ChatGPT Plus vs Perplexity Pro: price, limits and newest models

ChatGPT Plus and Perplexity Pro both cost $20 a month; Perplexity is $17 billed yearly. Neither publishes a count. Plus has OpenAI's models, GPT-6 Astra only in Work and Codex; Perplexity lets you pick one of six, GPT-6 Sol among them, for cited search. llmwise Pro ($20) counts every model either names: up to 125 GPT-6 Sol messages a month.

Checked September 28, 2026: OpenAI Help Center: What is ChatGPT Plus?, OpenAI Help Center: Managing usage with GPT-6 Astra in Work and Codex, ChatGPT pricing, OpenAI: Introducing GPT-6 Sol and Luna, Perplexity pricing, Perplexity Help Center: What is Perplexity Pro? and Perplexity Pro.

Start free See pricing

ChatGPT Plus vs Perplexity Pro, side by side

Each company's figures, checked September 28, 2026; the quotes behind them are on each plan's page.

ChatGPT Plus and Perplexity Pro side by side
	ChatGPT Plus	Perplexity Pro
Price a month	$20	$20
Billed yearly	Monthly only	$17 a month
In India	Not published	Not published
Limits, in brief	No fixed count; an estimated 5–45 GPT-6 Astra messages every 5 hours, in Work and Codex	No count; weekly Pro Search limits for average use
Newest models	GPT-6 Astra: not in its chat; GPT-6 Sol: not in its chat; GPT-6 Luna: not in its chat	GPT-6 Sol: in its chat; Gemini 3.8 Flash: in its chat; Claude Sonnet 5: in its chat; Kimi K3: in its chat; GLM 5.3: in its chat; Grok 4.7: in its chat
Also in the plan	“Expanded Codex usage” (ChatGPT pricing)	“Every answer includes inline citations from trusted sources, so you can verify claims and make confident decisions.” (Perplexity Pro)

What limits do OpenAI and Perplexity publish?

“To ensure a smooth experience for all users, Plus subscriptions may include usage limits such as message caps, especially during high demand. These limits may vary based on system conditions.”
Source: OpenAI Help Center: What is ChatGPT Plus?
“More usage limits and memory”
Source: Perplexity pricing

Should you pick ChatGPT Plus or Perplexity Pro?

Research with sources
Perplexity Pro: cited answers and data sources, with the model picked for you or by you.
Writing, voice and coding
ChatGPT Plus: Codex, voice and image creation, which Perplexity's Pro page doesn't offer.
Knowing what you get
llmwise: each model's count before you send, for the models both name.

Do OpenAI and Perplexity train on your chats?

As each company's privacy pages put it on September 28, 2026. Neither question arises on llmwise: it doesn't train on your content, and you decide when a chat is deleted.

ChatGPT Plus and Perplexity Pro: training and retention
App	Training on your chats	How to opt out	Retention
ChatGPT	Yes, unless you opt out	Turn off “Improve the model for everyone”, or use Temporary Chat	Temporary Chats up to 30 days; the page gives no period for saved chats
Perplexity	Yes, unless you opt out	Turn off the AI Data Usage toggle in Settings	Not stated on the page we read

“Data controls let you choose whether your conversations help train OpenAI models.”
Quoted from OpenAI Help Center: Data controls in ChatGPT
“Yes, we use this data to improve the search experience for our users.”
Quoted from Perplexity Help Center: What data does Perplexity collect about me?

Both in one: llmwise Pro

llmwise Pro ($20) beside both plans. Its monthly counts assume the allowance goes to one model.

ChatGPT Plus, Perplexity Pro and llmwise Pro: each model's count
Model	ChatGPT Plus	Perplexity Pro	llmwise Pro
GPT-6 Astra	In Work and Codex only: an estimated 5–45 every 5 hours	Not offered	Up to 31 a month
GPT-6.1 Sol	Not named on its pages	Not offered	Up to 125 a month
GPT-6 Sol	In Work and Codex; not in Chat yet	You can pick it; Perplexity publishes no count	Up to 125 a month
Gemini 3.8 Flash	Not offered: GPT only	You can pick it; Perplexity publishes no count	Up to 250 a month
Claude Sonnet 5	Not offered: GPT only	You can pick it; Perplexity publishes no count	Up to 125 a month
Kimi K3	Not offered: GPT only	You can pick it; Perplexity publishes no count	Up to 125 a month

Behind Pro's counts is a $7.50 monthly ceiling on AI cost, its fair-use limit: typical use stays under it, and huge messages or deep research get there first. Every limit, explained.

Each plan on its own, and more pairs

Bar chart: Messages on llmwise Pro ($20 a month), by model. Gemini 3.8 Flash: up to 250 a month; GPT-6.1 Sol: up to 125 a month; GPT-6 Sol: up to 125 a month; Claude Sonnet 5: up to 125 a month; Kimi K3: up to 125 a month; GPT-6 Astra: up to 31 a month. — From llmwise's plans. Each bar gives one model the whole month; the everyday models are counted per day.

ChatGPT Plus or Perplexity Pro: more questions

Which is better for research?

Perplexity: every answer comes with inline citations, and Pro adds sources like PitchBook and Statista. Plus searches the web too, but it's a chat first. llmwise searches when you ask, with Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok and more.

Which is cheaper for students?

Perplexity's Education Pro is $10 a month for verified students; ChatGPT Plus has a 4-month free offer for US college students until October 31, 2026.

ChatGPT Plus or Perplexity Pro? Ask GPT-6 Astra and Gemini 3.8 Flash first

Both are on llmwise Pro ($20): up to 31 a month on GPT-6 Astra, up to 250 a month on Gemini 3.8 Flash. Ask one, then switch; the second answers with the whole chat in view.