Much of the credit for the AI boom goes to OpenAI, which has opened the door for other companies. Perplexity is based on OpenAI’s GPT technology but is specifically trained as a chatbot.
With that in mind, we pit the two against each other in various categories (like core technology, response quality, and stability) to determine which is better trained to be your chat/research virtual assistant.
1. Technology (GPT-3 vs. GPT-4)
The difference in language model is by far the biggest gap between the two chatbots. Perplexity uses the GPT-3 model, an older generation of OpenAI’s language model. Although it has been superseded by GPT-3.5 and GPT-4, it is still a powerful tool for generating consistent and contextually relevant text.
ChatGPT Plus (the paid version of the free OpenAI chatbot, ChatGPT) gives you access to new language models, GPT-3.5 (basically an improved version of GPT-3) and GPT-4. It was trained on an even larger dataset, making it more accurate and able to understand complex requests.
GPT-4 takes these improvements even further with multimodal capabilities that allow it to understand images and text. He also has a better understanding of context and better problem solving skills. Combine that with better creativity and more confident responses, and it’s evident that GPT-4 is far more impressive than its predecessor.
2. Functionality
Both tools are different in terms of functionality. ChatGPT’s knowledge is limited to the data it was trained on, with a cutoff date of September 2021. But its strength lies in its ability to engage in natural conversations with you, which may be more useful for some applications.
On the other hand, Perplexity is more of a search engine that provides hints and sources in answer to your questions. It is designed to search the web in real time to provide up-to-date information on various topics. However, conversational skills are a bit low. ChatGPT certainly feels more refined in this regard. To illustrate the difference in functionality, we asked both chatbots to tell us about the best Android smartphones released in 2022.
ChatGPT provided a detailed response explaining their reasoning but did not provide us with any links. This is because the chatbot is unable to search the web.
We gave Perplexity the same tip and gave us links to the best Android smartphones released in the year 2022. He also provided the sources for his decision but didn’t elaborate on his picks which is an important aspect of educating the buyer.
3. Prices
ChatGPT Plus charges $20 a month (which may not seem like a lot to many) for its services. On the other hand, Perplexity is available completely free of charge and looks quite aggressive here with its business model. Of course, it may try to monetize the service in the future.
You can also use the free version of ChatGPT. It works quite well but it doesn’t give you access to GPT-4. OpenAI is spending a lot of money to maintain their chatbot, so they need to monetize it somehow.
Plus, ChatGPT Plus is still worth it, especially if you want GPT-4 access and priority access to new features. There’s no clear winner here, as Perplexity is also worth a try, considering it’s free.
4. Answers
To compare response performance, we conducted a series of tests between the two chatbots. We presented the same questions to both language models for better analysis.
Tests revealed that ChatGPT Plus consistently outperformed Perplexity by providing detailed and clear answers. Furthermore, he has demonstrated a superior ability to provide reasoned and elaborate answers.
Perplexity produced decent quality responses but lacked the level of clarity and detail that ChatGPT Plus displayed. However, it was able to back up its claims with adequate sources.
These results suggest that ChatGPT Plus is more effective at generating informative and insightful responses than Perplexity. On the other hand, Perplexity can search the web, which means that it can have higher accuracy in some cases.
5. Platforms Supported
Although ChatGPT Plus has a paid version and a huge user base, it is only available for the web. You can try to use ChatGPT from your iOS or Android device, but there is no suitable mobile application.
Perplexity is also available on the web, but also as an app for iPhone users. This means that you can easily access one of the most powerful search engines right from your pocket. Unfortunately, there is no Android version of the app yet.
Download: Perplexity for iOS (Free)
The Perplexity app also boasts a voice command feature that allows users to text hands-free. While there are ways to control ChatGPT Plus with your voice, there is no official feature that can help you do that.
6. Speed and stability
In terms of speed, both ChatGPT Plus and Perplexity are equal. ChatGPT’s GPT-4 model is slower than the GPT-3.5 model, but when compared to GPT-3 in Perplexity, the difference is almost negligible. Of all these models, the default GPT-3.5 model is easily the fastest.
As far as stability is concerned, ChatGPT is often known to decrease when maxed out. It is the most popular chatbot right now, so the demand is extremely high. Thankfully stability isn’t an issue if you subscribe to the Plus version. Perplexity doesn’t have this issue at all.
7. Comparison with Bing
Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI has allowed them to embed a version of GPT-4 into Bing. Bing Chat is their newest AI-powered chatbot/search engine and it was really impressive. You can use it on the web and on your phone by downloading the Bing AI app.
It works similar to Perplexity, but uses the new GPT-4 language model. This means that Bing Chat is the best of both worlds. It can access information from the Internet in real time, provide sources and solve complex problems.
Unfortunately, it still looks like a beta version at the moment. Microsoft is being cautious with its approach, and that means Bing Chat simply won’t respond to requests it considers “controversial.” However, it’s still worth a try because it’s free.
ChatGPT Plus vs. Perplexity: two strikingly different chatbots
Both ChatGPT Plus and Perplexity offer unique features and benefits if you want to elevate your writing, coding or research projects. While ChatGPT Plus is more versatile and produces better responses, Perplexity is just as useful because it can search the web in real time.
ChatGPT might win here due to its best answers and attention to detail, but we recommend you at least try both. Whatever you decide to go for ultimately depends on your needs and preferences.
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