Perplexity AI or Bing Chat is better AI search engine?

As soon as Microsoft added ChatGPT capabilities to Bing, it immediately expanded the functionality of the search engine. Bing is now more than just an alternative to Google Search. Bing Chat has a similar interface to ChatGPT and allows you to use GPT-4 for free along with unlimited Internet access.

However, Bing Chat is not without competitors. Perplexity AI is the only AI-powered search engine that can compete with Microsoft's product. It's fast, accurate, and has a nice user interface. Today we will directly compare the two and see which AI search engine is better.

1. Technology (GPT-3 vs GPT-4)

By default, the LLM (Large Language Model) on which Perplexity is based is GPT-3. However, it also has a Copilot mode that supports GPT-4. It's a kind of guided search experience that prompts you to provide additional information to create personalized and detailed answers.

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So if you ask Perplexity about laptops under $1000, it will try to discover your use case, the screen size you prefer, and the battery life you expect. It will then come up with a personalized list of recommendations, tailored to your needs.

You can only use Copilot mode once logged in and only for 5 queries before reloading (every 4 hours). You can get access to more uses if you subscribe to Perplexity Pro for $20/month, which will also give you unlimited access to GPT-4.

Bing Chat, on the other hand, only uses the GPT-4 model. It also has a limit of 20 questions, but that's a per session limit and you can have 10 sessions per day. The GPT-4 is far superior to its predecessors thanks to its improved language processing and the ability to recognize complex patterns.

When it comes to usability, Perplexity leads the way. However, the winner here belongs to Bing Chat, as it offers more applications thanks to GPT-4 technology.

2. Functions

Both Bing Chat and Perplexity AI are available as browser apps that you can access online. While Perplexity doesn't restrict the browser you use, Bing does, forcing you to use Microsoft Edge if you want more than 5 responses in total.

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When it comes to mobile apps, Perplexity AI doesn't require any registration or login for the GPT-3 model (free version of Quick mode), but it does for Copilot mode. Bing Chat, on the other hand, requires you to sign in with your Microsoft account before using the chatbot on iOS, although it doesn't require login or registration on desktop or Android.

When comparing Bing Chat with Perplexity AI, it is important to remember that Bing Chat is a chatbot built on top of a traditional search engine. As such, you will have to open the chatbot separately whenever you want to use it. This is true for both desktop and mobile versions.

On the contrary, Perplexity takes you right into the chatbot interface (which also comes with a nice dark mode) when you open a website or launch an app.

3. Speed

When it comes to speed, Perplexity AI wins resoundingly. If you are using GPT-3 model, Perplexity will always be faster than Bing Chat, ChatGPT, Bard and other popular chatbots. Perplexity is fast but also accurate because it gives you the source of all the responses it gives. Copilot mode is significantly slower, but still faster than Bing Chat.

Microsoft's AI search engine tends to be more careful with its responses. It takes up to a few seconds to search for related sources that can help it respond to queries. While this means Bing Chat is highly accurate in most cases, it tends to be very slow.

If you need to find something fast and the response is brief, Perplexity will be a better choice. While you may prefer Bing Chat because it has less-restricted GPT-4 access, it's hard to deny that it's slow.

4. Check accuracy with custom prompts

A good way to compare the different modes of these two AI search engines is to send the same reminder. When asked for the best gaming laptop for $700, Perplexity AI did a great job with the GPT-3 in Quick mode. It immediately lists 6 great laptops, along with relevant links to reviews and stores to buy them.

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However, Perplexity's Copilot mode really gets the job done. It lists the best laptops under $700, along with a small review, that highlights the laptop's key features.

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Bing Chat's Balanced mode is supposed to give detailed answers, but it's not. It only lists some laptops, not even mentioning their key specifications.

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Switching to Precise mode improved things a bit. Bing Chat reads articles on the web and talks about some laptops that different websites recommend. However, it did ask the author what kind of laptop he was looking for, encouraging a longer conversation on the subject, much like Perplexity's Copilot mode.

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While both chatbots mostly make accurate suggestions, Perplexity AI is definitely more useful. It provides detailed answers and even presents reviews for each laptop.

5. Stability

When it comes to stability, Perplexity AI has absolutely no problems and is almost always available. At worst, it will sometimes suffer from AI hallucination, a term that describes unwanted outputs or misinformation generated by AI chatbots. However, it won't abruptly end the conversation or stop responding.

Bing Chat is also available most of the time, but its response is unpredictable. Whenever the chatbot is confused or thinks something controversial is asked, it will abruptly end the conversation. You will have to start a new session every time this happens (it happens more often than you think), making it a major obstacle to the chatbot's usability.

6. Ability to communicate

Although Perplexity AI also offers GPT-4 mode, it is Bing Chat that really benefits from it. The GPT-4 model is much better than the GPT-3 at holding human-like conversations and remembering previous responses.

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Bing Chat takes full advantage of this, making the most of its conversational capabilities. You can hold a very human-like conversation - the chatbot will even use emojis from time to time. Perplexity really can't beat Bing's conversational capabilities.

Which AI search engine should you use?

In the end, it depends on your preference and the platform that you mainly use. Both Perplexity AI and Bing Chat have their own strengths and weaknesses, and you should choose the one that suits your use case better.

For instance, Bing Chat would be a good choice if you are looking for a super conversational chatbot and you are a Microsoft Edge user by default. However, you should consider Perplexity AI if you like quick responses without switching browsers.

Micah Soto

Update 24 July 2023