As of December 2025, ChatGPT maintains significantly higher overall usage and brand recognition in Australia compared to Perplexity, though Perplexity’s adoption is growing, particularly amongst users seeking research-focused answers with cited sources. The core difference lies in their operational mechanisms: ChatGPT is a generative AI focused on creating novel text, while Perplexity functions as an ‘answer engine’ that synthesises information from the web and provides citations.
Currently, ChatGPT’s popularity is supported by its wider integration into Microsoft products available in Australia – including Copilot in Windows 11 and Microsoft 365 apps. Perplexity, now including a ‘Pro’ subscription tier available to Australian users (AUD $20/month), focuses on providing direct answers with linked sources. Its ‘Copilot’ feature, released in late 2025, allows for conversational refinement of search queries. Both platforms are subject to Australian data privacy regulations, requiring compliance with the Privacy Act 1988 and ongoing monitoring of AI ethics guidelines. Usage data from Roy Morgan in December 2025 indicates ChatGPT has approximately 3.2 million Australian users monthly, while Perplexity has around 450,000. In 2026, both platforms are expected to further refine their natural language processing capabilities for Australian dialects and colloquialisms.
Essentially, ChatGPT *creates* content, while Perplexity *finds* and *summarises* existing content, providing traceable origins for its responses.
