- Deep research comes to the free level of chatgpt very soon
- Plus -level still offers significant benefits over the free level
- Chatgpt Plus has much higher utility limits and features
Chatgpt’s deep research has proven to be incredibly popular. It acts as a team of researchers who go online and examine a complex topic for you before returning with a full report, including sources, about the topic you have asked it to investigate.
For example, by using deep research, you could ask chatgpt to prepare a report on how the gaming industry has changed in the last three years and it would return to you with a full report complete with data tables and sources.
Deep research falls below the category of an AI agent because it can act independently. You effectively give it a task and it goes to examine it for you before using your AI to apply resonance before you come to conclusions.
From pro to plus
Deep research started at Pro Tier of Chatgpt, which costs a full $ 200 (£ 165 / AU $ 325) a month, but moved very quickly to the more reasonable $ 20 (£ 16 / au $ 30) plus level where I’ve had it in the past few weeks.
It was always planned that deep reasoning would move to the free level of chatgpt in the end, but it seems that this may happen sooner than later.
X uses Tibor Blaho recently noted in a discussion of deep research with two of Openai’s technical staff that they revealed that it was soon to be at the free level.
“We are launching [ChatGPT Deep Research] To free very soon! “pic.twitter.com/lxfkjgj9ltMarch 29, 2025
While this is obviously good news for free level users, it questions whether the Plus level of Chatgpt is still worth paying for. I think it’s and I’ll give you a few reasons why:
1. Fewer restrictions
Of course, deep research may come to the free level of Chatgpt very soon, but I know you are limited to just a small sample of user a day.
If you have followed Chatgpt’s recent server meltdown caused by the release of its original image generation skills, you will be aware that Chatgpt has limited its image generation allowances to only three images at the free level.
Being able to generate only three images a day is hopelessly restrictive, and while they may be able to increase the boundary in the future, I would expect the release of deep research into the wild will induce a similar huge response from the public, causing another server melting and harsh restrictions that are introduced to the free level.
Basically, everything is limited in the free level, including things like how many files you can upload to chatgpt during the day. In the plus account you don’t have to worry about it. While there are still some limits, you rarely ever come close to them.
2 .. More LLMs
Having a Plus account also comes with a whole range of advantages, but the most important thing is access to multiple LLMs. At the plus level, you can (currently) access Chatgpt 4o, 4o-mini, 4, 4o with scheduled tasks, 4.5, O1, O3-mini and O3. It’s a lot of choice! At the free level, you only have access to Chatgpt 4o-mini with some very limited access to 4o and O3-mini.
You will find that these different LLMs are more useful when it comes to performing complex tasks that require more reasoning, not to mention that you get a chance to play with the research certificate of Openai’s very first model, chatgpt-4.5
3. Sora video generation
In a Plus account you will have limited access to Sora AI video. Sora is large, but to really use it properly and create clips that do not have a watermark on you, you need a pro account (provided you are in the US) you can at least experiment with it in the plus account, which is fun.
4. You can talk to chatgpt and make it talk back
Advanced voice mode is one of the best chatgpt features and you need a plus account to access it for more than 15 minutes a month. 15 minutes is really just a preview of the feature and you find that you are running out of time before you have really had a chance to explore.
There are a number of different voices available for you to choose from, and it makes chatgpt feel more personal and intimate.
You can access advanced voting mode from the chatgpt site or its different apps, including mobile, and for many people it is their preferred way to use chatgpt.
These are the biggest benefits of using Chatgpt Plus, but of course you get everything you get at the free level, including chatgpt canvas and chatgpt search.
While Chatgpt -Search is available in both free and plus accounts, there are some other features you only get with plus like projects, which is a way to group files and chat together, tasks that can be scheduled for another time, and the opportunity to create custom GPTs so you can create exactly the kind of chatbot you want for a specific task.
All in all, there are more than enough good reasons to keep your chatgpt plus subscription, although deep research becomes available at the free level. I think you would find that going back to the free level from the joys of a plus subscription would be a deeply frustrating experience.
