What is Open Deep Research used for?

Open Deep Research is a Next.js web interface for an iterative AI research assistant that searches the web and writes sourced markdown reports. It is a good fit for automated topic research with sources and self-hosted deep research workflows.

Is Open Deep Research open source?

Yes. Open Deep Research is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at fdarkaou/open-deep-research and is written mainly in TypeScript.

Is Open Deep Research free?

Yes. Open Deep Research is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available.

Can I self-host Open Deep Research?

Yes. Open Deep Research can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Open Deep Research an alternative to?

Open Deep Research is an open-source alternative to Perplexity and ChatGPT. Other open-source alternatives to Perplexity include Khoj, BrowserOS and Browser Operator.

Is Open Deep Research actively maintained?

The most recent commit to Open Deep Research was on 12 February 2025. The project has 876 stars on GitHub.

Open Deep Research: open-source alternative to Perplexity

About Open Deep Research

Open Deep Research is an open-source alternative to the deep research features offered by OpenAI and Gemini. It is a web interface built with Next.js and shadcn/ui on top of the original Deep Research command-line project, turning that CLI tool into a visual app for starting and monitoring research tasks.

The system combines search via FireCrawl, web scraping and language models through OpenAI. It researches iteratively and recursively, uses the model to generate targeted search queries and follow-up questions, and runs multiple searches in parallel. Depth and breadth parameters control scope. Output is a detailed markdown report with findings and sources, viewable in a built-in markdown viewer, shown with real-time progress, and downloadable.

API keys for OpenAI and FireCrawl are required and are stored in HTTP-only cookies. You can try a hosted version at anotherwrapper.com with your own keys or host it yourself with Node.js. The project is MIT licensed and sponsored by AnotherWrapper.

Key features

Iterative, recursive web research
LLM-generated search queries and follow-ups
Adjustable research depth and breadth
Markdown reports with cited sources
Real-time research progress display
API keys held in HTTP-only cookies

Good fit for

→Automated topic research with sources
→Self-hosted deep research workflows

Built with: TypeScript
Tags: ai; deep-research; llm; nextjs; research-assistant; openai; firecrawl; shadcn-ui

Open Deep Research: questions and answers

What is Open Deep Research used for?: Open Deep Research is a Next.js web interface for an iterative AI research assistant that searches the web and writes sourced markdown reports. It is a good fit for automated topic research with sources and self-hosted deep research workflows.
Is Open Deep Research open source?: Yes. Open Deep Research is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at fdarkaou/open-deep-research and is written mainly in TypeScript.
Is Open Deep Research free?: Yes. Open Deep Research is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available.
Can I self-host Open Deep Research?: Yes. Open Deep Research can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Open Deep Research an alternative to?: Open Deep Research is an open-source alternative to Perplexity and ChatGPT. Other open-source alternatives to Perplexity include Khoj, BrowserOS and Browser Operator.
Is Open Deep Research actively maintained?: The most recent commit to Open Deep Research was on 12 February 2025. The project has 876 stars on GitHub.