AI search startup Perplexity is rolling out a free research automation tool that aims to take on OpenAI and Google in the AI-powered research space. Called Deep Research, the tool conducts iterative searches, analyzes hundreds of sources, and delivers comprehensive reports—essentially replicating the work of a human researcher in a fraction of the time.
Introducing Deep Research on Perplexity.
— Perplexity (@perplexity_ai) February 14, 2025
Deep Research lets you generate in-depth research reports on any topic.
Available to everyone for free—up to 5 queries per day for non-subscribers and 500 queries per day for Pro users. pic.twitter.com/obovx7YEUF
The launch follows a trend in AI-powered research assistants, with OpenAI and Google introducing their own versions of the tool in recent months. Notably, all three companies have named their products “Deep Research,” making direct comparisons inevitable.
Unlike OpenAI’s Deep Research, which is currently restricted to its $200-per-month Pro plan, Perplexity’s version is free to use with an unspecified limit on queries per day. Paying subscribers, however, receive unlimited access.
Perplexity says its tool also boasts faster performance, completing most reports in under three minutes, while OpenAI’s equivalent can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes to generate similar reports.
Deep Research operates by:
- Scanning and refining searches based on query intent.
- Synthesizing findings into structured, detailed reports.
- Exporting reports as PDFs or shareable Perplexity Pages.
The startup says that its system more closely mimics human research processes, adjusting search strategies dynamically based on new findings. They pointed to benchmatks that show strong performance on Humanity’s Last Exam, a test that evaluates AI reasoning across various academic fields. The tool scored 21.1%, outperforming Google Gemini (6.2%), OpenAI’s GPT-4o (3.3%), and Grok-2 (3.8%). However, it fell short of OpenAI’s Deep Research score of 26.6%.
Perplexity also highlights a 93.9% accuracy score on SimpleQA, a factual knowledge benchmark, showing its capability in precise information retrieval.
Perplexity has rapidly gained traction in the AI search space since its 2022 launch, attracting investments from Jeff Bezos and NVIDIA and reaching a $9 billion valuation. However, the company is also dealing with legal challenges with allegations of unauthorized use of copyrighted material.
Major media organizations, including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post, have accused Perplexity of “massive freeriding” by repurposing news content without compensation. In response, the company has started revenue-sharing deals with publishers like Time and Fortune—a move aimed at addressing concerns over AI-generated search results.
With AI-driven research assistants becoming increasingly mainstream, Perplexity’s freemium model may move the needle. However, we'll see if whether this drives broader adoption, or simply pushes OpenAI and Google to adjust their pricing strategies.
If you want to give Perplexity’s Deep Research a try, it is available on the web and will soon expand to iOS, Android, and Mac.