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Side-by-side comparison ยท AI Assistants & LLMs

Artificial Analysis vs Google Gemini vs Perplexity

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Best overall

Artificial Analysis

4.3

Free to start

Google Gemini

4.2

From US$4.99/mo

Perplexity

4.2

From $17/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Best overallBest value

Pick it if: Anyone choosing an AI model or tool who wants independent numbers on quality, speed and price before paying.

Pick it if: People whose work already runs on Gmail, Google Workspace or an Android phone.

Easiest to use

Pick it if: Anyone who researches as part of their job and is sick of having ten tabs open.

Overview

AttributeArtificial AnalysisGoogle GeminiPerplexity
In one lineFree, independent scores for how smart, fast and cheap each AI model is.Google's assistant, built into Gmail, Docs, Drive and Android phones.Ask a question and get a short answer from the web, with links to every source.
Pricing modelFreeFreemiumFreemium
Starting priceFreeUS$4.99/mo$17/mo
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code Yes No Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeArtificial AnalysisGoogle GeminiPerplexity
Overall rating4.3Winner4.24.2
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
3.5
4.0
4.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.5
3.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.5
4.0
4.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
5.0
4.0
4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.5
4.5
4.5

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeArtificial AnalysisGoogle GeminiPerplexity
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app No Yes Yes
Desktop app No Yes Yes
Browser extension No Yes Yes
API access Yes Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace No Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO No Yes Yes
Connects to other apps No Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No No
AI abilities
Works with your files No Yes Yes
Understands imagesโ€“ Yes Yes
Makes images No Yes Yes
Makes video No Yes Yes
Writes code No Yes Yes
Runs agents or automations No Yes Yes
Learns your brand or styleโ€“ Yes No
Works in many languagesโ€“ Yes Yes
Capabilities score2/ 1716/ 1715/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeArtificial AnalysisGoogle GeminiPerplexity
Plans

FreeOur pick

Free

Everyone choosing between AI models.

Free

Free

Light use and seeing how it feels.

Free

Free

Everyday questions and quick fact-checks.

Commercial

Custom

Companies that need deeper data or custom testing.

Google AI Plus

US$4.99/mo

Casual users who want Gemini in Gmail and more storage.

ProOur pick

$17/mo billed yearly

Anyone who researches as part of their job.

Google AI ProOur pick

US$19.99/mo

Anyone who works in Google Workspace every day.

Max

$167/mo billed yearly

Power users running the Computer agent all day.

Google AI Ultra

From US$99.99/mo

Heavy creative and agent users.

Enterprise Pro

$34/seat/mo billed yearly

Teams that need admin controls and data protection.

Enterprise Max

$271/seat/mo billed yearly

Research teams working with large datasets and files.

Which plan to pickUse the free site. The paid data and custom testing are for AI companies and large businesses comparing models at scale.Skip the free plan for anything serious now that it's Flash-Lite only. AI Pro (US$19.99, or A$32.99 in Australia) is the one to buy: it's the cheapest way to get Gemini 4 Argon plus Gemini in Docs and Gmail, and the 5 TB of storage offsets a Google One bill. Ultra is for people generating video all day.Start free and see how often you hit the Pro search limit. If you research most days, Pro pays for itself in saved tabs. Its 4,000 bonus Computer credits are a one-off and run out after about 30 days, so don't count them as a monthly allowance. Max only makes sense if you're using the Computer agent heavily enough to burn through the credits.

Key features

AttributeArtificial AnalysisGoogle GeminiPerplexity
Standout features
  • Intelligence Index
  • Speed and cost
  • Media arenas
  • Coding agent index
  • Model Recommender
  • Free API
  • Gemini in Gmail, Docs and Drive
  • Deep Research
  • Image and video making
  • Gemini Live and desktop apps
  • Tasks and connected apps
  • Gemini in Chrome
  • Cited answers
  • Deep research
  • Comet browser
  • Computer
  • Spaces
  • Choice of models

Pros and cons

AttributeArtificial AnalysisGoogle GeminiPerplexity
Pros
  • Free and independent
  • Covers text, image, video, speech and coding agents
  • Shows speed and price, not just quality
  • Updated quickly when new models launch
  • Free API for the data
  • Reads and acts on your Gmail, Docs and Drive directly
  • AI Pro bundles the top model, Workspace features and 5 TB of storage for one price
  • Deep Research is included even on the free plan
  • Fast, and the mobile and Android experience is polished
  • Video and image generation included on paid plans
  • Desktop apps for Windows and Mac as well as the web
  • Sources on every answer make it the easiest assistant to fact-check
  • Short, direct answers instead of padded essays
  • Free plan is useful on its own and Comet is free
  • Lets you pick from the best models from several companies
  • Fast, and the mobile app is good
Cons
  • A reference site you check, with nothing to do your work in
  • Test scores don't always match how a model handles your tasks
  • Dense charts take some getting used to
  • Free plan is now Flash-Lite only, so it's weaker than the free tiers of ChatGPT or Claude
  • Plan names and model access keep changing, which is confusing
  • Writing quality sits behind Claude and the answers can be padded
  • Workspace features need a personal Google account or a Workspace admin to turn them on
  • Usage resets every 5 hours up to a weekly cap, and Google doesn't publish the numbers
  • Weak for long writing, planning or creative work
  • Computer credits are confusing: Pro's bonus credits expire after about 30 days, and Comet's browser actions and Automations spend them
  • Sources are sometimes low quality, so you still need to read them
  • Max is expensive for what most businesses need

Who each one is for

AttributeArtificial AnalysisGoogle GeminiPerplexity
Best for
  • Checking which AI model is best right now
  • Comparing API prices and speeds
  • Picking an image, video or voice model
  • Seeing how a new model stacks up on launch day
  • Searching and summarising your Gmail
  • Drafting in Google Docs
  • Image and video generation on paid plans
  • Hands-free help on Android
  • Fact-checking and quick research
  • Competitor and market research
  • Comparing products before you buy
  • Getting up to speed on a new topic
You'll find it used by
  • Developers
  • Founders
  • Journalists
  • AI enthusiasts
  • Investors
  • Google Workspace teams
  • Marketers
  • Small business owners
  • Android users
  • Researchers
  • Marketers
  • Consultants
  • Founders

Questions people ask

Which is better, Artificial Analysis, Google Gemini or Perplexity?

Artificial Analysis scores highest overall in our ratings (Artificial Analysis 4.3/5, Google Gemini 4.2/5 and Perplexity 4.2/5). Artificial Analysis is best for checking which AI model is best right now and Comparing API prices and speeds. Google Gemini is best for searching and summarising your Gmail and drafting in Google Docs. Perplexity is best for fact-checking and quick research and competitor and market research.

Which is cheaper, Artificial Analysis, Google Gemini or Perplexity?

Artificial Analysis: It's free to use. Google Gemini: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at US$4.99/mo. Perplexity: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $17/mo.

Which is easier to use, Artificial Analysis, Google Gemini or Perplexity?

Perplexity rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Anyone who researches as part of their job and is sick of having ten tabs open.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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