What is Perplexity AI’s Deep Research mode?

Perplexity’s Deep Research mode is like having a personal research assistant dive into a topic for you. While the standard Perplexity search gives a quick answer, the Research mode goes much deeper. When you use this mode, Perplexity doesn’t stop at one round of searching – it performs dozens of searches, scans a large number of web pages and documents, and iteratively analyzes information to compile a comprehensive answer. Essentially, it mimics what a human expert might do when researching: finding various sources, reading and gathering key points, and then synthesizing everything into a coherent report. The result is a detailed answer or essay that can span multiple paragraphs, complete with structure and references, providing you with a thorough understanding of the topic.

Here’s how it works in practice: suppose you have a complex question like “What are the economic impacts of artificial intelligence in finance?” If you run this in Research mode, Perplexity might take a couple of minutes (typically 2–4 minutes) to work on it. During that time, you’ll see it referencing many sources and refining its approach. It might search for statistics about AI in finance, read articles or reports, maybe even use built-in tools (Perplexity’s Research can use some coding or data analysis tools if needed) to interpret data. After this multi-step process, it produces a comprehensive report that not only answers the question but also provides context, examples, and relevant data points. It’s like reading a well-researched article that was prepared on the fly, just for your query.

When should you use Deep Research mode? 

This feature is most useful for open-ended or complex questions where a one-paragraph answer won’t suffice. For example, in-depth topics in finance, marketing, technology, history, or health are suitable cases – anything you’d normally spend hours Googling and reading about. Instead of doing that manual work yourself, you can let Perplexity do the heavy lifting. It excels at tasks like writing a mini-report, comparing options, analyzing pros and cons, or gathering insights from multiple sources. Keep in mind that because it’s doing so much work, it’s slower than regular search (a few minutes to generate results), but still much faster than a human researcher.

Using Deep Research mode is straightforward: on the Perplexity website or app, you can select “Research” mode (Deep Research) from the mode selector (usually found near the search bar) before you ask your question. Once you submit your query, Perplexity will indicate that it’s researching. You can usually watch a progress bar or status updates as it works through the steps. When it’s done, you’ll get a structured answer, often with headings and a narrative that walks you through the findings. You’ll also see citations for the sources it relied on, just like in the normal mode, but typically more of them, given the depth of research. You even have options to export the report (e.g., to PDF or a document) if you want to save or share it.

Why use Perplexity’s Research mode? 

In short, to save time and get expert-level analysis. If you have a complex question or a topic you’re not familiar with, Deep Research can provide a great starting point (or even a full answer) in a matter of minutes. It’s like getting a custom summary from an expert who combed through the web for you. This can be incredibly useful for students doing background research, professionals looking for quick reports, or anyone curious about a detailed topic without wanting to read through dozens of articles themselves. And since Perplexity’s Research mode is currently free for all users (with some daily limits for non-subscribers), it’s accessible, though heavy users might consider a Pro subscription for unlimited deep research queries.

Give Perplexity’s Research mode a try for your next big question. On the Perplexity AI site, select “Research” before asking your question, and watch as the AI builds a full report for you. It’s an efficient way to get in-depth answers – perfect for tackling those tough questions! (Enjoying our AI tool FAQs? Don’t forget to subscribe for more insights into tools like Perplexity.)

by Dr. Hernani Costa