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ChatGPT vs Perplexity: Which AI app should you pay for: one maker's models or a search engine with many?

Facts checked Oct 22, 2026. Every number links to its source.

Summary

Derived from sourced facts, not from builder opinions

ChatGPT Plus and Perplexity Pro both cost $20 a month. Perplexity Max costs $200, and ChatGPT Pro starts at $100.
Perplexity pairs web search and citations with models from several makers. Pro includes GPT-6.1 Sol, Claude Sonnet 5.5, Gemini 3.8 Flash and Grok 4.7.
GPT-6 Astra comes with ChatGPT Plus at $20. In Perplexity Search it needs Max at $200, though eligible Pro subscribers can use it for Computer tasks on credits.
Every ChatGPT plan includes the Codex coding agent, on Free and Go with GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app. Perplexity's Computer agent runs tasks on credits.

Choose ChatGPT if

You want GPT-6 Astra for $20.
You want a coding agent (Codex) in the plan.
You want published usage estimates for Work and Codex.

Choose Perplexity if

You mainly research and want cited sources with each answer.
You want models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and SpaceXSI in one plan.
You want GPT-6.1 Sol in search, which ChatGPT keeps to Work and Codex.

ChatGPT

Perplexity

Follow both to get an email when either one changes its price, limits or behavior.

Plans

ChatGPT plans

Free: Free
Go: $8/month
Plus: $20/month
Pro: $100/month
Business: $25/month

Perplexity plans

Free: Free
Pro: $20/month
Max: $200/month

Subscription agents are priced per seat with usage limits, so this compares plans rather than dividing a subscription by a guessed number of tasks.

Side by side

	ChatGPT	Perplexity
Maker	OpenAI	Not published
Plans	Free $0 · Go $8 · Plus $20 · Pro $100, $200 or $500 · Business $25/user monthly ($20 annual, 2+ users) · Enterprise and Edu by sales	Free · Pro $20/month · Max $200/month or $2,000/year
Models in the app	GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna replaced GPT-5.6 in ChatGPT on 2026-10-07 for free and paid plans · Codex and ChatGPT Work still run the September versions of GPT-6 Sol and Luna	Not published
GPT-6 Astra access	Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise plans	Not published
Agent and coding	ChatGPT Work and Codex are included in every plan, on Free and Go with GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app, subject to rollout	Not published
Work and Codex usage limits	Published only for ChatGPT Work and Codex, which share one allowance, not for regular chat: on Plus about 15-160 local messages per 5 hours with GPT-6.1 Sol and 5-45 with GPT-6 Astra · Pro has no five-hour limit · weekly limits may apply	Not published
What it is	Not published	An answer engine that pairs web search and citations with its own and third-party models
Education and business	Not published	Education Pro $10/month with verification · Enterprise Pro from $40/seat monthly or $400/year
Models on Pro	Not published	GPT-6.1 Sol, Claude Sonnet 5.5, Gemini 3.8 Flash, Grok 4.7, Kimi K3, GLM 5.3 and Nemotron 3.5 in Search
Max-only models in Search	Not published	GPT-6 Astra, Gemini 4 Argon, Claude Opus 5.5 and Claude Fable 5.1 for manual choice in Search · eligible Pro subscribers can use GPT-6 Astra and Fable 5.1 in Computer, on credits
Computer models on Pro	Not published	Eligible Pro and Max subscribers can run GPT-6 Astra for Computer tasks, depending on plan and data-retention eligibility
Free plan	Not published	Unlimited basic searches, 3 Pro Searches a day, 1 Research query a month, no model choice
Agent	Not published	Computer runs long tasks, coding included, on credits · Claude Opus 5.5 powers Standard effort for eligible paid accounts
Model training	Not published	Opt-out on consumer Pro and Max · never on Enterprise

Scores appear side by side only when both were published for the same test. Settings differ between sources, so small gaps can reverse under another harness.

Updates

ChatGPT

19 recorded incidents in the last 90 days.

Default changeOct 28, 2026

GPT-6 Luna in ChatGPT updated on October 28 with more concise replies

OpenAI updated GPT-6 Luna in ChatGPT, which launched there on October 7. The updated model gives more concise responses and reduces overly agreeable language.

After

GPT-6 Luna (October 28)

Plan changeOct 28, 2026

ChatGPT Pro and Business add up to $500 a month in free API credits

Eligible ChatGPT Pro and Business subscribers can claim up to $500 per month in free API credits as a subscription benefit. The benefit is activated from ChatGPT or the API Platform by linking an API organization you own.

After

Up to $500 per month in free API credits

Who is affected:: ChatGPT Pro and Business subscribers who also use the API.
What to do:: Link an API organization you own in ChatGPT or the API Platform to claim the credits.

SuccessorOct 15, 2026

GPT-Live-1.1 and GPT-Live-1.1 Quip replace GPT-Live-1 as ChatGPT voice models

GPT-Live-1.1 succeeds GPT-Live-1 and GPT-Live-1.1 Quip succeeds GPT-Live-1 mini. GPT-Live-1.1 is the default voice model for Plus and higher plans, including in Codex and dots, and GPT-Live-1.1 Quip is the default for everyone else.

Before

GPT-Live-1 and GPT-Live-1 mini

After

GPT-Live-1.1 and GPT-Live-1.1 Quip

Perplexity

Now availableOct 5, 2026

GPT-6.1 Sol available in Perplexity and powers Light effort in Computer

GPT-6.1 Sol became available to eligible paid subscribers in Perplexity and Computer, and it powers Light effort in Computer.

Default changeOct 5, 2026

Claude Opus 5.5 now powers Standard effort in Perplexity Computer

Claude Opus 5.5 became the model behind Standard effort in Computer for eligible paid personal accounts. GPT-6.1 Sol now powers Light effort.

Now availableSep 21, 2026

GPT-6 Astra available in Perplexity Computer for Pro and Max

Eligible Pro and Max subscribers can use GPT-6 Astra for Computer tasks and supporting agents, depending on plan and data-retention eligibility. The same release added Effort Mode, which picks the model and reasoning level from a Light, Standard, High or Ultra setting.

FAQ

Is Perplexity better than ChatGPT?

They do different jobs. Perplexity runs several makers' models, OpenAI's included, inside its own search with citations, and says a model there can behave differently from the same model in its maker's app.

How much does Perplexity cost?

Free, Pro at $20 a month and Max at $200 a month or $2,000 a year. Education Pro costs $10 a month with student or teacher verification.

Does Perplexity Pro include GPT-6 Astra?

Not in Search, where Pro includes GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6 Astra needs Max. Eligible Pro subscribers can use GPT-6 Astra for Computer tasks, which use credits.

Does a Perplexity subscription include API access?

No. Perplexity API usage and billing are separate from every subscription plan.

What do I get with Perplexity Free?

Unlimited basic searches, 3 Pro Searches a day and 1 Research query a month, with no model choice.

Which models does Perplexity Pro include?

GPT-6.1 Sol, Claude Sonnet 5.5, Gemini 3.8 Flash, Grok 4.7, Kimi K3, GLM 5.3 and Nemotron 3.5 in Search.

Does ChatGPT include a coding agent?

Yes. Codex comes with every ChatGPT plan, from Free with GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app.

Related comparisons

Claude vs ChatGPT Gemini app vs ChatGPT Claude Code vs ChatGPT ChatGPT vs Grok ChatGPT vs DeepSeek Meta AI vs ChatGPT Microsoft Copilot vs ChatGPT Claude vs Perplexity ChatGPT page Perplexity page

Sources and method

Prices, specs and limits come from each maker's own pages. Benchmark scores come from independent benchmark publishers and the makers' announcements, with the setting each was measured in. Changes come from changelogs, deprecation pages and status pages. The summary is written from these facts only.