ChatGPT vs Perplexity
ChatGPT is openAI's AI chat assistant for writing, research, images, voice and coding. Perplexity is aI answer engine that replies with cited sources from the web. Here is how they compare on price, free plan, platforms and the jobs each does best, from each vendor's own pages.
| ChatGPT | Perplexity | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | $8/mo (Go) | $17/mo billed annually (Pro) |
| 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 Which AI Visibility Tool Should You Actually Pay For? Pricing and Engine Coverage Compared and Automate the Boring Half of Your Job Hunt (Resume Tailoring, ATS, Tracking).
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, citations in every answer; limited file uploads, asset generation and Comet Agent use.