ChatGPT vs Gemini Deep Research: A Comprehensive Comparison of AI Research Tools

I pitted ChatGPT Deep Research against Gemini Deep Research - here's how Google's free tool compares to OpenAI's paid offering

After a lot of experimenting with ChatGPT's Deep Research tool and Google's matching feature (down to the name), Gemini Deep Research, I've accumulated plenty of long and detailed reports. But I've never directly matched the two. As the names blatantly describe, ChatGPT and Gemini's Deep Research abilities promise deep dives into any topic, weaving together information from multiple sources to create polished, finely nuanced analyses from the digital pen of a virtual research assistant. The most obvious difference is that you need to pay $20 a month for ChatGPT Plus to play with OpenAI's version and can only ask for ten a week. Google Gemini offers Deep Research to users at the free tier, but only ten a month. Besides that, it's hard to tell the difference from afar, so I put together another round of prompts that you might conceivably put to either AI and decided to see how they performed. I started with a classic consumer hunt where many products, like smart TVs, are very similar. I asked both Deep Research tools to "Evaluate the pros and cons of popular smart TVs." I wanted to see if these AI tools could cut through the noise and give me a real assessment of what's good, what's bad, and what's just clever marketing. ChatGPT Deep Research came in strong with a structured, well-sourced breakdown. It neatly categorized smart TVs by brand, highlighting industry leaders like Samsung, LG, and Sony while explaining their signature features. Gemini had a more academic approach, spending a lot of time on technology before writing about different models. It concluded with a very helpful chart of the models and their features. It covered much of the same ground, but ChatGPT felt a bit more readable Getting healthy is a universal interest, but I wanted to give a more specific request to the two AI tools. I decided to ask about the ketogenic diet, specifically: "Investigate the effectiveness and potential side effects of the ketogenic diet for long-term weight loss." Could they cut through the hype and tell me what's actually backed by science? ChatGPT Deep Research gave me an incredibly well-organized answer. It started with a breakdown of the science behind keto, citing multiple studies that confirmed keto is great for short-term weight loss but suggested the long-term benefits are murkier, with mixed research on whether people keep the weight off. It also listed side effects like the infamous "keto flu" in a very approachable way. Gemini, in contrast, went full nutritionist and was notably longer despite covering much of the same ground about short-term weight loss and potential long-term issues. It also included more insights from dietitians and practical concerns. ChatGPT won for being easier to read again, but Gemini felt more like advice from a health professional. That might actually be preferable if you want to explore every facet of the diet, but it's still not a replacement for a licensed professional. I always find history fascinating, so I went for a topic that isn't recent but has a lot of historical impact. I asked the two AI tools to: "Explore the cultural and economic impact of the Silk Road during the 13th century." The Silk Road was one of the most significant trade networks in history, shaping economies, spreading religions, and influencing everything from art to banking. So, I wanted to see if these AI tools could capture its full scope. ChatGPT performed like the host of a historical documentary. It depicted bustling markets, merchants haggling in multiple languages, and the slow but steady blending of cultures as goods and ideas traveled. The report covered the evolution of art, trade, and even diseases. Gemini's response felt more like a textbook or a professor writing an overview of a dissertation. It broke down different aspects of the Silk Road and its impact in producing stability amid chaos. It was far from dry, but it definitely felt pitched up in terms of the education it expected me to have already. There's no denying that Gemini Deep Research and ChatGPT Deep Research are both excellent at in-depth information gathering. I also noticed and appreciated the intuitive and dynamic approach to research that ChatGPT took, compared to Gemini's more structured technique. One reason Gemini seemed more academic in its response might be that ChatGPT seemed willing to pull from more niche sources instead of the sources appearing on the first page of a search with Google. You might have noticed I didn't really mention the time it took to make the reports. That's because they were shockingly close, within 20 seconds of each other for all three, though the keto diet request took the longest at around seven and a half minutes for both tools. In almost any instance, I think you would be fine with either Deep Research option. The $20 a month for ChatGPT Plus probably wouldn't be worth it just for that, but it's a nice addition to the other features you get for your subscription. Gemini Deep Research is surprisingly robust, considering you get ten free queries a month and can turn the reports into Google Docs and Sheets. Even so, I'll probably only turn to it if I use up my ChatGPT Deep Research reports too quickly.

Gemini is pulling ahead of ChatGPT - combining Deep Research with Audio Overviews is one of the best uses of AI I've seen so far

Last week Google announced that not only was Deep Research, Gemini's research tool, being made available for free to all Gemini users, but it was also adding Audio Overview (its AI-generated podcast feature) to Gemini as well. What's amazing is how well these two tools combine together: First, you use Deep Research to find out about a complex subject and generate a report on it that breaks everything down and gives you all the answers you need. Next, you get Gemini to create an Audio Overview, an easy-to-listen-to AI-generated podcast that explains the report to you, so you don't even need to read it. The result is that you've leveled up your understanding of a subject without having to do any of the research work yourself. Until they invent neural links we can implant in our brains to download information, Matrix-style, using Audio Overview, combined with Deep Research, is probably the closest we'll get to downloading information directly into our heads. Let me give you an example. As a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, I was quite interested in the percentage of BJJ matches that were finished by an armbar (a joint lock) compared to other submissions, so I got Gemini's Deep Research to create a report on the issue. It analyzed all the major BJJ tournaments of the last few years from which data was collected and drew some conclusions, complete with sources. It was pretty impressive, but the report was still quite dense and intimidating, so I uploaded it back into Gemini and clicked on the 'Generate Audio Overview' chip that popped up. It took it a couple of minutes, but it then produced a six-minute podcast that explained all the key points to me. After a quick listen, I had downloaded everything I needed to know about the Matrix. You can pick your subject - it doesn't matter what it is - it could be anything, but the way these two technologies combine together is just perfect for learning, and it's edging me towards using Gemini more often than other AI chatbots. ChatGPT is still great to use of course, and it recently upgraded the quality of its voice communication, but thanks to Audio Overview, I think Gemini has the edge on it right now. In fact, I've set up the Action button on my iPhone to instantly fire it up and load up its voice mode automatically. That way I can talk to Gemini at the press (and hold) of a button, rather than having to load up the app manually. So, if I want the answer to something, I can just ask Gemini directly, and it replies without having to ask me if it would like to pass that request on to ChatGPT, which is Siri's default action these days. In comparison, Gemini is fast, efficient, and just works. It's ironic that I'm having to use a Google app to make my iPhone feel complete, but with Apple's Siri upgrade delays meaning that it's unlikely to fix the situation soon, it feels like Gemini is the best option right now, even for iPhone users.

ChatGPT vs Gemini Deep Research: Which AI Agent Is Better?

OpenAI and Google are currently locked in the race to offer the best Deep Research agent. Gemini's Deep Research agent is powered by the new Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking model whereas ChatGPT's Deep Research agent uses a fine-tuned version of the o3 model. The interesting to note here is that Google offers its agent for free while OpenAI charges $20. Nevertheless, we've put both Google and OpenAI's Deep Research agents to the test, so let's check out how they stack up. To test the Deep Research agent in ChatGPT and Gemini, I asked them to conduct in-depth research on China's emergence in the AI field. I asked both agents to analyze leading AI companies in China, what the government policies are, competition with US labs, and more. ChatGPT Deep Research agent took 10 minutes to complete the task and cited 30 different sources, resulting in a 9,000-word report. On the other hand, Gemini's Deep Research agent researched for 8 minutes and generated a much smaller 3,000-word report. However, it analyzed more than 170 websites, which is amazing. As for the research output, I carefully reviewed both reports and found that ChatGPT's Deep Research agent entirely failed to mention China's recent AI advancements. It didn't even mention DeepSeek R1, Baidu's new Ernie 4.5 model, and more. As it turns out, ChatGPT's Deep Research agent relied heavily on a Stanford article and a Wikipedia page which were published and last updated in 2017, and 2021, respectively. As a result, most of the information was outdated. It didn't even touch on the latest video generation models and robotics companies. Gemini's Deep Research agent, while being succinct, mentioned, "Notably, DeepSeek, a startup established in 2023, has quickly risen to prominence with its R1 model." In addition, Gemini also wrote, "DeepSeek has also distinguished itself through its pioneering work in developing novel architectural advancements, such as Multi-Head Latent Attention (MLA)." It also discussed video generation AI tools such as Kling AI, MiniMax, and AI-driven robotics companies like Unitree. My assessment is that Gemini's advantage is Google's search index, which is updated regularly with new web pages on every topic. OpenAI is likely relying on Bing to curate webpages for research work, and as a result, it's curating old information. In the next task, I asked the Deep Research agent on ChatGPT and Gemini to research the future of specialized AI chips over Nvidia GPUs that are currently employed for training and more. ChatGPT included 22 sources and generated a large document with tables and in-line citations. Gemini, just like earlier, analyzed over 100 web pages but created a short document. Both agents mentioned the rise of TPUs, ASICs, FPGAs, LPUs, and WSEs, and reported Nvidia's CUDA moat. They discussed new silicon companies like Groq, Cerebras, SambaNova, Graphcore, and others as well. ChatGPT's Deep Research AI agent also touched on Huawei's Ascend AI chip, which Gemini missed. ChatGPT Deep Research also mentioned Amazon's Trainium and Inferentia chips, Microsoft's MAIA chip, Intel's Gaudi accelerator, and Google's TPU. However, much like its previous fumble, ChatGPT is stuck in the past. For example, it has no information that Google has already released the TPU v6e (Trillium) chip. Next, ChatGPT thinks Nvidia's Blackwell B200 is an upcoming GPU, but it was released in 2024. Despite its misses, I would give it to ChatGPT's Deep Research agent as the report has more depth and insights than Gemini. That said, it's important to note that there is a fundamental issue with ChatGPT's Deep Research agent. The agent is powered by a fine-tuned version of OpenAI's o3 model, which has a training cut-off date of October 2023. As a result, the internal model doesn't have the latest knowledge. Despite using the internet for current information, it often misses out on the latest advancements. In the third task, I asked the Deep Research agent on ChatGPT and Gemini to research obesity management in 2025. I specifically asked both agents to include the latest advancements in 2025, covering all kinds of therapies. ChatGPT's Deep Research cited high-quality sources and medical journals to explain the current therapy in obesity management. It mentioned new breakthroughs like GLP-1 peptides, their side effects, FDA approval status of new drugs, and even gene therapy. Overall, ChatGPT underlined the current obesity management policy of the US, UK, and Canada. On the other hand, Gemini's Deep Research agent also did a wonderful job. It listed all the medical interventions and included upcoming drug trials in a tabular format. What I found interesting is that Gemini mentioned novel drugs like the triple hormone receptor (Retatrutide), which is creating a buzz in the medical field for significant weight loss. In addition, Googlr'd Gemini dived deep into companies like Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, which are experimenting with novel drugs for weight reduction, giving a complete picture of the development. All in all, I would say that Gemini's generated report was well-structured and included the latest information on obesity management. In my testing, I preferred Gemini's Deep Research AI agent because it consistently included current information on various topics. While ChatGPT's Deep Research agent covers a broad range of ideas, its limited knowledge of the latest development, hinders it from giving a complete picture. On top of that, Gemini's Deep Research AI agent is free for all users while OpenAI charges $20 to access its agent. The reason Gemini has gotten so better is that it's now powered by the Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking model. Compared to the previous Gemini 1.5 Pro model, the new reasoning model thinks and plans what information it needs to complete the research work. That said, one big advantage of ChatGPT's Deep Research agent is that you can upload files whereas Gemini doesn't allow file uploads while using its agent. This can be particularly helpful in STEM-related research work where you can upload PDFs of paywalled science journals. Since many of these journals are behind a paywall and inaccessible via web search, you can upload files manually to provide a richer knowledge base. This will allow the agent to incorporate valuable insights. However, Gemini lets you export the generated report to Google Docs, which is helpful for sharing. All in all, I suggest using Gemini's Deep Research AI agent before subscribing to the ChatGPT Plus plan. Google has improved the agent significantly, and it's much faster now.