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Side-by-side comparison ยท AI Assistants & LLMs

Artificial Analysis vs Le Chat 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

Le Chat

4.1

From $14.99/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: Teams that care where their data lives, and anyone after a capable assistant for less money.

Easiest to use

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

Overview

AttributeArtificial AnalysisLe ChatPerplexity
In one lineFree, independent scores for how smart, fast and cheap each AI model is.Mistral's fast European assistant, with a usable free plan and a cheaper Pro plan.Ask a question and get a short answer from the web, with links to every source.
Pricing modelFreeFreemiumFreemium
Starting priceFree$14.99/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 AnalysisLe ChatPerplexity
Overall rating4.3Winner4.14.2
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
3.5
3.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.5
3.5
4.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
5.0
4.5
4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.5
5.0
4.5

Feature comparison

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

AttributeArtificial AnalysisLe ChatPerplexity
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app No Yes Yes
Desktop app No Yes Yes
Browser extension No No 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 Yes No
AI abilities
Works with your files No Yes Yes
Understands imagesโ€“ Yes Yes
Makes images No Yes Yes
Makes video No No 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/ 1715/ 1715/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeArtificial AnalysisLe ChatPerplexity
Plans

FreeOur pick

Free

Everyone choosing between AI models.

Free

Free

Everyday questions and a look at the Work and Code modes.

Free

Free

Everyday questions and quick fact-checks.

Commercial

Custom

Companies that need deeper data or custom testing.

ProOur pick

$14.99/mo

Anyone who wants a capable daily assistant for less.

ProOur pick

$17/mo billed yearly

Anyone who researches as part of their job.

Team

$24.99/user/mo

Small teams that want shared billing and higher limits.

Max

$167/mo billed yearly

Power users running the Computer agent all day.

Enterprise

Custom

Organisations with compliance and custom needs.

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.The free plan is enough to see if the speed and tone suit you. Pro is good value at $14.99 and a sensible second assistant next to Claude. Students can get Pro for $5.99 a month for up to 12 months.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 AnalysisLe ChatPerplexity
Standout features
  • Intelligence Index
  • Speed and cost
  • Media arenas
  • Coding agent index
  • Model Recommender
  • Free API
  • Fast answers
  • Work mode
  • Code mode
  • Documents and images
  • Memory
  • EU hosting and open models
  • Cited answers
  • Deep research
  • Comet browser
  • Computer
  • Spaces
  • Choice of models

Pros and cons

AttributeArtificial AnalysisLe ChatPerplexity
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
  • EU hosting by default and open-weight models
  • Fastest responses in the category
  • Pro is cheaper than the equivalent OpenAI or Anthropic plan
  • Work mode runs real multi-step jobs across your apps
  • Clear, less preachy answers
  • 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
  • Reasoning and long-document quality trail Claude and ChatGPT
  • Smaller ecosystem of guides, plugins and community help
  • Free plan limits aren't published in plain numbers
  • The rename to Vibe and the new modes make it harder to find your way around
  • 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 AnalysisLe ChatPerplexity
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
  • Fast everyday questions
  • Privacy-conscious organisations
  • A cheaper paid plan
  • Reading and summarising documents
  • 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
  • Privacy-conscious teams
  • European businesses
  • Solo founders
  • Developers
  • Researchers
  • Marketers
  • Consultants
  • Founders

Questions people ask

Which is better, Artificial Analysis, Le Chat or Perplexity?

Artificial Analysis scores highest overall in our ratings (Artificial Analysis 4.3/5, Le Chat 4.1/5 and Perplexity 4.2/5). Artificial Analysis is best for checking which AI model is best right now and Comparing API prices and speeds. Le Chat is best for fast everyday questions and privacy-conscious organisations. Perplexity is best for fact-checking and quick research and competitor and market research.

Which is cheaper, Artificial Analysis, Le Chat or Perplexity?

Artificial Analysis: It's free to use. Le Chat: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $14.99/mo. Perplexity: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $17/mo.

Which is easier to use, Artificial Analysis, Le Chat 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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