Side-by-side comparison · AI Assistants & LLMs

Artificial Analysis 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

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Perplexity

4.2

From $17/mo

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Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.

At a glance

Artificial Analysis4.3

Best overallBest value

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

Perplexity4.2

Easiest to use

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

Overview

Attribute	Artificial Analysis	Perplexity
In one line	Free, independent scores for how smart, fast and cheap each AI model is.	Ask a question and get a short answer from the web, with links to every source.
Pricing model	Free	Freemium
Starting price	Free	$17/mo
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Works with Claude Code	Yes	Yes

Rating breakdown

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

Attribute	Artificial Analysis	Perplexity
Overall rating	4.3Winner	4.2
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.	3.5	4.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.	4.0	3.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.	4.5	4.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.	5.0	4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.	4.5	4.5

Feature comparison

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

Attribute	Artificial Analysis	Perplexity
Access & platform
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Mobile app	No	Yes
Desktop app	No	Yes
Browser extension	No	Yes
API access	Yes	Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace	No	Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO	No	Yes
Connects to other apps	No	Yes
Open source or self-hosted	No	No
AI abilities
Works with your files	No	Yes
Understands images	–	Yes
Makes images	No	Yes
Makes video	No	Yes
Writes code	No	Yes
Runs agents or automations	No	Yes
Learns your brand or style	–	No
Works in many languages	–	Yes
Capabilities score	2/ 17	15/ 17

Pricing

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

Attribute	Artificial Analysis	Perplexity
Plans	FreeOur pick Free Everyone choosing between AI models.	Free Free Everyday questions and quick fact-checks.
	Commercial Custom Companies that need deeper data or custom testing.	ProOur pick $17/mo billed yearly Anyone who researches as part of their job.
		Max $167/mo billed yearly Power users running the Computer agent all day.
		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 pick	Use the free site. The paid data and custom testing are for AI companies and large businesses comparing models at scale.	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

Attribute	Artificial Analysis	Perplexity
Standout features	Intelligence Index Speed and cost Media arenas Coding agent index Model Recommender Free API	Cited answers Deep research Comet browser Computer Spaces Choice of models

Pros and cons

Attribute	Artificial Analysis	Perplexity
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	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	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

Attribute	Artificial Analysis	Perplexity
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	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	Researchers Marketers Consultants Founders

Questions people ask

Which is better, Artificial Analysis or Perplexity?

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

Which is cheaper, Artificial Analysis or Perplexity?

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

Which is easier to use, Artificial Analysis 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.

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

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