Comparisons / ChatGPT vs Perplexity
ChatGPT vs Perplexity: pricing and free plan compared
Side-by-side plans and prices for ChatGPT and Perplexity, read from each vendor's own pricing page. Facts only: we have not tested either tool, and this page does not pick a winner.
Quick facts
- ChatGPT has the lower starting paid price: $8/month (Go) vs $10/month for Perplexity (Education Pro).
- Both ChatGPT and Perplexity have a free plan, with limits.
- Perplexity Pro costs $16.67/month when billed yearly, about 17% less than monthly.
- Prices were read on the vendors' own pages: ChatGPT on 8 Nov 2026, Perplexity on 8 Nov 2026.
| ChatGPT | Perplexity | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $8/mo (Go) | From $10/mo (Education Pro) |
| Free plan | Free plan Free plan has usage limits on uploads, images, voice and deep research. OpenAI has said it plans to test ads in Free and Go in the US. | Free plan: 3 Pro Searches per day Plus 1 Research query per month, per Perplexity's own AI-costs post. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| What it is | General-purpose AI assistant from OpenAI for chat, writing, analysis, images and voice. Has a free tier and several paid tiers that raise usage limits. | Answer engine that searches the web and replies with cited sources. Free tier covers core search; paid plans add more in-depth searches, file uploads and advanced models. |
| Check status | Verified | Verified |
| Last checked | ||
| Website | Visit ChatGPT ↗ | Visit Perplexity ↗ |
ChatGPT plans (USD)
| Plan | Billed monthly | Yearly, per month | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | not recorded |
|
| Go | $8 | not recorded |
|
| Plus | $20 | not recorded |
|
| Pro 100 | $100 | not recorded |
|
| Pro 200 | $200 | not recorded |
|
| Pro 500 | $500 | not recorded |
|
Source: Official pricing page, Docs: pricing, Help centre: Pro tiers, Help centre: ChatGPT Plus, OpenAI announcement: Go (checked 8 Nov 2026). Full ChatGPT details.
Perplexity plans (USD)
| Plan | Billed monthly | Yearly, per month | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | not recorded |
|
| Pro | $20 | $16.67 |
|
| Max | $200 | $166.67 |
|
| Education Pro | $10 | not recorded |
|
Source: Help centre: which plan, Help centre: Max, Perplexity hub (Pro price), Perplexity blog: AI costs (checked 8 Nov 2026). Full Perplexity details.
Prices may change and can differ by country. "Not recorded" means we did not find that price, not that it is free. Confirm on the vendor's own page before you pay. Report a mistake.