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OpenAI’s ChatGPT Search is now free to use without a login

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A person sits in front of a laptop. On the laptop screen is the home page for OpenAI's ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot.
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ChatGPT is becoming more accessible to the masses. Its ChatGPT Search feature is now available without having to log in to the popular chatbot. Parent company OpenAI has also confirmed that ChatGPT Search will be free to use– the feature works similarly to a search engine.

When accessing the service’s web address, ChatGPT you will see ChatGPT Search front and center, with a message saying “What can I help you with?” You can immediately input your query into the text box. At the bottom of the text box are options that say “Search” and “Reason.” The Search option is the option that allows you to use the page without logging in. Selecting the Reason option will prompt you to log in or sign up to access ChatGPT.

The login and sign-up options have been moved to the left and right sides of the web page. Notably, ChatGPT Search offers additional and more recent information, from how ChatGPT typically functions, such as up-to-date sports scores, news, stock quotes, and more. CNET noted like most AI tools, the search option is still susceptible to hallucinations or providing false information. Users should opt for fact-checking with the provided links.

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ChatGPT Search has been available since October 2024 and has been a direct competition to Google’s Gemini features as the brand fleshes out its own AI services. Google is currently in-house testing a feature called AI Mode that would bring a more contextual experience to its Google Search engine. Other competition has been Anthropic, as well as the Chinese AI brand, DeepSeek.

make search great again https://t.co/AsLmkqaR68

— Sam Altman (@sama) February 6, 2025

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman retweeted the announcement of ChatGPT Search being made public, adding: “Make search great again.”

This isn’t the only feature of OpenAI’s that it is making more ubiquitous. Microsoft is now offering the OpenAI o1 model for free through a new toggle called ‘Think Deeper’ as a part of its Copilot chat. OpenAI’s latest reasoning models are typically exclusive to its paid subscription plans and can cost up to $200 to access. However, those with a Microsoft account can access the feature powered by the o1 model for free.

OpenAI has also recently announced other tools including an AI agent called Operator and the o3 mini reasoning model.

Fionna Agomuoh
Fionna Agomuoh
Computing Writer
Fionna Agomuoh is a Computing Writer at Digital Trends. She covers a range of topics in the computing space, including…
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