Free Deep Research: Can Perplexity Outshine OpenAI and Gemini?

OpenAI’s Deep Research tool comes with a hefty price tag—$200 a month if you want unlimited use. Google Gemini is far more budget-friendly at just $20. But here’s the twist: Perplexity offers a Deep Research AI tool that’s completely free.

Yeah, that caught our attention too. So, is it too good to be true? Let’s dive into what Perplexity’s Deep Research really offers, how it stacks up against the giants, what people are saying about it, and where it might be headed next.

Free Deep Research: Can Perplexity Outshine OpenAI and Gemini?

Key Takeaways:
In February 2025, Perplexity launched its free Deep Research AI tool, throwing its hat into the ring with OpenAI and Google Gemini.

It’s designed to deliver smart, detailed insights in areas like finance, marketing, and tech—stuff professionals actually use.

Free users can ask up to five questions per day. If you need more, their Pro plan gives you 500 queries a month for just $20.

It’s quick too—responses usually take around 2 to 4 minutes, often beating the competition in speed.

People love the price and how fast it works, but it’s not perfect. Some users have noticed errors or “hallucinated” info in the results.

What Is Perplexity Deep Research?

On Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2025, Perplexity didn’t just celebrate love—it shared something special with the world: a powerful new research tool called Deep Research.

Their message was simple but bold: “We believe everyone deserves powerful research tools.”

Perplexity’s Deep Research is designed to tackle complex questions just like its competitors—OpenAI and Google Gemini. But what sets it apart is how accessible and intuitive it feels.

This tool is built to help you make sense of hard topics—whether it's finance, tech trends, or marketing strategies. It can even step in like a personal assistant when you're planning a trip, researching products, or exploring health information.

It’s not just a tool; it’s like having a smart, patient research partner by your side.

Is Perplexity Deep Research Really Free?

Yes—completely free for casual use. You can ask up to five questions a day without spending a dime.

Sure, that might not be enough if you're working on a big project, but it’s a great way to test the waters and see what it’s capable of.

If you need more, the Pro plan gives you 500 queries per day—pretty much unlimited for most people—for just $20 a month. That’s a fraction of what OpenAI charges ($200/month) and in the same price range as Google Gemini.

For those who need to do serious digging or rely on research for work, it’s a small price to pay for something this powerful.

How Do I Use Perplexity’s Deep Research?

Getting started is easy.
Just head to perplexity.ai, click on “Deep Research”, and type in your question.

Right now, it works directly in your browser, but Perplexity has promised that mobile and desktop app versions for iOS, Android, and Mac are on the way.

How Fast Is It?

2 to 4 minutes—that’s all it takes.

Perplexity says it’s faster than both OpenAI and Gemini when it comes to deep-dive research. While Gemini might keep you waiting 15 minutes and ChatGPT takes anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, Perplexity delivers thoughtful results in just a few.

Perplexity Deep Research completes most tasks in under 3 minutes.

That kind of speed can make a big difference when you’re on a deadline or deep in research mode.

What Makes Perplexity Deep Research Stand Out?

This tool isn't just pulling up a list of links. It digs deep. It searches through hundreds of sources, reasons through the information like a human would, and then gives you a full, clear report—usually within minutes.

Whether you're exploring new topics or preparing a pitch, it saves you hours of scrolling and second-guessing. Plus, you can export your results to a PDF and share it with teammates or friends.

Perplexity showed a 21.1% score at Humanity’s Last Exam.

It feels less like using a search engine and more like having a smart research buddy who never gets tired.

Impressive Results on Humanity’s Last Exam

Perplexity’s Deep Research didn’t just impress users—it also proved its chops in an academic benchmark called Humanity’s Last Exam.

With an accuracy score of 21.1%, it outperformed several well-known AI systems like o3-mini, DeepSeek-R1, and even Gemini Thinking. Only OpenAI’s Deep Research scored higher, with 26.6%.

This test spans over 3,000 tough questions across 100+ subjects—from literature to science—and is used to evaluate how accurate and reliable AI tools really are.

In a world full of AI noise, Perplexity’s Deep Research feels refreshingly human. It’s fast, affordable (or even free), and surprisingly smart—like a thoughtful friend who happens to be a genius researcher.

Ready to try it out?

Can Perplexity Really Beat the Giants — Or Is It Just Hype?

When you look at today’s top Deep Research AI tools from big names like OpenAI and Google Gemini, they all seem powerful and polished. But now, there's a new player shaking things up — and it's free.

That raises a big question: Can Perplexity win people over with its no-cost Deep Research agent?

Perplexity’s CEO, Aravind Srinivas, certainly believes so. He says more and more people are jumping on board each day — and he sounds genuinely excited about it.

Feature	Perplexity Deep Research	OpenAI Deep Research	Gemini Deep Research
AI model	Custom AI model with iterative search & reasoning	o3 (optimized for browsing & analysis)	Gemini 2.0
Autonomous research	Yes	Yes	Yes
Input types	Text, images, PDFs, spreadsheets	Text, images, PDFs, spreadsheets	Primarily text
Output	Reports with sources, summaries, and export options	Reports with sources, summaries, and embedded visuals	Reports with key findings & links
Transparency	Refines research plan iteratively, shows reasoning process	Shows its reasoning process step-by-step	Pre-planned research path that users can modify
Processing time	2–4 minutes per query	5–30 minutes per query	Varies, but usually under 15 minutes
Price	Free (limited queries); Unlimited for Pro subscribers ($20/month)	$200/month (unlimited access)	$20/month (Gemini Advanced)
Best for	Finance, marketing, technology professionals, casual researchers	Professionals in finance, policy, academia	Students, entrepreneurs, casual researchers

Srinivas puts it plainly: “It’s fair pricing. We’re faster, more concise, and cover more ground — all while being free.”

What People Are Saying

Of course, not everyone’s sold on Perplexity just yet.

David Finsterwalder, founder of Noelith.ai, shared a cautious take on X:

“Still testing… but for now, I’d rather pay $200 for 100 queries with OpenAI. Sometimes, cheaper just isn’t better.”

Patrick Moorhead, a well-known analyst, didn’t hold back either. He called Perplexity’s version “not even close” to OpenAI’s.

And for those in scientific research, the skepticism is even stronger. Dr. Derya Unutmaz, an immunologist, said plainly:

“Don’t fall for the hype. This isn’t even in the same league as OpenAI’s research tool.”

But despite the criticism, plenty of users are seriously impressed.

Aishwarya Srinivasan from Fireworks AI switched over entirely:

“I used to love ChatGPT’s Deep Research — it helped me learn and explore deeply. But now with Perplexity, everything’s in one place. It’s 9x faster, 10x cheaper. I’m blown away.”

And Dr. M. Pattabiraman, a professor at IIT Madras, didn’t hold back:

“Perplexity Pro’s research power is just… mind-blowing. Honestly, it’s kind of scary how good it is.”

In the end, Perplexity might not be perfect — but it’s fast, affordable, and catching eyes. Whether it’ll overtake the giants is still up in the air. But one thing’s clear: it’s not being ignored anymore.

Limitations & Challenges

Like many AI tools out there, Perplexity Deep Research isn’t perfect—and it shows. While the promise of free, powerful research sounds amazing, the reality is a bit more complicated.

Jordan Wilson, the guy behind the Everyday AI Podcast, didn’t hold back. He called Perplexity’s Deep Research “pretty bad,” and added bluntly:

“More hallucinations than any other Deep Research tool I’ve used.”

Ouch.

Meanwhile, Alex McFarland, an AI journalist and founder of AI Disruptor, echoed the frustration. He said the tool felt rushed and incomplete:

“It’s starting to look like these companies are really rushing out unfinished products to compete. Perplexity has been disappointing me a bit. This new tool is not even on par with Google Gemini’s deep research. It has its place, but do not listen to the people saying it’s just as good as ChatGPT or even Gemini.”

That kind of feedback hits hard, especially from folks who live and breathe AI.

To their credit, Perplexity’s CEO Aravind Srinivas didn’t shy away from the criticism. He responded quickly, saying the team is actively fixing the issues—and even thanked users for pointing them out.

Does Perplexity’s Future Look Bright?

Despite the current hiccups, Perplexity’s free Deep Research might still mark the beginning of a big shift in how we use AI. For many, this feels like a glimpse into the future—where deep analysis doesn’t cost a fortune and powerful tools are available to anyone with a question.

Ethan Song, founder of Stealth, even compared it to a revolution against the old ways of doing business:

“I still remember my early 20s as a Deloitte analyst, sifting through so-called ‘proprietary information’ that was in fact Gartner reports that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars… Then turning it into slides and billing $400 an hour for it. Those days are long gone. Now that all of human knowledge is instantly accessible and easy to digest.”

That hits differently if you’ve ever had to dig through endless reports or sit in endless meetings just to get to a single useful insight.

Srinivas remains optimistic, emphasizing that open-source and accessibility are key to AI’s next big chapter. Perplexity’s free Deep Research feature, he says, is just the beginning of what’s possible.

The Bottom Line

Some folks love Perplexity for making advanced AI research tools accessible to everyone—without breaking the bank. Others? Not so impressed, saying it still has a long way to go.

At the end of the day, it really comes down to what you need. Can it replace OpenAI’s premium $200/month research assistant? Maybe, maybe not. But hey—you get five free tries every day to find out for yourself. That’s a pretty low-risk way to test the waters.