Bench test · AI Search
Arc Search vs Perplexity
Perplexity beats Arc Search 8.8 to 7.4 on our four-agent test panel, winning 4 of 4 agents head to head. Arc Search: free tier available. Perplexity: free tier; paid from $20/mo. Facts last verified November 1, 2026.
| Arc Search | Perplexity | |
|---|---|---|
| consensus | score7.4/10 | score8.8/10 |
| agents won | 0 / 4 | 4 / 4 ▲ |
| from | Free | $20/mo ▲ |
| free tier | yes | yes |
| category | AI Search | AI Search |
Agent panel — head to head
| Anthropic | 7.2 | 7.8 ▲ |
| OpenAI | 7.2 | 8.8 ▲ |
| Gemini | 8.5 | 9.2 ▲ |
| Grok | 6.5 | 9.2 ▲ |
Arc Search
- ✓Faster answers without browsing multiple sites
- ✓Seamless browser experience
- —Limited source transparency in summaries
- —Potential accuracy issues from AI synthesis
Multi-source information aggregationAI-powered answer synthesisNative browser integrationReal-time web data processingReduced search result clutter
Perplexity
- ✓Transparent sourcing builds trust
- ✓Better than ChatGPT for current information
- —Free version has limited queries
- —Citation accuracy sometimes inconsistent
Answers with embedded citations and source linksReal-time web search integrationConversational follow-up questionsMultiple answer modes (Copilot, Academic, etc.)Collections for organizing researchFile uploads for document analysis
Free · free tier
Try Arc Search ▸$20/mo · free tier
Try Perplexity ▸Verdict
Perplexity takes it — 8.8 to 7.4.
The panel gave Perplexity the edge on 4 of 4 agents.