Two research & learning tools, one decision. Here is the honest split.
| ChatPDF | Perplexity | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Freemium | Free plan |
| Best at | Contracts, papers, manuals, and reports you need answers from without reading cover to cover. | Questions where you need current information with links you can verify. |
| In short | Upload a PDF, ask it questions. The fastest way to interrogate a long document. | An answer engine that searches the web and cites its sources for every claim. |
| On Atlas | 3 starter prompts | 3 starter prompts |
Pick ChatPDF when the job is Contracts, papers, manuals, and reports you need answers from without reading cover to cover.. Pick Perplexity when the job is Questions where you need current information with links you can verify.. Still torn? Run one real task through both free tiers. An hour of testing beats a week of reviews.
Summarize the strongest evidence for and against [claim]. Cite primary sources only, rate the strength of the evidence, and end with what is still unknown.