Perplexity AI vs ChatGPT: I Switched Between Both for Three Months

I paid for both Perplexity Pro and ChatGPT Plus for three months straight.

Kept both tabs open. Used whichever felt right for each task. Tracked which one I actually reached for.

The result? They're not really competitors. They solve different problems, and you need to understand what each does well to avoid wasting time.

Here's when I use each one now, based on hundreds of actual queries.

What Each Tool Actually Does

Perplexity AI: AI Search Engine

Core purpose: Answer questions with current, sourced information

How it works:

You ask a question
It searches the web in real-time
Synthesizes information from multiple sources
Provides answer with citations
Offers follow-up questions

Think of it as: Google Search meets ChatGPT

ChatGPT (with Web Browsing): AI Assistant

Core purpose: General AI assistant that can browse when needed

How it works:

You ask anything
Uses training data for most answers
Can browse web for recent info (Plus only)
Provides detailed responses
Multi-turn conversations

Think of it as: Personal AI assistant with optional web access

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Search & Real-Time Information

Perplexity:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Always searches web
Real-time results
Multiple sources synthesized
Citations for every claim
Great for "what's happening now" questions

ChatGPT:

⭐⭐⭐ Uses training data first
Web browsing optional (Plus only)
Doesn't always cite sources
Can be outdated without browsing
Better for general knowledge

Winner: Perplexity (for current information)

Source Citations

Perplexity:

Every answer has numbered citations
Click to see source
Transparent sourcing
Easy to verify

ChatGPT:

Sometimes cites, sometimes doesn't
Less consistent with sources
Can hallucinate sources
Harder to verify

Winner: Perplexity (by far)

Answer Quality & Depth

Perplexity:

Concise, to-the-point answers
Summarizes from sources
Good for quick facts
Less detailed analysis

ChatGPT:

More comprehensive responses
Deeper analysis
Better explanations
More conversational

Winner: ChatGPT (for depth)

Content Creation

Perplexity:

Can write, but research-focused
Better for fact-based content
Sources included

ChatGPT:

Excellent for creative writing
Better at following style guidelines
More versatile for different formats

Winner: ChatGPT

Coding Assistance

Perplexity:

Can find code examples
Good for documentation lookup
Limited debugging help

ChatGPT:

Write complete functions
Debug code
Explain complex concepts
Code review

Winner: ChatGPT

User Interface

Perplexity:

Clean, search-focused
Related questions suggested
Thread view
Collections for organizing

ChatGPT:

Chat interface
Sidebar for conversations
More feature-rich
Custom GPTs

Winner: Tie (different approaches)

Speed

Perplexity:

Fast results (5-10 seconds)
Streaming answers

ChatGPT:

Fast without browsing
Slower with web search (15-30 seconds)

Winner: Perplexity (marginally)

Mobile Experience

Perplexity:

Excellent mobile app
Voice search
Clean interface

ChatGPT:

Great mobile app
Voice conversations
Full feature parity

Winner: Tie

Pricing Comparison

Perplexity

Free:

Unlimited quick searches
5 Pro searches per day (using GPT-4/Claude)
Standard AI model for most searches

Pro ($20/month):

300+ Pro searches per day
Choose AI model (GPT-4, Claude, etc.)
File uploads and analysis
API access

ChatGPT

Free:

GPT-3.5
Limited features
No web browsing

Plus ($20/month):

GPT-4
Web browsing
DALL-E 3
Advanced Data Analysis
Custom GPTs
Priority access

Cost Analysis

Both are $20/month for premium tiers. Value depends on your needs:

Perplexity Pro: Best value for researchers, students, curious people ChatGPT Plus: Best value for creators, professionals, developers

Use Case Comparisons

Research & Fact-Finding

Scenario: Researching a topic for a blog post

Perplexity:

Find latest information ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Get cited sources ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Quick facts ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ChatGPT:

Organize research ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Deep analysis ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Write the post ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Verdict: Use Perplexity for research, ChatGPT for writing

News & Current Events

Scenario: Understanding breaking news

Perplexity:

Latest updates ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Multiple sources ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Quick summary ⭐⭐⭐⭐

ChatGPT:

May not have latest ⭐⭐
Deeper context (if not too recent) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Winner: Perplexity

Learning & Education

Scenario: Learning a new concept

Perplexity:

Find resources ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Quick overview ⭐⭐⭐⭐

ChatGPT:

Explain concepts ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Answer follow-ups ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Create study guides ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Generate practice problems ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Winner: ChatGPT (for learning), Perplexity (for finding resources)

Product Research

Scenario: Researching products to buy

Perplexity:

Latest reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Compare products ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Current prices ⭐⭐⭐⭐

ChatGPT:

Analyze features ⭐⭐⭐⭐
No real-time prices ⭐⭐

Winner: Perplexity

Coding Project

Scenario: Building a web app

Perplexity:

Find documentation ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Look up APIs ⭐⭐⭐⭐

ChatGPT:

Write code ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Debug errors ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Explain concepts ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Review code ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Winner: ChatGPT

Content Creation

Scenario: Writing blog post

Perplexity:

Research topic ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Find statistics ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Verify facts ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ChatGPT:

Write article ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Multiple drafts ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Edit and refine ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Verdict: Use both in workflow

Accuracy & Reliability

Perplexity

Strengths:

Sources cited (verifiable)
Recent information
Multiple sources reduce bias
Transparent about source

Limitations:

Quality depends on sources found
Sometimes misinterprets sources
Can include low-quality sources

Accuracy: 85-90% (and verifiable)

ChatGPT

Strengths:

Deep knowledge base
Good at explaining
Logical reasoning

Limitations:

Can hallucinate facts
Knowledge cutoff (outdated)
Sometimes confidently wrong
Harder to verify without sources

Accuracy: 80-85% (without browsing), harder to verify

Winner: Perplexity (for factual accuracy and verifiability)

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose Perplexity Pro if you:

Research topics frequently
Need current information
Value source citations
Are a student or journalist
Want to replace Google
Need fact-checking
Research products, news, or topics

Choose ChatGPT Plus if you:

Create content regularly
Code or do technical work
Need general AI assistance
Want image generation (DALL-E)
Do complex problem-solving
Need a versatile assistant
Want custom GPTs

Get BOTH ($40/month total) if you:

Are a content creator
Do serious research
Are a professional/entrepreneur
Want the best of both worlds
Can afford $40/month for productivity

My Personal Workflow

I use both daily:

Morning routine:

Perplexity: Check news, research topics
ChatGPT: Plan day, write content

Research phase:

Perplexity: Find information and sources
ChatGPT: Organize and analyze findings

Creation phase:

ChatGPT: Write content, code, solve problems
Perplexity: Fact-check, find additional sources

Cost: $40/month Value: Easily $500+/month in time and quality

Alternatives to Consider

Google Gemini (Bard)

Free, with Google search built-in
Good middle ground
Not as good as either specialized tool

Microsoft Bing Chat (Free)

GPT-4 access
Web search integrated
Free alternative to ChatGPT Plus

You.com

AI search like Perplexity
Different AI models available
Worth trying

The Bottom Line

Perplexity and ChatGPT aren't competitors—they're complementary:

Perplexity = AI-powered research and search
ChatGPT = AI-powered thinking and creation

For most people:

Start with free versions of both
After a month, assess which you use more
Pay for the one you rely on
Consider both if professional use

Best combination:

Research with Perplexity
Create with ChatGPT
Fact-check with Perplexity
Refine with ChatGPT

Future Outlook

Both tools are evolving:

Perplexity: Adding more AI models, better synthesis
ChatGPT: Improving web browsing, adding features

The gap between them may narrow, but their core purposes will likely remain distinct.

Do you use Perplexity, ChatGPT, or both? What's your workflow? Share below!