An AI assistant has emerged as a challenger for ChatGPT and is gaining much attention. Perplexity AI comes with a sought-after ‘Internet accessibility’ feature and a unique user experience. In this comparison between ChatGPT vs Perplexity AI, we learned more about these AI assistants than before.
We compared them on multiple parameters that would fetch us quality data and a clear understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.
Overview – ChatGPT vs Perplexity AI
We compared both the AI assistants on the parameters relevant to their features and limitations. Here’s a quick overview of their specifications and pricing details.
| Parameters | ChatGPT | Perplexity AI |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Creative writing | Providing real-time data |
| Language Model | GPT 3.5 & GPT 4 | GPT 3.5 & GPT 4 |
| User Experience | 4/5 | 4.2/5 |
| Pricing | $20/mo | $20/mo or $200/yearly |
| Real-time information | No | Yes |
Before starting with our comparison, let’s first get to know more about both AI assistants:
ChatGPT: Overview
Open AI and its brainchild need no introduction, as it has proved to be a blessing for researchers, students and anyone who knows how to use ChatGPT. With its record-breaking user signup, the USA contributes 12.31 % of ChatGPT’s user share.
BONUS: Get an insight into ChatGPT and its capabilities from our detailed article on ChatGPT.
Perplexity AI: Overview
Launched by Big Brains from Open AI, Meta, and Coursera’s past employees, Perplextiy AI’s team includes the creme a la creme students from the likes of Harvard, Stanford, and UC Berkley.
It uses Natural language processing (NLP) and Machine learning, similar to ChatGPT. This NLP allows the AI to understand the user prompts. It helps it to co-relate the questions with the data it has and provide a result.
Perplexity AI also has a mobile app available for Apple and Android devices which makes this stand out in front of ChatGPT.
ChatGPT and Perplexity AI – Differences
Let’s dive deep into comparing both of them and a key difference with each parameter
1. Language model
The language model is a critical source for interpreting human language and providing necessary responses. The language model of an AI defines its abilities and limitations.
Both ChatGPT and Perplexity AI rely on large language models. ChatGPT’s free version is based on GPT 3.5, while Perplexity AI’s free version is based on an older GPT 3 model.
Key difference – The free version of ChatGPT uses GPT 3.5, while Perplexity AIs’ free version works on the GPT 3 language.
ChatGPT language model
GPT is the most advanced and large multi-modal language, which can accept image and text inputs. Open AI has recently launched an upgrade to the ChatGPTplus features called ‘Code interpreter.’ This allows the tool to scan images, convert file types and create a GIF file.
Click here to read more about the new ChatGPT Code Interpreter.
Perplexity AI language model
Perplexity AI also uses a GPT 4 language model for its paid subscription plan for $20/mo with a 5 times usage free per 4 hours for an unsubscribed user. This is what makes Perplexity AI stand out, as it doesn’t limit the user to just the free version.
2. UI – Minimalistic UI
Both AI tools have a simple UI without any unnecessary complications or ads. This helps the user focus on the information and results and gives a clean experience.
Key difference: AI profile feature on Perplexity AI for user-curated results.
ChatGPT User Interface
ChatGPT allows users to access old chats in the left pane with options for dark themes, clear chats, deleting accounts, an option to opt out of training, etc.
The prompt generation is simple and is similar to searching for anything on a search engine. ChatGPT also gives a button to stop generating a prompt if you have given an incorrect or incomplete prompt.
Perplexity AI User Interface
My threads include the history of the prompts you gave to the bot accessible in one place.
Perplexity AI allows users to Discover topics they might be interested in. You can see these topics as ‘threads’ and add them to your own threads collection.
You can also see the number of people who have viewed the thread, the number of people who saved the thread, and the even likes it has got.
There’s another feature called the ‘AI profile’ where you briefly introduce yourself, your location and the language used. This helps the bot understand the user for making their experience more valuable.
3. Sources
While receiving a result on a prompt, we must get the source of that data. This helps trust the provided data and is an additional source of relevant information.
Key difference: Perplexity AI is prompt in providing the source of its result, while Perplexity AI cannot.
ChatGPT Source
ChatGPT, with its free version, does not give a source from which it has taken the information. A user has to be signed up for the ‘plus’ plan to access the internet and get the relevant links.
Perplexity AI Source
Perplexity AI possesses a unique quality of mentioning the sources of information it gives to the user, even with its free version. This helps the user to read more about the topic and verify the information provided with source links highlighted in the response.
4. Real-time information
For an AI assistant, it is an additional feature to get a piece of real-time information by using the internet. Many AI assistants out there, like Bing AI and Google Bard, can answer real-time questions.
Key difference: The ability to generate real-time current affair-related information with Perplexity AI.
ChatGPT Real-Time Information
ChatGPT, with its free version, is unable to provide answers to current affairs, and its data is only limited to September 2021. For any prompts related to a date after that, ChatGPT apologizes and does not give a result.
Perplexity AI Real-Time Information
Perplexity AI, on the other hand, effectively answers real-time information and relevant links or videos, even with its free access. This allows you to generate responses beyond any specific limit.
5. Search Engine Extension
Owing to their separate platforms, a user has to go on their individual platforms in order to use them. Works for AI assistants to be a part of web browsers are underway, and ChatGPT is rolling out official ChatGPT plugins for best AI Text Generators For Content Writing soon.
ChatGPT Extensions
ChatGPT currently doesn’t have the ability to integrate into a search engine and can only be used on its own platform. Its ‘Plus’ plan also does not have any extensions on a browser for everyone yet.
Perplexity AI Extensions
Giving to this ability to access the internet, Perplexity can integrate with Google Chrome and make Perplexity your default ‘search.’
Perplexity AI can also act as your browsing assistant helping you summarize and search the internet faster. We covered a selection of the Best Chrome Extensions for elevating your internet experience.
6. Prompt Generation
For this parameter, we asked both the participating bots to generate a response to three prompts and checked the difference in their responses. We asked them to:
- Write a letter
- Create a checklist
- Teach a language
Here’s how they did,
- Prompt used for the letter: Write a letter to Christopher Nolan for the guest lecture at your film academy
ChatGPT’s letter
ChatGPT nailed it out of the park and wrote a proper letter that served the purpose. Though it went a bit overboard with the length, it covered all the relevant points.
Perplexity AI’s letter
Perplexity AI probably lacked in this aspect as it only provided a letter without a proper column for the sender and the receiver’s address, which ChatGPT did in its response.
Bonus: AI can now even help you write essays. Check out our unbiased list best AI Essay writers and generators
- Prompt used for the checklist: I going on a hike tomorrow. Help me make a checklist.
ChatGPT’s Checklist
ChatGPT added an extra touch to the response, with first reacting positively about me going on a hike. Apart from the essentials required for hiking, it also helped me with some points to remember before starting my hike.
Perplexity AI’s checklist
Perplexity AI too, provided the required essentials, tips, and gear, but its response felt a bit robotic without an acknowledgment of the activity.
- Prompt used for translation: I am planning a trip to Paris tomorrow. Help me learn conversational French.
ChatGPT’s Translation
ChatGPT responded with bifurcations for different types of conversations with simple sentences and their translations.
Perplexity AI’s Translation
Perplexity AI got the idea wrong and instead gave me the sources which I could learn French from. It gave me Youtube links and helped me with the source where I can learn French.
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Verdict – Who’s Better?
Remember, this is not entirely a fair fight, with each of them lacking and excelling in either department. ChatGPT excels with its large training data and cannot access the internet.
While Perplexity AI boasts its internet access skill but lacks its language model and its ability to strike human-like conversations.
There’s no clear winner; both of them are like Fork and Spoon, both with different capabilities and both with different user intents. Only if something could be a byproduct of both of these.
Read our comparison between ChatGPT vs Google Bard vs Bing AI and see which one of these is capable of combining both ChatGPT and Perplexity AI.
FAQs
The key difference between Perplexity and ChatGPT is the language they work on. Perplexity uses a GPT 3 model and internet access, and ChatGPT uses a GPT 3.5 model without internet access.
Yes, Perplexity uses Open AI’s GPT 3 language model as a base of working.
Many AI assistants are competing with ChatGPT for the title of the best. Among ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Bing AI, we found Bing AI to be the best in terms of multiple aspects.
