Hajra Naz
OpenAI deserves the majority of the credit for the boom in artificial intelligence because it has paved the way for other businesses. Although Perplexity is trained primarily as a chatbot, it is based on OpenAI’s GPT technology.
In light of this, let’s compare the two in a variety of criteria (such as base technology, response quality, and stability) to see which is more qualified to serve as your virtual chat/research assistant.
1. GPT-3 vs. GPT-4 technology:
The main distinction between the two chatbots is, by far, their different language models. The GPT-3 model, a previous iteration of OpenAI’s language model, is used by Perplexity. It has been replaced by GPT-3.5 and GPT-4, but it is still an effective tool for producing coherent content that is pertinent to the surrounding context.
You can access more recent language models, GPT-3.5 (essentially an improved version of GPT-3), and GPT-4 with ChatGPT Plus, the commercial version of the free OpenAI chatbot, ChatGPT. It is now more accurate and can comprehend complex requests because it was trained on a bigger data set.
GPT-4 builds on these advancements by adding multimodal features that allow it to comprehend text and visuals. Additionally, it has improved problem-solving abilities and a greater comprehension of context. It is clear that GPT-4 is significantly more amazing than its predecessor when you combine that with improved creativity and safer responses.
2. Functionality:
The functioning of the two tools is distinct. With a September 2021 deadline, ChatGPT’s expertise is constrained to the data it has been trained on. However, it excels at having natural conversations with you, which makes it more useful in particular circumstances.
Perplexity, on the other hand, functions more like a search engine that offers sources and suggestions in response to your inquiries. It is intended to do real-time web searches to deliver the most recent information on a variety of topics. However, the ability to hold a conversation is a little lacking. In this regard, ChatGPT undoubtedly feels more sophisticated. We requested both chatbots to provide information on the top Android devices coming out in 2022 to highlight the functional differences between them.
Although ChatGPT gave us a thorough answer outlining its justification, it failed to provide any links. This is due to the chatbot’s inability to perform web searches.
Identical instruction was given to Perplexity, which then gave us links to the top Android phones that would have been available in 2022. Even if the decision was supported by sources, which is a crucial component of educating the consumer, the decision was not elaborated upon.
3. Pricing:
For its services, ChatGPT Plus charges $20 per month, which might not seem like much to some. However, Perplexity is fully free and has a business model that appears extremely aggressive in this situation. Naturally, it might eventually try to charge for the service.
Additionally, ChatGPT’s free version is accessible. It performs admirably but prevents access to GPT-4. Since OpenAI spends a lot of money operating its chatbot, they need to find a way to make money off of it.
However, if you want access to GPT-4 and first dibs on new improvements, ChatGPT Plus is still well worth the money. There is no clear victor in this case because Perplexity is also worthwhile to try out given that it is free.
4. Responses:
We ran a number of tests with the two chatbots to compare their responses and performance. For a more thorough investigation, we asked the identical questions of both language models.
The testing showed that by offering thorough and understandable responses, ChatGPT Plus regularly surpassed Perplexity. Additionally, it proved to be far better at giving thoughtful, detailed responses.
Responses from perplexity were of acceptable quality but fell short of ChatGPT Plus’s degree of precision and depth. However, it was able to provide reliable sources to support its assertions.
According to these results, ChatGPT Plus outperforms Perplexity in terms of producing insightful and informative responses. Perplexity, on the other hand, has the ability to search the internet, which means it occasionally has superior accuracy.
5. Supported Platforms:
Despite having a premium edition and a sizable user base, ChatGPT Plus is only accessible online. There isn’t a dedicated ChatGPT mobile application, but you can try it out from an iOS or Android device.
Perplexity is accessible both online and through an iPhone app. This implies that one of the most effective search engines is conveniently accessible right from your pocket. Unfortunately, the app doesn’t yet have an Android version.
Users can issue prompts hands-free using the voice command feature of the Perplexity app. Although there are methods for voice control of ChatGPT Plus, there is no official function that can assist you in doing so.
6. Speed and Stability:
Both ChatGPT Plus and Perplexity are equally fast. Although ChatGPT’s GPT-4 model is slower than the GPT-3.5 model, it is hardly noticeable when measured against GPT-3 in Perplexity. The default GPT-3.5 model is unquestionably the quickest of all of these models.
In terms of stability, ChatGPT is frequently known to crash when it reaches capacity. Since it is currently the most well-liked chatbot, demand is very high. Fortunately, stability is not a problem if you purchase the Plus version. This problem is not at all present in perplexity.
7. Comparison with Bing:
Microsoft was able to include a GPT-4 variant in Bing thanks to their investment in OpenAI. Their most recent AI-powered chatbot/search engine, Bing Chat, has been very successful. By installing the Bing AI app, you may use it on both the web and your phone.
It functions in a manner similar to Perplexity, but with the more recent GPT-4 language model. Bing Chat is therefore the best of both worlds. It can give sources, obtain information from the internet in real time, and solve challenging issues.
Unfortunately, it still seems to be in the beta stage right now. Because of Microsoft’s conservative stance, Bing Chat will not reply to prompts it deems to be “controversial.” Despite this, since it’s free, it’s still worthwhile to try.
Conclusion:
If you wish to improve your writing, coding, or research projects, both ChatGPT Plus and Perplexity have special features and benefits to offer. Perplexity can search the web in real time, but ChatGPT Plus is just as beneficial because it is more flexible and produces better results.
Because of its better replies and focus on detail, ChatGPT might win out in this case, but we still advise giving them a shot. Your needs and preferences will ultimately determine whatever option you choose.
