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Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Technology
Amanda Caswell

I tested ChatGPT vs. Perplexity with the same 5 prompts — the winner surprised me

ChatGPT
AI Madness 2026 bracket graphic showing the matchups.

The AI landscape is moving so fast that last year’s "impressive chatbots" are today’s "everyday AI assistants." That’s why we’ve brought back AI Madness — an eight-bot tournament designed to separate the hype from the helpful.

Our first face-off of 2026 pits ChatGPT against Perplexity. The household name takes on the search-powered challenger in a five-prompt showdown designed to reveal which one actually delivers when it counts. Only one moves on — and the result might surprise you.

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