Side-by-side comparison · AI Assistants & LLMs
LMArena 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.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Anyone choosing between AI tools, and people who want to know which model is leading right now.
Pick it if: Teams that care where their data lives, and anyone after a capable assistant for less money.
Pick it if: Anyone who researches as part of their job and is sick of having ten tabs open.
Perplexity scores highest overall, but LMArena gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | LMArena | Le Chat | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Free site where you compare AI models side by side and see which ones people rate best. | 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 model | Free | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | Free | $14.99/mo | $17/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | No | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | LMArena | Le Chat | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.2Winner |
| 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. | 3.5 | 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. | 3.0 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | LMArena | Le Chat | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | No | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | No | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | No | No | Yes |
| API access | No | 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 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes video | Yes | No | Yes |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | No | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | No | Yes | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 7/ 17 | 15/ 17 | 15/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | LMArena | Le Chat | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | FreeOur pick Free Everyone. | Free Free Everyday questions and a look at the Work and Code modes. | Free Free Everyday questions and quick fact-checks. |
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 pick | There's nothing to buy. Use it free, and pay for whichever assistant comes out best for your work. | 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
| Attribute | LMArena | Le Chat | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | LMArena | Le Chat | Perplexity |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | LMArena | Le Chat | Perplexity |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, LMArena, Le Chat or Perplexity?
Perplexity scores highest overall in our ratings (LMArena 3.8/5, Le Chat 4.1/5 and Perplexity 4.2/5). LMArena is best for choosing between AI models with your own prompts and checking which model leads after a launch. 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, LMArena, Le Chat or Perplexity?
LMArena: 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, LMArena, 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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