The AI TillComparisons · AI assistants
Comparison
ChatGPT vs Perplexity
A general AI assistant for drafting emails, quotes, policies and posts, summarising documents and answering questions. An AI search tool that answers questions with links to the sources it used.
| ChatGPT | Perplexity | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan available. Paid plans (Go, Plus, Business, Enterprise) are priced per user per month; see the pricing page for current amounts. | Free to sign up. Pro: US$17 a month billed annually. Max: US$167 a month billed annually. |
| Free plan | Yes. Unlimited everyday text chats, subject to abuse safeguards. Web search, file and image uploads, data analysis, image creation and 500 MB Library storage, each with its own usage limits. Ads may appear on the free plan in some countries. | Yes. A free account is available; paid plans add more advanced answers and top AI models. |
| Best for | Day-to-day drafting: customer replies, quotes, job adverts, social posts and summaries. | Quick research with sources, such as supplier comparisons, regulations to look up, or local market questions. |
| Watch out for | Check everything before it goes to a customer; it can state wrong facts confidently. Keep customer personal data out. | Always open the cited sources before relying on an answer. |
| UK notes | Works in the UK. Ask for British English and UK context (VAT, HMRC) in your prompt. | Prices are shown in US dollars. |
| Made by | OpenAI | Perplexity AI |
| Checked | 2026-10-14 | 2026-10-14 |
Our verdict
There's no clear winner on price and plans: choose by fit. ChatGPT suits day-to-day drafting: customer replies, quotes, job adverts, social posts and summaries. Perplexity suits quick research with sources, such as supplier comparisons, regulations to look up, or local market questions.
UK price difference
Perplexity's cheapest paid plan is $17 (Pro, per month, billed annually). ChatGPT doesn't publish a comparable entry price, so ask for a quote or check its pricing page. Check on the provider page whether VAT is included before you buy.
Who should pick which?
- Choose ChatGPT for: day-to-day drafting: customer replies, quotes, job adverts, social posts and summaries.
- Choose Perplexity for: quick research with sources, such as supplier comparisons, regulations to look up, or local market questions.
Both have a free plan, so the simplest test is to try each on a real job for a week. Prices change, so check the provider's page before buying.
Other ai assistants to consider
Claude
An AI assistant that is good with long documents, careful writing and summaries.
Gemini (Google AI plans)
Google's AI assistant, in its own app and built into Gmail, Docs and other Google apps on paid plans.
Microsoft 365 Copilot
AI built into Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams for businesses on Microsoft 365.
Full details
ChatGPT tool page · Perplexity tool page · How we check prices
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