OpenAI
ChatGPT (with Deep Research)
OpenAI's assistant with multi-step reasoning and a deep research mode for compiling sourced reports.
Our editorial assessment, based on the public sources listed below. Last reviewed .
- Task rank
- #3
- Tier
- S
- Score
- 87.4
Strengths
- Strong reasoning and writing for outlines, drafts, and explanations
- Deep research mode browses and compiles cited reports
- Free access plus affordable Plus tier
Considerations
- Can produce confident but wrong details — verify sources
- Higher deep research limits need a paid plan
- Not purpose-built for academic literature like Elicit
Price
Free · Plus ~$20/mo
Shown for reference — price is not part of the score.
Score breakdown
- Performance
- 88.0
- 55% of score
- Reputation
- 85.0
- 35% of score
- Recency
- 92.0
- 10% of score
The overall score combines these sub-scores using the weights shown. How we score →
Verification status
Each field carries its own re-verification date. Amber means older than 90 days — treat those figures as stale until re-checked.
- Pricing
- Benchmark
- Reputation
- Feature list
Checked against the sources listed below.
Sources
- The Only 5 AI Tools You Actually Need For Research (2026) (video) (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
- 14 AI Market Research Tools Worth Using in 2026 (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
- OSU Library Guide (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
- Lumivero (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
- Zerve Blog (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
Show 15 more sources
- Dupple — The Best AI Research Tools in 2026 (Compared and Ranked) (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
- Spine — The Best AI Tools for Deep Research in 2026 (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
- SoftPicker — 7 Best AI Research Tools in 2026 (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
- The 12 Best AI Tools for 2026 | Synthesia (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
- DataNorth — Top 10 AI Tools 2026 (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
- index.dev — 6 Best AI Tools for Deep Research 2026 (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
- Best AI Tools for Research in 2026 (Deep Research) (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
- The 26 Best AI Tools of 2026 — Ranked (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
- Research Gold — Best AI Tools for Research 2026: PhD Comparison (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
- Best AI Tools for Business 2026 (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
- 10 Best AI Tools for Research 2026 (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
- The Ultimate AI Tools List for 2026 | Bleap (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
- Efficient App (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
- Best AI Tools 2026: 12 I Use, 1 You're Missing | Dreams AI (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
- Best AI Tools to Use in 2026 by Category : r/ChatGPTPro - Reddit (opens in a new tab)Accessed:
Alternatives in Research / Search
- #1PerplexitySScore 89.7Conversational search engine that provides cited answers by synthesizing real-time web and academic data.
- #2GeminiSScore 88.8A multimodal AI model with a large context window for processing datasets, PDFs, and video.
- #4Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM)SScore 87.0Personalized research assistant that processes uploaded documents to generate summaries and audio discussions.