ChatGPT vs Perplexity
ChatGPT is a general-purpose AI assistant built around chat for questions, writing, coding, research and analysis. It has a free tier and paid plans from $8 a month, and runs on web, iOS, Android and an API. Perplexity is an AI search assistant built around real-time web answers with inline citations and source links. It is freemium with a free plan and runs on web, iOS, Android and a browser extension. Perplexity adds deep research reports, Spaces and on-page queries; ChatGPT adds code execution, image generation, voice mode and custom GPTs. ChatGPT's paid plans unlock more models and limits; Perplexity's paid plans add models, limits and uploads.
Which to choose
Choose ChatGPT if you want a general assistant for everyday questions, writing, coding and working with documents, images, voice or code in one chat product.
Visit chat.openai.comChoose Perplexity if you need cited answers from live web searches or automated deep research reports, especially for current events or recently published topics.
Visit perplexity.aiSide by side
| Detail | ChatGPT | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | OpenAI's AI assistant for questions, writing, coding and research, with a free tier and paid plans for more capable models. | An AI search assistant that answers questions with cited web sources and supports multi-step deep research reports. |
| Pricing | Free tier | Free tier |
| Paid plans from | $8 per month | — |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | No | No |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, API | Web, iOS, Android, Browser extension |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Checked against its site | Not yet | Not yet |
| Features |
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Written by AIToolMaps from the two listings, which come from each tool's official site. Full details: ChatGPT · Perplexity.