ChatGPT vs Perplexity
ChatGPT or Perplexity? Here is how they compare on price, free plan, platforms and the jobs each does best, from each vendor's own pages.
| Compared on | Visit | Visit |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | OpenAI's AI chat assistant for writing, research, images, voice and coding | AI answer engine that replies with cited sources from the web |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | $8/mo (Go)ChatGPT pricing | $17/mo billed annually (Pro)Perplexity pricing |
| What it covers | Go may include ads. Plus is $20/month. OpenAI's FAQ says Go and Plus are sold as monthly plans; annual plans are for Business and Enterprise. | $200 a year on annual billing; the developer API is billed separately, per token and per request. |
| Free trial | None stated | None stated |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, macOS | Web, API |
| Integrations (vendor's figure) | Not stated | 400+ app connectors |
| Open source | No | No |
| Made by | OpenAI | Perplexity AI |
Choose ChatGPT if…
- Price matters: its cheapest paid plan is $8/mo against $17/mo.
- You want a mobile app (iOS and Android).
- You want a desktop app (macOS).
- The job is drafting and editing emails, reports and posts.
- The job is researching a topic with web search and deep research.
Choose Perplexity if…
- You need an API to build on.
- The job is getting a sourced answer to a factual question.
- The job is researching a market or competitor with cited sources.
Still weighing it up?
If neither is quite right, ChatGPT and Perplexity are also compared with their other rivals: ChatGPT vs Claude, ChatGPT vs Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot vs ChatGPT.
To see them doing real work, read How to Protect ChatGPT Chats on a Shared Computer and How to Check If Your Website Is Cited in AI Answers: 6 Ways (2026).
What ChatGPT does
- Web search inside chat
- Deep research reports
- Image generation and voice chats
- File uploads and data analysis
- Projects, scheduled tasks and custom GPTs on paid plans
- Codex coding agent included in every plan
Watch out for
- Free and Go have limited uploads, image generation, voice, deep research and Codex access
- The Go plan may include ads
- Business plans start at 2 users; Enterprise and Edu pricing requires contacting sales
What Perplexity does
- Answers with inline citations
- Choice of models from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and others on paid plans
- Deep research
- Perplexity Computer for multi-step work, documents and apps
- 400+ app connectors on paid plans
- Premium data sources such as PitchBook and Statista on paid plans
Watch out for
- The Free plan has limited daily usage and basic models
- Among individual plans, monthly Computer credits (10,000) are included only in Max
- Individual plans are for personal use only
Questions
Is ChatGPT or Perplexity cheaper?
On published entry prices, ChatGPT is cheaper: $8/mo (Go) for ChatGPT against $17/mo billed annually (Pro) for Perplexity. What each plan includes differs, so compare the limits too.
Do ChatGPT and Perplexity have free plans?
Both do. ChatGPT: Unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna (subject to abuse guardrails); limited uploads, image generation, voice chats, deep research, memory and Codex access. Perplexity: Limited daily usage, basic AI models and citations in every answer; limited web answers, file uploads and asset generation; no video generation, app connectors or Computer credits.