Perplexity vs ChatGPT
Perplexity centres on cited, search-style answers and model choice on paid plans, while ChatGPT is a general assistant with more tiers and listed features such as custom GPTs and voice.
Pick Perplexity if…
You mostly want answers with inline citations, a Free plan with stated limits (3 Pro Searches a day), and the option to pick among models from several providers on Pro.
Pick ChatGPT if…
You want a lower-priced $8 Go tier, unlimited text chats on Free (subject to abuse guardrails), or features such as custom GPTs, scheduled tasks and voice chats.
Price
- Freemium
- Freemium
Starting price
Free plan
Open source
Works on
| Feature | AI search and assistant that answers with inline citations and lets paid users pick between several AI models. | OpenAI's AI chat assistant for text, voice, images, research and coding, on web, desktop and mobile. |
|---|---|---|
| Price |
|
|
| Starting price | $17/month billed annually (Pro) | $8/month (Go) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | No |
| Works on | Web, iOS, Android | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Browser extension |
| Try Perplexity (opens the Perplexity website in a new tab) | Try ChatGPT (opens the ChatGPT website in a new tab) |
Perplexity lists Free, Pro ($17 per month billed annually) and Max ($167 per month billed annually) for individuals, and Enterprise Pro from $40 per seat per month. ChatGPT lists Free, Go ($8), Plus ($20) and Pro (from $100), with Business and Enterprise priced per user.
Perplexity's Free plan lists practically unlimited basic searches, 3 Pro Searches per day, 1 Research query per month, limited uploads, no image generation, and no manual model choice. ChatGPT's Free plan lists unlimited text chats, subject to abuse guardrails, with limited uploads, image creation, voice, deep research and memory.
Perplexity says every answer includes inline citations, and paid plans can select between models from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, xAI and others; its help center says the model list changes. It also offers the Comet browser (Mac, Windows, iOS and Android) and Perplexity Computer, which needs a subscription and credits.
ChatGPT lists projects, scheduled tasks, custom GPTs, voice chats, image creation, Codex and ChatGPT Work across its tiers, on web, iOS, Android, Mac and Windows. Perplexity's listed platforms for the assistant are web, iOS and Android.
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Last updated 16 October 2026. How we make money