Plus
$20/mo
Limits Expanded messages/uploads, advanced reasoning with GPT-6, expanded deep research and Codex. 'Limits apply'; message caps may vary with demand and are not published.Source: help.openai.com · checked 2026-10-16
ChatGPT vs Perplexity: pricing and usage limits (Oct 2026)
ChatGPT starts at $8/mo, Perplexity at $17/mo billed yearly. Both have a free plan. Every plan from both vendors, the limits each one actually publishes, and what changed recently, with a source on every line.
The short answer
Verdict from the data
- Cheaper to start
- ChatGPT. ChatGPT Go is $8/mo; the cheapest Perplexity plan, Perplexity Pro, is $17/mo billed yearly ($9 more).
- Free plan
- Both have one. What each includes is quoted under Free plans below.
- Top of the ladder
- ChatGPT Pro 500 at $500/mo vs Perplexity Max at $167/mo billed yearly.
- Hard numbers
- ChatGPT doesn't publish exact allowances, so the limits below are quoted, not counted.
- Latest move
- ChatGPT, 29 Sep 2026: ChatGPT Pro 500 ($500/mo) launched; Pro 200 reopened with a lower usage allowance.
Pick ChatGPT if you want the lowest monthly bill. Beyond price and free access, the deciding factor is which models and features you need; we track the money, not the model quality.
Head to head
| Fact | ChatGPT | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free tier | Free tier |
| Cheapest plan | Go · $8/mo | Pro · $17/mo billed yearly |
| Top plan | Pro 500 · $500/mo | Max · $167/mo billed yearly |
| Plans tracked | 5 | 4 |
| Yearly discount | None shown | Yearly prices only |
| Allowance periods | Not stated | WeeklyMonthly |
| Latest change | new tierlimit cut | None logged |
| Last checked |
One vendor only publishes billed-yearly prices, so this page compares per-month prices billed yearly where offered.
Closest price match: ChatGPT Plus vs Perplexity Pro
Pro
$17/mo billed yearly
$17/mo billed annually (monthly price not shown on page)
Limits Pro Searches, Research queries, Comet assistant and file/app creation all 'weekly/monthly limits (average use)'; numbers not published. Limited-time +$40 Computer credits.Source: perplexity.ai · checked 2026-10-16
Every plan side by side
| Tool | Plan | Price | Limits as stated & source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Go | $8/mo | More messages with tools, more uploads, image creation and voice than Free; longer memory. May include ads. Exact caps not published. Source: chatgpt.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| ChatGPT | Plus | $20/mo | Expanded messages/uploads, advanced reasoning with GPT-6, expanded deep research and Codex. 'Limits apply'; message caps may vary with demand and are not published. Source: help.openai.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| ChatGPT | Pro 100 | $100/mo | Pro reasoning (GPT-6 Astra), longer Codex/Work sessions, 'unlimited' subject to abuse guardrails. Lowest of three Pro tiers; per-model allowances vary by tier and are not published. Source: help.openai.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| ChatGPT | Pro 200 | $200/mo | More usage than Pro 100. New (non-grandfathered) Pro 200 subscriptions get a lower usage allowance than previously offered. Source: help.openai.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| ChatGPT | Pro 500 | $500/mo | Highest included usage; includes GPT-6 Astra Ultrafast and GPT-6.1 Sol Ultrafast. Source: help.openai.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Perplexity | Pro | $17/mo billed yearly | Pro Searches, Research queries, Comet assistant and file/app creation all 'weekly/monthly limits (average use)'; numbers not published. Limited-time +$40 Computer credits. Source: perplexity.ai · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Perplexity | Max | $167/mo billed yearly | 'Unlimited usage'; 10,000 monthly credits; limits '(advanced use)' not quantified. Limited-time +$450 Computer credits. Source: perplexity.ai · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Perplexity | Education Pro | $10/mo | Everything in Pro for verified students/educators (SheerID). Source: perplexity.ai · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Perplexity | Enterprise Pro | $40/mo | 400 Pro Searches/week; 50 Research/month; 80 Comet queries/month; 100 file-upload sessions/week. Source: perplexity.ai · checked 2026-10-16 |
Free plans
| Tool | Free? | What you get for $0 & source |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Free tier | Free $0: 'Unlimited text chats with GPT-6' subject to abuse guardrails; limited uploads, image creation, voice, deep research, memory, Codex access. Help center says Free users have GPT-5.6 Luna; tools have separate limits. Ads may appear in some countries. Source: chatgpt.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Perplexity | Free tier | Free (Standard): 'practically unlimited basic searches'; Pro Searches 3/day; Research queries 1/month; no advanced models or image generation; limited file uploads. Source: perplexity.ai · checked 2026-10-16 |
Recent price and limit changes
-
new tierlimit cutChatGPT Pro 500 ($500/mo) launched; Pro 200 reopened with a lower usage allowance
Pro 500 adds Ultrafast GPT-6 Astra / GPT-6.1 Sol. New, non-grandfathered Pro 200 subscriptions get a lower allowance; grandfathered users keep the old allowance through Oct 29, 2026.
-
new tierChatGPT adds a $100/month Pro tier (5x Plus Codex usage)
New Pro tier between Plus ($20) and Pro ($200); temporary 10x Codex promo through May 31, 2026. Plus Codex usage rebalanced across the week.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, ChatGPT or Perplexity?
ChatGPT is cheaper to start: ChatGPT Go costs $8/mo, against $17/mo billed yearly for Perplexity Pro. At the top end, ChatGPT Pro 500 is $500/mo and Perplexity Max is $167/mo billed yearly.
Is ChatGPT or Perplexity free?
ChatGPT: Yes. Free $0: 'Unlimited text chats with GPT-6' subject to abuse guardrails; limited uploads, image creation, voice, deep research, memory, Codex access. Help center says Free users have GPT-5.6 Luna; tools have separate limits. Ads may appear in some countries. Perplexity: Yes. Free (Standard): 'practically unlimited basic searches'; Pro Searches 3/day; Research queries 1/month; no advanced models or image generation; limited file uploads.
How do the usage limits compare at the closest price?
ChatGPT Plus ($20/mo): Expanded messages/uploads, advanced reasoning with GPT-6, expanded deep research and Codex. 'Limits apply'; message caps may vary with demand and are not published. Perplexity Pro ($17/mo billed yearly): Pro Searches, Research queries, Comet assistant and file/app creation all 'weekly/monthly limits (average use)'; numbers not published. Limited-time +$40 Computer credits.
When did ChatGPT and Perplexity last change their pricing?
29 Sep 2026, ChatGPT: ChatGPT Pro 500 ($500/mo) launched; Pro 200 reopened with a lower usage allowance. 9 Apr 2026, ChatGPT: ChatGPT adds a $100/month Pro tier (5x Plus Codex usage).
Free to cite. All data is CC BY 4.0: quote, embed or republish it with a link to AI Plan Tracker. Raw data: tools.json · changes.json. Spotted an error? Every fact links to its source and the date we checked it.