ChatGPT vs Perplexity

Both ChatGPT and Perplexity sit in AI Assistants for Accountants, and firms regularly shortlist them together. They are not interchangeable: ChatGPT is aimed at everyday research and drafting, while Perplexity is built for quick research with sources. ChatGPT has a free plan with paid tiers quoted by the vendor, and Perplexity has a free plan with paid tiers quoted by the vendor.

Choose ChatGPT if

• You need everyday research and drafting
• Free tier is genuinely useful
• Excellent for drafting and explaining

Choose Perplexity if

• You need quick research with sources
• Always shows sources
• Good for current information

What to watch either way

• ChatGPT: Will state incorrect things confidently
• Perplexity: Web sources vary in reliability

Testing them

ChatGPT has a free plan, and Perplexity has a free plan. Whichever you trial, run it on your messiest real documents rather than a clean demo file — that is where the difference between these two actually shows up.