OpenAI just did something that should terrify Google: they made ChatGPT Search free for everyone. Not just "free with an account"—actually free. No login required. And after using it for the past week, I'm genuinely questioning whether I'll ever go back to traditional search.
The Announcement That Changes Everything
On December 16th (Day 8 of OpenAI's "12 Days of Shipmas"), OpenAI announced that ChatGPT Search is now available to all logged-in users globally. Previously, you needed a Plus subscription to access it. Now? Everyone gets it. Desktop, mobile, web—everywhere.
But the bigger news came three weeks later: as of February 5, 2025, you don't even need an account anymore. Just go to chatgpt.com and start searching. No signup. No data collection tied to your identity. Just... search.
This is wild for a bunch of reasons, but the biggest one is this: OpenAI just removed every possible barrier between users and their search tool while Google is still serving you six ads before you get to the actual content.
How It Actually Works (And Why It's Different)
Here's what makes ChatGPT Search different from regular Google: you ask questions in natural language, and it gives you a conversational answer with sources cited inline. No clicking through ten blue links. No scrolling past sponsored content. Just a direct answer.
I tested it this morning by asking: "what are the best coffee shops in Brooklyn that are open late?" Google gave me a list of links and a map. ChatGPT Search gave me a conversational response listing five specific spots, their hours, what they're known for, and which ones have wifi. All with sources I could click if I wanted to verify.
The difference is subtle but massive. With Google, I'm hunting for information. With ChatGPT Search, I'm having a conversation. And when I need to go deeper, I can just ask a follow-up question: "which of those has the best cold brew?" It remembers the context and refines the answer.
The Features That Actually Matter
OpenAI didn't just make search free—they upgraded it significantly. Voice search is rolling out, which means you can literally just talk to it. Real-time web information is integrated, so you're not getting outdated training data. And they've partnered with Reuters, Le Monde, and other major publishers for verified, up-to-date content.
The Chrome extension is particularly clever. You can set ChatGPT as your default search engine, and suddenly your browser's URL bar becomes a direct line to AI-powered search. Type your query, hit enter, and it opens a ChatGPT conversation with your answer already loaded.
They've also added better mobile experiences and map features, which are rolling out now. The whole package feels less like a beta experiment and more like a serious Google competitor.
Why This Should Worry Google
Let me be honest about Google's position: they're still the 800-pound gorilla in search. They process billions of queries every day. ChatGPT getting 3.7 billion monthly visits is impressive, but it's not the same as having 90%+ market share in search.
But here's what should concern them: ChatGPT Search is already better for a specific type of query. When I want to understand something, compare options, or get a nuanced answer, I'm now defaulting to ChatGPT. When I want a specific website or need to see multiple perspectives, I still use Google.
The problem for Google is that first category is growing. Fast. And they're handicapped by their business model—they make money from ads, which means they need you to click around and see sponsored content. ChatGPT makes money from subscriptions (Plus, Pro, Enterprise), which means their incentive is to give you the best answer as quickly as possible.
The Privacy Angle Nobody's Talking About
Here's something that surprised me: ChatGPT Search doesn't track you like Google does. When you use it without logging in, your queries aren't being saved, analyzed, and used to build an advertising profile about you. That's... actually kind of refreshing?
I'm not naive—OpenAI is using search data to improve their models. But there's a difference between "we're using this to make the AI better" and "we're using this to serve you personalized ads for the next decade." The former feels like a fair trade. The latter feels increasingly invasive.
What's Still Missing (And Why I'm Not Fully Switched)
ChatGPT Search isn't perfect. For local business info, Google Maps is still superior. For shopping, I want to see multiple retailers and compare prices, not get one AI-generated recommendation. And for anything where I need to see who is saying something (political news, controversial topics), I still want the traditional list of sources.
There's also the hallucination problem. AI can be confidently wrong, and while ChatGPT cites sources, I still double-check important information. With Google, I'm naturally skeptical of every result. With ChatGPT, there's a risk of trusting the conversational tone too much.
The Bigger Picture: Search Is Being Unbundled
What's happening with ChatGPT Search is part of a larger shift. For 25 years, "search" meant Google. But search isn't one thing—it's a dozen different use cases bundled into a single interface. Some queries want quick facts. Some want deep research. Some want local results. Some want shopping options.
ChatGPT is unbundling search by being genuinely better at the "I want to understand something" category. They're not trying to replace Google everywhere—just in the places where conversational AI actually makes sense.
And the scary part for Google? Once people experience how much better conversational search can be for certain queries, they start questioning why they're using traditional search for anything else.
My Honest Take After a Week
I've been using ChatGPT Search as my primary search tool for the past seven days. I'm not going back. Not completely, anyway. I'll still use Google for specific things—local businesses, shopping, image search, finding specific websites. But for everything else? ChatGPT is now my default.
The speed matters. The conversational interface matters. The lack of ads really matters. And the fact that I can ask follow-up questions without starting a whole new search is genuinely game-changing.
Is this the end of Google? No. But it's the beginning of something different. For the first time in decades, there's a real alternative to traditional search, and it's free, fast, and doesn't require you to wade through sponsored content.
Try it yourself at chatgpt.com. You don't even need to make an account. Just... start asking questions. I'm curious if you have the same "wait, why am I still using Google?" moment that I did.