Claude versus Perplexity
Claude and Perplexity compared on what matters day to day: price, features, apps and privacy.
Data as of October 22, 2026
Side-by-side comparison
| Criterion | Claude | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Anthropic | Perplexity AI |
| Country | United States | United States |
| Launched | July 2023 | Not disclosed |
| Free version | Yes, limited | Yes, limited |
| Plans | from $20 / month | from $10 / month |
| Web search | Yes | Yes |
| Agent mode | Yes | Yes |
| File upload | Yes | Yes |
| Image generation | Not disclosed | Yes |
| Voice mode | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Memory | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | Not disclosed |
| Autonomous browsing | Yes | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Not disclosed |
| macOS | Yes | Not disclosed |
| Browser extension | Yes | Not disclosed |
| French interface | Yes | Yes |
| Spanish interface | Yes | Yes |
| Opt out of training on your chats | Yes | Yes |
| Temporary chat | Yes | Yes |
| EU data residency | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
Two assistants head to head
Claude is made by Anthropic, launched in 2023; Perplexity by Perplexity AI. Both answer questions, write and summarise, but their plans, features and privacy rules differ.
Claude runs on Claude Opus 5.5, Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Claude Haiku 5.5; Perplexity runs on Sonar.
Survey carried out on October 22, 2026 from the official pages of both services.
Free or paid?
At a comparable entry plan, Perplexity is the cheaper one. Higher tiers mostly add usage volume and advanced features.
- Claude: limited free version
- Perplexity: limited free version
- Claude: first paid plan at $20 per month
- Perplexity: first paid plan at $10 per month
Features
Both offer: web search, agent mode, file upload, memory and autonomous browsing.
Not confirmed for one of the two: image generation and code execution.
In total, of the 8 features we track, 6 are confirmed for Claude and 6 for Perplexity. A feature may only be available on a paid plan: check before you subscribe.
Where to use them
Both available on: Web, iPhone and Android.
Privacy compared
Both allow: opt out of training on your chats and temporary chat.
In short
The best way to decide is still to try both free versions on the same task. To widen the choice, use the AI assistants comparison or the which-AI quiz.
- Choose Claude for writing and rewriting and coding.
- Choose Perplexity for finding sourced information.
Other comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Claude or Perplexity: which one is free?
Claude: limited free version. Perplexity: limited free version.
Which one is cheaper?
Perplexity has the cheaper entry-level paid plan. Claude: first paid plan at $20 per month. Perplexity: first paid plan at $10 per month.
Which one protects my data best?
Our survey does not separate them: 2 of three safeguards confirmed on each side (training opt-out, temporary chat, EU data residency).
Which one should I choose?
Choose Claude for writing and rewriting and coding. Choose Perplexity for finding sourced information.
Data sources
Data as of October 22, 2026
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