Research depths

Last updated: May 4, 2026

Research depths

Research depth controls how much effort Grep spends on a task. Higher depths are better for complex questions, but they take longer and have a higher starting reservation.

Depth options

Depth Use it for Starting reservation
Low effort Quick answers, simple lookups, lightweight summaries 2 credits or 0.40 USD
Deep Most business research, vendor comparisons, market scans 20 credits or 4.00 USD
Ultra deep Complex investigations, diligence, high-stakes decisions 100 credits or 20.00 USD
Follow-up Continuing an existing task 10 credits or 2.00 USD

The starting reservation is reconciled after the task completes. Grep charges the real final cost based on actual token usage, returning any unused reserved amount or charging the difference if the final cost is higher.

Low effort

Choose Low effort when you need a fast answer and the topic is narrow.

Good for:

  • Quick company summaries.
  • Simple fact checks.
  • Short lists.
  • Reformatting or summarizing an existing result.

Avoid low effort when the question is broad, ambiguous, or requires many sources.

Deep

Choose Deep for most research tasks. It balances speed, source coverage, and cost.

Good for:

  • Competitive research.
  • Vendor shortlists.
  • Market maps.
  • Customer or investor research.
  • Regulatory or policy summaries.

If you are not sure which depth to choose, start with Deep.

Ultra deep

Choose Ultra deep when the answer needs more exploration, source coverage, and synthesis.

Good for:

  • Due diligence.
  • Complex market landscapes.
  • Hard-to-answer questions.
  • Research that will be used in an executive or customer-facing deliverable.
  • Topics where missing a key source could materially change the answer.

Ultra deep takes longer than other depths, but it is the best choice when completeness matters.

Follow-up questions

Follow-ups continue an existing task. They are useful when you want to refine the result instead of starting over.

Good follow-ups include:

  • “Make this more concise.”
  • “Add a table comparing pricing and target customers.”
  • “Find more evidence for the second recommendation.”
  • “Focus only on companies in Europe.”

Choosing the right depth

Use this rule of thumb:

  • Start with Low effort for fast, narrow questions.
  • Use Deep as your default.
  • Use Ultra deep when the answer must be comprehensive.
  • Use Follow-up when you want to refine an existing result.

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