vs
Perplexity vs Microsoft Copilot Search
Perplexity scores higher overall (8.8 vs 7.8), but the right pick depends on what you need.
Choose Perplexity if…
Getting a quick, sourced answer you can check claim by claim
8.8/10★★★★★Full review →Choose Microsoft Copilot Search if…
Bing and Windows users who want free cited answers without signing in
7.8/10★★★★★Full review →Side by side
| Perplexity | Microsoft Copilot Search | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 8.8/10 | 7.8/10 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 7 | #6 of 7 |
| Price | Freemium · from $20/month | Free |
| Free version | Unlimited basic searches and about 5 Pro searches a day | Copilot Search in Bing is free and works without signing in |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
| Made by | Perplexity AI | Microsoft |
| Answer quality | 8.5 | 7 |
| Ease of use | 9.5 | 8.5 |
| Features | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Value for money | 8.5 | 9 |
| Platforms | 9 | 8.5 |
Perplexity: what the AI does
- Cited answers from live web results
- Pro Search for harder questions
- Research mode for multi-step reports
- Choice of GPT, Claude and Gemini models on Pro
- Search with uploaded photos and files
- Numbered inline citations are the easiest to audit
- Basic search works without signing in
- One Pro plan covers several frontier models
- Highly rated iPhone and Android apps
- Free tier's Auto mode doesn't say which model answered
- Citations can sound confident without fully backing the claim
- Signed-out searches disappear after 14 days
Microsoft Copilot Search: what the AI does
- Answers with inline links to sources
- Full list of every source used, in one click
- Suggested follow-up searches
- Images and videos from publishers in results
- Free with no account
- Clear inline citations and full source list
- Mixes AI answers with normal web results
- Built into the Bing app and Edge
- Follow-ups are suggested searches rather than a true chat
- No deeper research mode or model choice in search
- Microsoft's AI search is split across Bing and the Copilot app