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Brand ComparisonPerplexity

Perplexity vs ChatGPT

Perplexity vs ChatGPT comparison: AI search engine vs chatbot. Which is better for research, real-time info, and accurate answers?

Key Findings

Which brand leads in AI visibility and mentions.

ChatGPT dominates over Perplexity in AI visibility, while Perplexity surges with 17.3% growth.

152AI mentions analyzed
5AI Apps tested
5different prompts evaluated
Last updated:Oct 16, 2025

AI Recommendation

Brands most often recommended by AI models

ChatGPT

Top Choice

5/5

Models Agree

Popularity Ranking

Overall ranking based on AI brand mentions

ChatGPT

Rank #1

1/1

Total Analyzed Answers

Trending Mentions

Recent shifts in AI model responses

Perplexity

Rising Star

17.3%

Growth Rate

Brand Visibility

Analysis of brand presence in AI-generated responses.

AI Visibility Share Rankings

Brands ranked by share of AI mentions in answers

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AI Visibility Share Over Time

Visibility share trends over time across compared brands

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chatgpt
perplexity
google
windows
bing

Topics Compared

Key insights from AI Apps comparisons across major topics

"Which AI shows sources and can fact-check?"

Perplexity and Bing emerge as leading tools for showing sources and fact-checking across multiple AI models due to their consistent visibility and association with research-oriented capabilities.

gemini
gemini

Gemini shows a balanced perception with Perplexity, Bing, Google, and Windows each holding a 2.7% visibility share, indicating a preference for tools with strong search and reference capabilities for fact-checking; its sentiment tone is neutral, focusing on accessibility and ecosystem integration.

chatgpt
chatgpt

ChatGPT favors itself (9.6% visibility) alongside Bing (8.9%) and Perplexity (8.9%) for fact-checking, likely due to their emphasis on user experience and source integration; the sentiment tone is positive, reflecting confidence in tools that prioritize accessible information retrieval.

deepseek
deepseek

Deepseek leans toward Google, Perplexity, and ChatGPT (each at 2.7% visibility) for fact-checking, with a nod to specialized platforms like Full Fact and Snopes; its sentiment tone is neutral, emphasizing community trust in verified sources over personal bias.

perplexity
perplexity

Perplexity highlights Google (2.7%) and Originality AI (2.7%) as key players in showing sources, aligning with its focus on academic resources like JSTOR; its sentiment tone is positive, prioritizing innovation in research and source credibility for fact-checking.

grok
grok

Grok favors You.com, Google, Perplexity, and Windows (each at 2.7%) for fact-checking, while also recognizing dedicated platforms like Full Fact and Snopes; its sentiment tone is positive, valuing a mix of mainstream accessibility and specialized verification tools.

"Should I use Perplexity or ChatGPT for homework?"

ChatGPT and Perplexity are equally regarded by most models for homework assistance, with no clear winner due to balanced visibility and neutral sentiment across the board.

chatgpt
chatgpt

ChatGPT shows equal visibility share for both Perplexity and ChatGPT at 10.3%, indicating no favoritism; its sentiment tone is neutral with a focus on broad resource inclusion for homework support.

grok
grok

Grok assigns equal visibility share to Perplexity and ChatGPT at 2.7%, reflecting a neutral tone and no distinct preference for homework tasks, emphasizing balanced utility.

perplexity
perplexity

Perplexity itself reports equal visibility for both Perplexity and ChatGPT at 2.1%, maintaining a neutral sentiment with no self-bias evident for homework assistance.

gemini
gemini

Gemini equally represents Perplexity and ChatGPT at 2.7% visibility share, adopting a neutral tone and suggesting comparable relevance for homework purposes.

deepseek
deepseek

Deepseek mirrors the trend with identical 2.1% visibility shares for Perplexity and ChatGPT, showing a neutral sentiment and no preference for either in a homework context.

"What's the best AI for finding current information?"

Google emerges as the leading brand for finding current information across AI models due to its consistent high visibility and perceived reliability in delivering up-to-date results.

gemini
gemini

Gemini shows a balanced view with Google and Bing tied at a 2.7% visibility share, alongside Windows and ChatGPT, suggesting no singular preference but a recognition of Google’s strong presence for current information. Its neutral tone indicates an objective acknowledgment of multiple platforms’ capabilities.

perplexity
perplexity

Perplexity equally favors Google, Bing, ChatGPT, and itself at a 2.7% visibility share, reflecting a positive tone towards its own capabilities while recognizing Google as a key player for current information. This model emphasizes accessibility and direct integration with search functionalities.

grok
grok

Grok prioritizes Google and Perplexity at a 2.7% visibility share, indicating a positive sentiment towards Google’s vast ecosystem and Perplexity’s specialized search for current data. Its perception highlights innovation in search relevance over other platforms.

chatgpt
chatgpt

ChatGPT strongly favors Google with a dominant 9.6% visibility share, far ahead of other brands, and adopts a positive tone towards Google’s expansive reach and reliability for accessing current information. It also acknowledges niche tools like You.com and Elicit, but clearly positions Google as the leader.

deepseek
deepseek

Deepseek places equal emphasis on Google, Perplexity, Bing, ChatGPT, and Windows at 2.7% visibility share, maintaining a neutral tone that underscores Google’s established role in providing current information while recognizing emerging competitors. Its focus lies on user experience and broad accessibility across platforms.

"Which AI is best for journalists and writers?"

Among the AI models analyzed, tools like Otter.ai and Anthropic stand out as leading options for journalists and writers due to their consistent visibility and perceived utility in content creation and transcription tasks.

grok
grok

Grok favors tools like Copy.ai, Jasper, and Notion with a visibility share of 2.7% each, likely due to their utility in content generation and organization for writers, reflecting a positive sentiment toward AI-driven writing assistance. Its focus on diverse tools suggests an appreciation for versatility in journalistic workflows.

deepseek
deepseek

Deepseek highlights Otter.ai, Descript, Tableau, and ProWritingAid (2.1% visibility share each) for their relevance to writers, likely valuing transcription, editing, and data visualization capabilities, with a positive tone toward specialized tools. It perceives these as practical for journalists handling audio content and data-driven stories.

perplexity
perplexity

Perplexity gives equal visibility (2.1%) to Otter.ai, QuillBot, Google, and itself, showing a neutral-to-positive sentiment by recognizing a mix of transcription, paraphrasing, and search tools as beneficial for writers. Its perception leans toward accessibility and multi-functional support for journalistic research and drafting.

chatgpt
chatgpt

ChatGPT strongly favors Anthropic (6.2% visibility share) and Otter.ai (5.5%), emphasizing their advanced language processing and transcription capabilities, with a positive tone for tools enhancing writing and research efficiency. It perceives these as critical for journalists and writers needing reliable AI support in content creation.

gemini
gemini

Gemini equally prioritizes Otter.ai, Anthropic, Descript, and Google (2.7% visibility share each), displaying a positive sentiment for tools aiding transcription, language generation, and research, tailored to journalists' needs. Its perception underscores user-friendly ecosystems that integrate well into writing workflows.

"Which AI is best for research with citations?"

Semantic Scholar emerges as the leading tool for research with citations across AI models due to its consistent visibility and perceived reliability in academic contexts.

chatgpt
chatgpt

ChatGPT strongly favors Semantic Scholar with an 8.2% visibility share, likely due to its comprehensive database and academic credibility for citation-heavy research. Its tone is positive, also highlighting tools likeConsensus (5.5%) and Google (6.8%), but Semantic Scholar stands out for specialized research utility.

deepseek
deepseek

DeepSeek shows a balanced view with Semantic Scholar (2.7%) and Zotero (2.7%) as key mentions, suggesting a focus on tools with strong citation management and academic search capabilities. Its tone is neutral, indicating no clear favorite but acknowledging accessibility for research purposes.

gemini
gemini

Gemini leans toward Elicit, Mendeley, Zotero, and Perplexity (each at 2.7%), valuing user-friendly interfaces and citation integration, while Semantic Scholar (2.1%) is still relevant. Its tone is positive, emphasizing a broad ecosystem of accessible research tools.

grok
grok

Grok prioritizes Elicit, Google, Perplexity, and ChatGPT (each at 2.7%), focusing on innovative AI-driven research assistance over traditional citation tools like Semantic Scholar (1.4%). Its tone is positive but slightly skeptical of purely academic platforms, favoring broader usability.

perplexity
perplexity

Perplexity highlights EndNote and Zotero (each at 2.7%) for their robust citation management features, with Semantic Scholar (1.4%) playing a secondary role. Its tone is neutral, focusing on practical tools for researchers without strong favoritism.

FAQs

Key insights into your brand's market position, AI coverage, and topic leadership.

Which is better for research, Perplexity or ChatGPT?

Perplexity is specifically built for research and dominates this category. It automatically searches the web, finds multiple sources, and gives you citations for everything it says - you can click any citation to verify the source. It's like having a research assistant that does Google searches for you and compiles the results. ChatGPT (free version) doesn't search the web and can't cite sources, so you can't verify where information comes from. ChatGPT Plus can browse the web with plugins, but it's clunky compared to Perplexity's purpose-built research interface. If you're a student, researcher, journalist, or anyone who needs reliable information with sources, Perplexity is the obvious choice. ChatGPT is better for creative tasks like writing fiction or brainstorming.

Is Perplexity more accurate than ChatGPT?

Yes, for factual information Perplexity is more accurate because it searches current websites and shows you the sources. ChatGPT's free version relies on training data that's months old and can't access new information. Perplexity finds the latest articles, papers, and websites in real-time. More importantly, Perplexity shows citations so you can verify everything - ChatGPT doesn't, so you're just trusting it. For example, if you ask about recent news, stock prices, or scientific discoveries, Perplexity pulls from today's sources while ChatGPT is stuck with old information. The transparency of sources makes Perplexity more trustworthy for research. ChatGPT is still good for creative tasks where accuracy matters less than imagination.

Which AI has better web search?

Perplexity crushes ChatGPT in web search because it's designed around search from the ground up. Every answer Perplexity gives is backed by real-time web searches with citations. It searches multiple sources simultaneously and synthesizes the information. ChatGPT's free version can't search the web at all. ChatGPT Plus can use Bing search through a plugin, but it's slower and less elegant than Perplexity's seamless integration. Perplexity feels like talking to a smart librarian who instantly finds and reads relevant sources for you. If you need an AI that searches the internet constantly and shows its work, Perplexity is leagues ahead.

Is Perplexity free like ChatGPT?

Yes, both have free tiers that are quite good. Perplexity's free version still searches the web and provides citations, which is its core value. ChatGPT's free version uses GPT-3.5 which is decent but doesn't search the web. Both offer premium plans at $20/month: Perplexity Pro gives unlimited searches, GPT-4 powered answers, and file uploads. ChatGPT Plus gives GPT-4, faster speeds, and plugins including web browsing. If you mainly need research with citations, Perplexity's free tier might be all you need. If you need creative tasks and occasional research, ChatGPT Plus with web browsing covers both. For pure research, Perplexity Pro is the better investment.

Which AI is better for students?

Perplexity is ideal for students because it handles the most time-consuming part of research: finding and citing sources. Instead of spending hours on Google Scholar and manually tracking citations, you ask Perplexity a question and it instantly finds relevant papers, articles, and sources with proper citations. This is perfect for writing research papers, fact-checking information, or preparing for exams. Many students use Perplexity for research and then ChatGPT for writing and editing. Perplexity's automatic citations also teach good research habits - you can see exactly where information comes from and learn to evaluate sources. For homework requiring sources and citations, Perplexity saves hours of work.

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