Premium

ChatGPT Search is now open to everyone; no need to create an account

ChatGPT Search, the AI powered search engine was previously limited to those with an OpenAI account.

OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Search in October last year. (Express Photo)

ChatGPT maker OpenAI has announced that the AI chatbot’s search engine – ChatGPT Search is now available to everyone, even to those without an account.

Initially called SearchGPT, the feature was launched in October last year for paid ChatGPT subscribers and eventually made its way to those on the free tier. However, users still had to log in to their accounts to use the functionality.

For those wondering, ChatGPT’s search feature integrated search results with conversational AI, giving answers with links to credible sources. OpenAI has said in a blog post that the underlying technology is a fine-tuned version of GPT-4o, but the AI startup may have updated it with a newer version.

ChatGPT search is now available to everyone on https://t.co/nYW5KO1aIg — no sign up required. pic.twitter.com/VElT7cxxjZ

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) February 5, 2025

Also Read | India’s AI strategy: A look at key govt announcements following DeepSeek disruption

But with the recent announcement, it looks like OpenAI wants to take on the internet search giants like Google and Bing. Compared to traditional search engines like Bing and Google, which are largely restricted to the search term and often miss out on nuances and complexities, ChatGPT Search can easily understand what you are trying to search for and present information in an easy-to-read manner. To use ChatGPT Search, simply tap on the Search button that appears below the text field and you are good to go.

Like Google, users can also set ChatGPT Search as their default search engine in their favourite web browser. In December last year, OpenAI also added maps to ChatGPT, allowing users to get information about local restaurants and businesses based on the latest information.