GPT Researcher review (2026): is it any good?
Open source research agent that writes cited reports
GPT Researcher report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for open-source research agent
GPT Researcher is an open-source agent that plans, searches in parallel and writes cited reports. There is no hosted service, so you run it with Python or Docker and pay your own model and search bills. A deep run is a few cents to a few dollars.
Who GPT Researcher is for
- Fits if you can run Python or Docker and want cited research reports
- Works for developers who want to choose their own search sources and models
Who GPT Researcher is not for
- Not for you if you want a hosted service, since there is none
- Skip it if you do not want a command line, as setup needs Python 3.11 or newer or Docker
- Watch out: you pay your LLM and search providers directly
- Too light on support: managed deployments and SLAs are by contacting the maintainers, with no price
Why GPT Researcher gets a 2.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyThe software costs nothing, but there is no hosted service, so you host it yourself and pay LLM and search providers, a few cents to a few dollars per deep run.
- BFree plan and trialFree and MIT licensed, with free retrievers like DuckDuckGo and SearXNG. The model calls are not free.
- CFeaturesPlanner, parallel researchers, many retrievers, your own files, deep research mode, MCP server and API. Managed deployments and SLAs are by contact only.
- DEase of useNo store rating on record. Python 3.11 or newer or Docker, keys and a command line are needed.
- CPlatforms and integrationsRuns on Linux, Mac and Windows as a program, with an API and MCP server. No web service or phone app.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from GPT Researcher's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/gpt-researcher#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/gpt-researcher.svg" alt="GPT Researcher: 2.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where GPT Researcher stands among AI agents
GPT Researcher's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 64 of the 178 other AI agents we grade, and level with 16.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 144 of 178) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
GPT Researcher has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 179 AI agents we grade, cut by the letter each got. GPT Researcher’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 28 of 178, level with 106
- BFree plan and trialAbove 144 of 178, level with 22
- CFeaturesAbove 2 of 178, level with 130
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 178, level with 35
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 178, level with 46
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 109 AI agents. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep GPT Researcher, or make your own?
Keep it
GPT Researcher is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
What you could not
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- A library of papers and sources to search.
- Citation records for millions of papers.
- Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, Tavily, Google and Bing among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. GPT Researcher’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is GPT Researcher?
GPT Researcher is an MIT-licensed Python agent that plans a research question, reads web sources and your own documents in parallel, and writes a report with citations. You host it yourself and pay only the language model and search providers you connect.
Worth knowing
- There is no hosted service; you run it yourself with Python 3.11 or newer, or Docker.
- You pay your LLM and search providers directly; the site gives a few cents to a few dollars per deep run as a ballpark.
- Managed deployments, private-corpus retrievers and SLAs are handled by contacting the maintainers, with no listed price.
Key features
- Planner and parallel researchers
- A planner splits a question into sub-questions and runs a researcher on each at the same time before a writer drafts the report.
- Many retrievers and your own files
- The site lists 20+ retrievers, including Tavily, Google, Bing, Exa, arXiv and PubMed, which can be combined with MCP servers or local documents.
- Cited reports
- Each claim in the report is tied to a numbered source. Reports can be output as markdown, PDF, docx or plain text.
- Deep research mode
- Findings seed new questions, so a run explores a tree of subtopics instead of a single pass. Depth is configurable.
- MCP server and API
- The official gptr-mcp server exposes research tools to Claude, Cursor, n8n and other MCP clients, and a FastAPI server can be run from the repository.
GPT Researcher pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, GPT Researcher is free to use.
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Open Source | $0 | MIT-licensed Python package and MCP server that you host yourself; you pay your own LLM and search API providers. |
Read from gptr.dev on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with GPT Researcher before you buy.
Works with
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Common questions
Does GPT Researcher have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. GPT Researcher is listed for Linux, macOS and Windows.
Does GPT Researcher have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. GPT Researcher is listed for Linux, macOS and Windows.
Is GPT Researcher open source?
Yes. GPT Researcher is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Does GPT Researcher have an API?
Yes. GPT Researcher offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.