Perplexity vs Google Gemini vs Microsoft Copilot

Pick up to 4 tools and see their free plans, entry prices, platforms and limits in one table. Every fact comes from each vendor's own pages, checked 16 October 2026.

Compared on	Perplexity Free plan · from $17/mo Visit Remove	Google Gemini Free plan · from $4.99/mo Visit Remove	Microsoft Copilot Free plan · from $9.99/mo Visit Remove
What it is	AI answer engine that replies with cited sources from the web	Google's AI assistant app, with paid Google AI plans for higher limits	Microsoft's free consumer AI assistant, with more use in Microsoft 365 plans
Free plan	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	Flash-Lite model, image generation and editing, Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas, Gems, Gemini Notebook and limited Google Flow; 15 GB storage; usage limits that refresh every 5 hours up to a weekly limit	Limited free version subject to available capacity and usage limits; signing in with a personal Microsoft account adds chat history, image creation, longer conversations and voice
Cheapest paid plan	$17/mo billed annually (Pro)Perplexity pricing	$4.99/mo (Google AI Plus)Google Gemini pricing	$9.99/mo (Microsoft 365 Personal)Microsoft Copilot pricing
What it covers	$200 a year on annual billing; the developer API is billed separately, per token and per request.	2x Free usage limits, video generation, Gemini in Google apps, 400 GB storage.	Or $99.99/year. Copilot chat with higher usage than free, plus Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps; AI features are for the subscription owner only.
Free trial	None stated	None stated	1-month free trial of Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium
Platforms	Web, API	Web, Android, iOS, API	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Integrations (vendor's figure)	400+ app connectors	Not stated	Not stated
Open source	No	No	No
Good for	Getting a sourced answer to a factual question Researching a market or competitor with cited sources Comparing products or prices across the web	Researching a topic with Deep Research Drafting emails and documents inside Gmail and Docs Creating images for posts and presentations	Asking quick questions and getting answers from the web Summarising a long web page in Edge Drafting documents in Word with a Microsoft 365 subscription
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	Gemini in Gmail, Docs and other Google apps needs a paid plan, is for ages 18+ and is in select languages Video generation is not in the Free plan The Free plan uses the Flash-Lite model, with usage limits that refresh every 5 hours up to a weekly cap	Free use depends on available capacity and usage limits In Microsoft 365 Family, Copilot features are for the subscription owner only and cannot be shared Copilot Pro is no longer sold; Microsoft points buyers to Microsoft 365 Premium
Made by	Perplexity AI	Google	Microsoft

Entry prices are the cheapest paid plan, as each vendor publishes it; “What it covers” says what that price is per (a user, a channel, a brand, a number of contacts). The sources are listed on each tool's page.

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