This review is part of a larger series of LinkedIn newsletters titled AI in Market Research: Reviews of AI tools, platforms, and solutions that market researchers should use today.
Recently a new category of AI functionality has emerged across several platforms—Deep Research—designed specifically to go beyond basic chatbot interactions and support more structured, multi-step research tasks, as well as report generation. These tools aim to replicate the work of a junior analyst, providing not just answers but the ability to explain how those answers were formed, which sources were used, and where gaps remain.
Platforms like ChatGPT’s Deep Research mode and Google’s Gemini Deep Research mode are at the forefront, combining traditional Q&A capabilities with an integrated Canvas feature that helps users organize, refine, and iterate on their findings. Ultimately, models like Deep Research provide more of a collaborative experience when it comes to researching via ChatGPT or Gemini—capable of producing more transparent, traceable, and decision-ready outputs.
For market researchers, these platforms can accelerate desk research and generate reasonably credible overviews of competitive or thematic landscapes. Yet, each approach, ChatGPTs and Gemini’s, differs in a few fundamental ways.
ChatGPT’s Deep Research (OpenAI)
Chat GPT’s Deep Research is only available through the $20/month ChatGPT Plus tier and limits users to 10 deep research reports per month. It does provide a Canvas mode, which allows researchers to quickly interact with a final report. You can also upload PDFs, to supplement the data that ChatGPT is leveraging when it develops a report.
That said, the 10-report limit makes it challenging to use ChatGPT’s Deep Research mode at scale—particularly for market research teams where multiple analysts are conducting secondary research across several client projects. In larger environments—whether it’s an in-house insights team supporting multiple business units or a consulting firm juggling several accounts—the demand for quick-turn desk research can easily translate into dozens of queries per week. In that context, ChatGPT’s Deep Research is better suited for targeted, individual use cases where a single report or very limited number of reports are needed, rather than as a replacement for the collective output of a full research team.
Additionally, while the outputs are often high quality, the tool provides limited transparency into how sources are selected or how conclusions are drawn. This can make it harder to validate findings or assess credibility—particularly in more rigorous or client-facing research scenarios where traceability matters.
Gemini’s Deep Research
Gemini’s Deep Research mode, on the other hand, has recently undergone significant upgrades—and it’s starting to show real promise as a tool for replacing more traditional forms of secondary research. With Gemini Advanced (also $20/month), users can generate an unlimited number of research reports, making it well-suited for scenarios like coming up to speed before a new client meeting, building foundational knowledge on an unfamiliar topic, or quickly scanning a competitive landscape. It can serve as a first pass for analysts who need to gather credible sources to support some early thinking around a topic. Even the free version of Gemini includes 10 reports per month, which adds flexibility for occasional use or for testing the feature before scaling.
One of Gemini’s standout features is its ability to show its reasoning in a more transparent, structured way than ChatGPT. It clearly outlines which sources were considered, which were used in the final output, and which were ultimately excluded—providing a helpful audit trail that makes it easier to assess the credibility and reliability of the response. This level of transparency is especially valuable in research settings where understanding the “why” behind a recommendation or summary is just as important as the output itself.
Gemini’s updates have made it much more competitive with ChatGPT: better at showing its reasoning, outlining what sources were examined (and notably, what wasn’t), and offering more transparency into how the output was generated. Like ChatGPT, it also integrates with Canvas for mapping out ideas and research paths. However, unlike ChatGPT, Gemini doesn’t currently support file uploads—so won’t be able to easily incorporate an existing dataset—outside of pasting it into the chat window.
Ratings
Usability:
- ChatGPT: 4 stars. The experience is polished and reliable, but the 10-query cap is quite limiting.
- Gemini: 4.5 stars. The updated interface and unlimited research capability make Gemini a leader at this point.
Power:
- ChatGPT: 4 stars. Strong output enhanced by ability to upload PDFs, but limited search volume and transparency into how sources are selected.
- Gemini: 4.5 stars. Richer explanation of reasoning, clearer sourcing, and unlimited use make it feel more like a research partner.
Flexibility:
- ChatGPT: 4.5 stars. The ability to upload PDFs allows users to reference and incorporate internal or external documents directly into the research process.
- Gemini: 4 stars. No file upload, but better transparency offsets that for many research scenarios.
Cost:
- ChatGPT: 4 stars. $20/month for only 10 queries feels restrictive.
- Gemini: 5 stars. The free version includes 10 reports/month, and the Advanced version’s unlimited usage is ideal for frequent users.
In Sum:
Both ChatGPT and Gemini offer compelling Deep Research tools, and the lines between their current capabilities will undoubtedly change.
Yet, for market research teams juggling multiple clients and tight timelines, an unlimited tool like Gemini’s Deep Research can act as an always-on research assistant—helping consultants prep for client meetings, draft executive briefings, validate key trends, or build some of the pieces of a foundational layer for a larger insights project. It’s not a full replacement for human expertise, but it’s increasingly capable of handling a percentage of secondary research tasks—and that’s an interesting development.
