A question buyers ask AI

I want an assistant that can run multi-step research across sources and save a report with citations I can revisit. Which ones do that?

Measured in 1 answer, last on Nov 7, 2026. Only the passages that name a brand are shown.

Brands in the answers

BrandNamed inRecommended inPositiveAvg. position
ChatGPT Deep Research100%100%100%1
Google Gemini Deep Research100%100%100%2
Perplexity Deep Research100%100%100%3
Claude100%100%100%4
Elicit100%0%0%—

Where each answer names a brand

Answer 1 · Nov 7, 2026 · 4 sources cited
ChatGPT Deep Research#1Recommendedpositive
+ structured reports

“Best overall for structured reports”

+ multi-step investigation

“Plans investigations and performs multiple rounds of research.”

+ source coverage

“Searches the web, selected websites, uploaded files and supported connected sources.”

+ citations

“Produces detailed reports with linked citations and a source list.”

+ export formats

“Download reports as PDF, Word or Markdown.”

+ chat history retention

“Keeps the research report available in your chat history.”

Google Gemini Deep Research#2Recommendedpositive
+ editable research plan

“Creates a research plan you can edit before execution.”

+ Google ecosystem integration

“Can incorporate Gmail, Google Drive, uploaded files and NotebookLM notebooks.”

+ structured report with sources

“Produces a structured report with sources.”

+ Google Docs export

“Saves the report in your recent chats and can export it directly to Google Docs.”

Perplexity Deep Research#3RecommendedSite citedpositive
+ source transparency

“Best for source transparency”

+ iterative searches

“Conducts iterative searches across many sources.”

+ citations

“Produces detailed reports with citations.”

+ cross-referencing

“Cross-references web information and uploaded files.”

+ sharing and deliverables

“Supports sharing research and producing deliverables.”

Claude#4Recommendedpositive
+ multi-step searches

“Performs multiple searches that build on one another.”

+ angle exploration

“Investigates different angles and unresolved questions.”

+ integrations

“Can combine web research with connected Google Workspace sources and other integrations.”

+ citations

“Produces detailed answers with citations.”

+ deeper reasoning

“excellent for deeper reasoning and combining your internal information with web research.”

Elicitmixed
+ scientific research

“Best for scientific research”

+ academic literature search

“Searches academic literature.”

+ systematic literature reviews

“Helps conduct systematic literature reviews.”

+ evidence-based summaries

“Produces evidence-based summaries with paper references.”

− general business research

“Less suitable for general business research.”

− web sources

“Limited”

Sources the answers cite

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