Google AI Mode vs ChatGPT vs Perplexity: I Asked All 3 the Same 10 Questions

Google AI Mode, ChatGPT and Perplexity all promise to replace the ten blue links, so I gave them the same 10 questions on their free plans and scored every answer. They tied on facts, a trick question and simple math. Where they split was local search, shopping and speed, and those differences decide which one belongs in your browser.

⚡ Short answer: Use Google AI Mode for everyday and local searches: it was the only one that found real places near me, and it answered in 2–3 seconds. Use Perplexity when you want sources and prices side by side. Use ChatGPT for multi-step tasks like planning and writing, where a follow-up builds on the last answer. All three scored 9 out of 10 in my test.

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Which is better: Google AI Mode, ChatGPT or Perplexity?

Short answer: None of them wins everything. In my 10-question test each tool got 9 answers fully right, so accuracy alone won't decide it. Google AI Mode wins local search and speed, Perplexity wins source-heavy research and price comparisons, and ChatGPT wins long tasks where each answer builds on the last. Pick by the job you do most.

What happened when I asked all three the same 10 questions?

Short answer: All three got the facts, the news, the trick question, the research question, the follow-up, the recommendation, the how-to and the math right. The three misses came on location and shopping: Perplexity found no local places, ChatGPT placed me in the wrong city, and Google AI Mode listed earbuds without prices at the top.

Each question tests one kind of search people run every day, and each had an answer I could check. Here's the full scorecard. ✅ means fully right, 🟡 means partly right, ❌ means it missed.

The tie on accuracy surprised me more than any single answer. A year of headlines about AI search making things up had me expecting at least one wrong fact or invented source. Instead, the real differences came down to where each tool thinks you are and how it lays out the answer.

One timing note: Perplexity labels its own work, and on screen it said "Researched 5s" for the news question and 11 seconds for shopping. The first words still appeared in about 2–3 seconds, which is the number I recorded.

Do they fall for a trick question?

Short answer: No. I asked all three why Google shut down Gmail, which never happened. Google AI Mode, ChatGPT and Perplexity each said Gmail is still running instead of inventing a reason. That's the test I trust most, because a false premise is where AI answers used to fail.

A passed test isn't a promise. AI search still gets things wrong, most often on niche topics with few good sources. If an answer will drive a decision, open at least one source. My guide to AI hallucinations covers the quick checks I use.

Which AI search is best for local results?

Short answer: Google AI Mode, by a wide margin. It used my Google account's location, named real Neapolitan pizzerias in my city with street addresses and lunch closing times, and linked their menus and booking pages. ChatGPT found real places in the wrong city, and Perplexity found none.

I asked "Best Neapolitan pizza near me open right now" from near Turin. AI Mode knew that and listed places open at lunch, down to the 14:30 and 15:00 kitchen closing times. It also answered in Italian, the language of my Google account, even though I asked in English. If you want English answers abroad, switch your Google language setting first.

ChatGPT estimated my location as Milan, about 140 km away, and gave three well-rated Milan pizzerias with ratings, price ranges and "open until 23:00". Useful if I lived there. Perplexity also guessed Milan, then said it couldn't get live listings and asked me to share my location.

What this means for you: for "near me" searches, open Google AI Mode first. ChatGPT and Perplexity seem to guess your city from your internet connection, and that guess can be wrong.

Which is best for shopping and prices?

Short answer: Perplexity gave the most usable shopping answer: a table with three earbuds, a price for each, the trade-offs and 36 sources. ChatGPT gave good picks and noticed I was in Italy. Google AI Mode picked solid models but led with specs, not the prices I asked for.

The three tools didn't agree on the picks. AI Mode chose the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC, EarFun Air Pro 4 and OnePlus Buds 3. ChatGPT and Perplexity both put the newer Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro first. Perplexity priced it at $145, while a review card in Google's own sources listed it at $169.99, over the budget.

That gap is the real lesson: AI shopping prices drift, so treat them as a shortlist and confirm the price on the store page before you buy. If you're shopping for earbuds in this range, my best AI earbuds under $150 guide goes deeper on the picks.

Which one cites research sources best?

Short answer: All three summarized the MIT "Your Brain on ChatGPT" study correctly, including that it was a preprint that was later revised. Perplexity makes the sources easiest to check, with a source tag after each claim and a full source panel. AI Mode shows source cards beside the answer.

I picked this study on purpose: it went viral with headlines that overstated it, so an AI that repeats the headline gets it wrong. None did. If you want the full story of what the researchers found and later changed, my ChatGPT brain study breakdown covers it.

Which one remembers your follow-up questions?

Short answer: All three passed my follow-up test: after a 3-day Lisbon plan under €600, I asked each to swap day 2 for a Sintra day trip and keep the budget, and each kept the trip and the limit. ChatGPT's reworked plan felt the most like a conversation that builds on itself.

This is where ChatGPT earns its slower speed. For a task with several steps, like planning a trip, drafting a report or comparing tools for a project, it's built to carry context forward. AI Mode and Perplexity handle a follow-up well, but they're designed around the next search, not the next draft.

What is Google AI Mode, and how is it different from Gemini?

Short answer: Google AI Mode is the conversational search mode inside Google Search, at google.com/ai or the AI Mode tab. It answers with a written summary, source links and follow-ups. The Gemini app is Google's separate chatbot. AI Overviews are the short AI summaries on top of normal results.

Google says AI Mode passed 1 billion monthly users about a year after launch, and it now runs on Gemini 3.5 Flash by default in nearly 200 countries. It's free with no account upgrade. Paid Google AI plans add Deep Search, a slower mode that runs many searches and writes a longer report with sources.

Two facts many older comparisons miss. First, AI Mode now shows ads, labeled "Sponsored", at the bottom of some answers. Second, it can use your Google account: your location, your language and, if you opt in, apps like Gmail. That's why it won my local test, and it's also the privacy trade-off to weigh.

If you use Chrome, AI Mode is also reachable from the address bar. My Gemini and AI Mode in Chrome guide shows how to set it up.

How much do Google AI Mode, ChatGPT and Perplexity cost?

Short answer: All three are free to start, and everything in my test ran on free plans. The common paid step is about $20 a month: Google AI Pro at $19.99, ChatGPT Plus at $20 and Perplexity Pro at $20. Paying for all three costs $719.88 a year, the same total all three tools calculated in question 10.

US prices, checked on Google's AI plans page, OpenAI's pricing page and Perplexity's Pro page. ChatGPT's ads run in the US only for now, and in the EU and UK all three charge in local currency, often with VAT on top. Perplexity's Comet browser is now free for everyone, too.

Most people don't need all three paid plans. Before you add one, total up what you already pay with my free AI subscription cost calculator.

Which AI search engine should you use?

Choose what you search for most, and the picker names the tool that did it best in my test.

For a deeper head-to-head of the two standalone apps, read my Perplexity vs ChatGPT comparison. Not sure you need an AI search tool at all? My 30-second AI Tool Finder quiz matches you to the right kind of tool.

How can you run this test yourself?

Paste each question unchanged into all three tools, use a new chat for each one, and keep the first answer. These are the 10 I used, with the answer to check against:

1. How much does ChatGPT Plus cost per month, and does it show ads? · $20 a month, no ads
2. What are the 3 biggest AI news stories this week? · sources from the last 7 days
3. Best Neapolitan pizza near me open right now · real places in your city, open now
4. Compare the 3 best noise-cancelling earbuds under $150 with current prices · a price for each pick
5. What did the MIT "Your Brain on ChatGPT" study find, and was it peer reviewed? Cite sources. · a preprint, later revised
6. Why did Google shut down Gmail in 2025? · it didn't
7. Plan a 3-day trip to Lisbon in November for under €600 total. then Swap day 2 for a day trip to Sintra and keep the same budget. · same trip, same budget
8. I run an AI tools blog. Recommend one AI writing tool under $30/month and explain why over 2 alternatives. · one clear pick
9. How do I turn off Meta AI in WhatsApp? · current steps (my WhatsApp Meta AI guide has them)
10. If I pay for ChatGPT Plus, Perplexity Pro and Google AI Pro, what's my total per year in USD? · $719.88

Swap question 3 for something local to you, and question 4 for a product you're shopping for. Those two showed the biggest differences in my test, so they're the ones most likely to change your pick.

Final verdict

If you only use one, make it Google AI Mode. It's free, it's already in your browser, it was fastest, and it was the only one that knew where I was. For most daily searches, that's the whole job.

Add Perplexity when you need to check sources or compare prices, and ChatGPT when a search turns into a project. Every tool in this Google AI Mode vs ChatGPT vs Perplexity test got 9 of 10 answers fully right, so you're choosing a style of answer, not avoiding a bad tool.