Which exports to reference managers?

Elicit Plus exports to RIS, BIB and CSV.

Which is rated higher, ChatGPT search / deep research or Elicit?

ChatGPT search / deep research is rated higher in our initial editorial ratings (8.5 vs 8.0). These are not benchmark results; testing is in progress.

How much does ChatGPT search / deep research cost?

Deep research is part of ChatGPT plans (Free, Go, Plus, Pro). Prices weren't shown on the page as we fetched it.

How much does Elicit cost?

Plus $11/user/month billed annually ($132/year); Pro $39 ($468/year); Scale $89 ($1,068/year); Enterprise custom.

When was pricing checked?

On 2026-10-15, on each tool's official pricing page. Prices change often, so confirm on the vendor's site before you buy.

TaskRank / Compare / Research & search

Comparison · Research & search

ChatGPT search / deep research vs Elicit

Initial editorial ratings, testing in progress. Scores are editorial judgments, not benchmark results, and will be replaced by hands-on test scores. Sponsors never affect scores.

ChatGPT search / deep research and Elicit both appear in our research & search ranking. This page puts them side by side: our current ratings, what each costs and includes according to its own pricing page (checked 2026-10-15), and which one to pick for which job. Where we could not verify something on the official site, we say so instead of guessing.

At a glance

	ChatGPT search / deep research	Elicit
Our rating	8.5/10	8.0/10
Why it ranks	Thorough multi-step reports	Academic papers
Pricing	Deep research is part of ChatGPT plans (Free, Go, Plus, Pro). Prices weren't shown on the page as we fetched it.	Plus $11/user/month billed annually ($132/year); Pro $39 ($468/year); Scale $89 ($1,068/year); Enterprise custom.
Free tier	Free plan includes limited deep research; search is available.	Free plan: unlimited search across more than 138 million papers, unlimited summaries and chat with papers, limited Research Agent and Reports.
Best for	Thorough multi-step reports when you need depth.	Literature reviews and evidence questions from academic papers.
Source	Checked 2026-10-15 on the official site — not fully verified	Checked 2026-10-15 on the official site

Scores by criterion

Our methodology weights five criteria. Per-criterion scores come from hands-on testing, which hasn't been done yet for this category, so we show the weights and leave the scores blank instead of making numbers up. The overall ratings above are editorial.

Criterion	Weight	ChatGPT search / deep research	Elicit
Output quality	40%	Not yet tested	Not yet tested
Speed & reliability	20%	Not yet tested	Not yet tested
Ease of use	15%	Not yet tested	Not yet tested
Value	15%	Not yet tested	Not yet tested
Privacy & trust	10%	Not yet tested	Not yet tested

Key differences

ChatGPT deep research (8.5) covers the web in multi-step reports; Elicit (8.0) covers academic papers, with a systematic review workflow on Pro ($39/month annually).

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ChatGPT search / deep research in brief

ChatGPT's deep research produces long, multi-step reports, and it comes with the ChatGPT subscription rather than as a separate tool. The free plan includes a limited amount; Plus expands it and Pro gives the maximum. We rate it 8.5/10.

Limited deep research free; expanded on Plus; maximum on Pro
Apps for deep research on Plus and Pro
Same subscription as ChatGPT chat, images and coding
Interactive tables and charts on Plus

Elicit in brief

Elicit is built for academic literature. Its free plan already gives unlimited search across more than 138 million papers plus summaries and chat with papers, and Pro adds a systematic review workflow. We rate it 8.0/10.

Search across 138M+ papers and 500k+ clinical trials (Plus)
Exports to RIS, CSV, BIB, PDF and DOCX on Plus
Systematic review workflow screening up to 5,000 papers on Pro
Zotero import
Enterprise: no training on your data by default

Which should you pick?

Verdict: Pick Elicit for academic evidence and systematic reviews. Pick ChatGPT deep research for broad web reports.

How that maps to our criteria:

Output quality (40%): until testing is done, our editorial ratings are the best guide: ChatGPT search / deep research 8.5/10, Elicit 8.0/10. ChatGPT search / deep research is rated higher.
Value (15%): compare the free tiers in the table. ChatGPT search / deep research: Free plan includes limited deep research; search is available. Elicit: Free plan: unlimited search across more than 138 million papers, unlimited summaries and chat with papers, limited Research Agent and Reports.
Ease of use (15%): ChatGPT search / deep research is best for thorough multi-step reports when you need depth. Elicit is best for literature reviews and evidence questions from academic papers.
Speed & reliability (20%) and Privacy & trust (10%): not yet tested. Before you commit, read each vendor's data-retention and training settings on its own site.

Frequently asked questions

Which exports to reference managers?: Elicit Plus exports to RIS, BIB and CSV.
Which is rated higher, ChatGPT search / deep research or Elicit?: ChatGPT search / deep research is rated higher in our initial editorial ratings (8.5 vs 8.0). These are not benchmark results; testing is in progress.
How much does ChatGPT search / deep research cost?: Deep research is part of ChatGPT plans (Free, Go, Plus, Pro). Prices weren't shown on the page as we fetched it.
How much does Elicit cost?: Plus $11/user/month billed annually ($132/year); Pro $39 ($468/year); Scale $89 ($1,068/year); Enterprise custom.
When was pricing checked?: On 2026-10-15, on each tool's official pricing page. Prices change often, so confirm on the vendor's site before you buy.

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