ChatGPT’s best tool is now available for free - but there’s a catch

• A lightweight Deep Research is rolling out to free-tier users
• It’s based on the ChatGPT 4o-mini model
• Plus users will also get access to it after they hit their usage limits

Deep Research, the research agent inside ChatGPT, is finally coming to free tier users. However, there are some minor differences. The new version of the popular research tool is not exactly the same as the one currently enjoyed by Pro, Plus, Teams and Enterprise users.

The new Deep Research, which is rolling out to all free-tier users starting from today, is described by OpenAI as ‘lightweight’. It's powered by a version of ChatGPT o4-mini in contrast to the existing Deep Research, which is powered by a version of ChatGPT-o3.

OpenAI describes the new lightweight Deep Research as “nearly as intelligent as the Deep Research people already know and love, while being significantly cheaper to ...