Pick Poe if…
you want to try many models and bots for chat, writing and experiments, and like having a cheap Starter tier to begin with.
Both let one subscription reach models from more than one lab, but they are built for different work. Perplexity is search-first: every answer comes with citations, and Pro adds 300+ Pro searches a day on GPT-5.6, Claude Sonnet 5 and Sonar 2. Poe is a general chat marketplace of 100+ models and user-made bots, paid for in points.
Pick Perplexity (Pro at $20/mo) if most of your questions need sources you can check. Pick Poe (from $4.99/mo) if you want open-ended chat across many models and custom bots, and searching is only part of what you do.
| App | Free tier | Paid from | Top plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poe | Yes | $4.99/mo | $249.99/mo | Power users who want to compare GPT, Claude, Gemini and niche bots without juggling separate subscriptions |
| Perplexity | Yes | $20/mo | $200/mo | Research with verifiable sources, fact-checking, exploring unfamiliar topics |
Monthly prices in US dollars before tax, from each vendor's official pricing (US list price; weekly-billed plans converted to a monthly figure). Updated November 2, 2026
| Poe | Perplexity | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Chat with 100+ models and custom bots | Search answers with citations to sources |
| Free tier | Up to 300 points at a time, no rollover | Unlimited Quick searches, 5 Pro searches/day |
| Around $20/mo | Premium: 660,000 points/month, priority at peak hours | Pro: 300+ Pro searches/day, unlimited file uploads, image generation |
| Top plan | Pro Max ($249.99/mo): 8.25M points/month | Max ($200/mo): unlimited advanced models and Labs |
| Extras | Build your own bots; creator payouts | Monthly API credits included on Pro |
you want to try many models and bots for chat, writing and experiments, and like having a cheap Starter tier to begin with.
you research, fact-check or explore unfamiliar topics and want every answer tied to sources.
Yes for sourced research: citations on every answer are Perplexity's core feature. Perplexity is weaker for creative writing and open-ended chat, which is where Poe's range of models and bots helps.
Poe starts lower, with Starter at $4.99/mo. At the main tier the two are about even: Poe Premium is $19.99/mo and Perplexity Pro is $20/mo.
Both do. Perplexity's is the more usable for search, with unlimited Quick searches and 5 Pro searches a day. Poe's caps you at 300 points that don't roll over.
How we choose: prices come from each vendor's official pricing page and are re-checked every week. We take no affiliate fees, so rankings aren't for sale.