Side-by-side comparison · AI Assistants & LLMs
ChatGPT vs Google AI Studio 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.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Anyone who wants one general-purpose assistant that handles most everyday jobs.
Pick it if: Founders, marketers and developers who want to test Google's models or build a quick app without paying.
Pick it if: Anyone who researches as part of their job and is sick of having ten tabs open.
Overview
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Google AI Studio | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | OpenAI's all-rounder: chat, images, voice, web search and agents in one app. | Google's free workspace for testing Gemini models and building apps from a description. | Ask a question and get a short answer from the web, with links to every source. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $8/mo | $19.99/mo | $17/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Google AI Studio | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3Winner | 3.9 | 4.2 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 3.0 | 4.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers the job it's built for, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Google AI Studio | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | No | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | No | Yes |
| Browser extension | Yes | No | Yes |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | No | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes video | No | Yes | Yes |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | No | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 15/ 17 | 11/ 17 | 15/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Google AI Studio | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Trying it out and everyday questions. | FreeOur pick Free Testing models and building small prototypes. | Free Free Everyday questions and quick fact-checks. |
Go $8/mo Casual users who hit the free limits. | Google AI Pro $19.99/mo Regular users who also want the Gemini app upgrade. | ProOur pick $17/mo billed yearly Anyone who researches as part of their job. | |
PlusOur pick $20/mo Anyone using it most days for work. | Google AI Ultra From $99.99/mo Heavy builders who want the highest limits. | Max $167/mo billed yearly Power users running the Computer agent all day. | |
Pro From $100/mo Heavy users and people living in Codex. | Paid API Pay as you go, $10 prepay to start Apps in production and anyone with sensitive data. | Enterprise Pro $34/seat/mo billed yearly Teams that need admin controls and data protection. | |
Business See website Teams from 2 people up. | Enterprise Max $271/seat/mo billed yearly Research teams working with large datasets and files. | ||
| Which plan to pick | The free plan is now good enough to use properly, so stay on it until the image, voice or research limits annoy you. Plus is the sensible upgrade. Only look at Pro if you run Codex or deep research all day, and read the current tier details first: Pro 200 now comes with a smaller allowance than it did before 29 September. | Start free. If you're putting anything sensitive in or building something people will use, switch to a paid API key so your prompts aren't used for training. Google AI Pro only makes sense if you'd use the Gemini app upgrade too. | 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 | ChatGPT | Google AI Studio | Perplexity |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Google AI Studio | Perplexity |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Google AI Studio | Perplexity |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, ChatGPT, Google AI Studio or Perplexity?
ChatGPT scores highest overall in our ratings (ChatGPT 4.3/5, Google AI Studio 3.9/5 and Perplexity 4.2/5). ChatGPT is best for everyday questions and brainstorming and making and editing images in the chat. Google AI Studio is best for prototyping an app or internal tool by describing it and testing new Gemini models before they reach the app. Perplexity is best for fact-checking and quick research and competitor and market research.
Which is cheaper, ChatGPT, Google AI Studio or Perplexity?
ChatGPT: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $8/mo. Google AI Studio: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19.99/mo. Perplexity: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $17/mo.
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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