The AI TillComparisons · AI assistants
Comparison
Claude vs Perplexity
An AI assistant that is good with long documents, careful writing and summaries. An AI search tool that answers questions with links to the sources it used.
| Claude | Perplexity | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan: $0. Pro: $20 a month or $200 a year. Max: $100 or $200 a month. | Free to sign up. Pro: US$17 a month billed annually. Max: US$167 a month billed annually. |
| Free plan | Yes. Chat on web, desktop and mobile, web search, file creation, code, memory and Artifacts. Usage limits reset on a rolling five-hour window, with no fixed message count. | Yes. A free account is available; paid plans add more advanced answers and top AI models. |
| Best for | Reading contracts, tenders and policies and turning them into plain-English summaries; longer written drafts. | Quick research with sources, such as supplier comparisons, regulations to look up, or local market questions. |
| Watch out for | Free usage can run out during a heavy session; it resets after five hours. | Always open the cited sources before relying on an answer. |
| UK notes | Prices are in US dollars. | Prices are shown in US dollars. |
| Made by | Anthropic | Perplexity AI |
| Checked | 2026-10-14 | 2026-10-14 |
Our verdict
For most small UK businesses starting out, Perplexity is the easier first pick because its entry plan costs less. Pick Claude instead if this sounds like you: reading contracts, tenders and policies and turning them into plain-English summaries; longer written drafts.
UK price difference
Cheapest paid plans: Claude $20 (Pro, per month); Perplexity $17 (Pro, per month, billed annually). Perplexity is $3 a month cheaper at entry level, though billing terms differ. Check on the provider page whether VAT is included before you buy.
Who should pick which?
- Choose Claude for: reading contracts, tenders and policies and turning them into plain-English summaries; longer written drafts.
- 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
ChatGPT
A general AI assistant for drafting emails, quotes, policies and posts, summarising documents and answering questions.
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
Claude tool page · Perplexity tool page · How we check prices
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