasks/month (full version)
Once a user hits the full version limit, ChatGPT will automatically switch to the lightweight version to avoid interruptions. Additionally, Enterprise and EDU users will gain access to the tool starting next week.
