Perplexity vs ChatGPT "Deep Research" For Startup Ideas Shocked Me

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Feb 19, 2025

Discover the showdown between two AI research giants: ChatGPT and Perplexity. Hear about their unique approaches to generating startup ideas aimed at hitting specific revenue targets. Perplexity shines with its speed and concise answers, while ChatGPT impresses with in-depth analysis, albeit at a slower pace. The practical demonstrations reveal how these tools can aid in business planning and market research, making it a must-listen for aspiring entrepreneurs.

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ADVICE

Effective AI Prompting

Prompt AI tools with specific goals and constraints, like revenue targets and budget limitations.
Clearly define your ideal customer profile, target market, and preferred growth strategies.

INSIGHT

Speed vs. Depth

Perplexity's Deep Research is faster than ChatGPT's, providing quicker results.
ChatGPT provides more in-depth analysis and broader market context.

ANECDOTE

Legal Contract AI Agent

Perplexity suggested a Legal Contract AI agent to automate contract reviews and redlining.
It also outlined a growth playbook with specific milestones, pricing, and integration strategies.

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Get Greg’s Deep research research notes: https://www.gregisenberg.com/deep-research-ideas

I compare in real-time ChatGPT's and Perplexity's deep research capabilities for developing startup ideas. Both platforms were prompted to generate AI agent business ideas with specific revenue targets ($1M Y1, $3M Y2, $5M Y3). The results showed that Perplexity provided faster, more concise responses, while ChatGPT offered more detailed, comprehensive analysis but took longer to generate responses.

Key Points:
• Comparison between ChatGPT Pro ($200/month) and Perplexity Deep Research (free/~$20/month) for startup ideation
• Both platforms were tested with identical prompts for creating AI-based startup ideas
• Comparison of response speed, depth, and quality between the two platforms
• Practical demonstration of how to use AI tools for business planning and market research

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:33 - Defining the Startup Prompt
02:29 - Initiating Research with ChatGPT
05:05 - Initiating Research with Perplexity
09:13 - Perplexity results (Legal Contract AI)
15:44 - ChatGPT results (AI Sales Outreach Assistant)
26:10 - Comparing Perplexity and ChatGPT Outputs
27:55 - Follow-Up Prompts and Further Exploration
31:55 - Perplexity's Follow-Up results
34:43 - ChatGPT's Follow-Up results
37:07 - Where to get Greg’s Deep research research notes
37:31 - Conclusion: Choosing Between Tools

1) THE SETUP:
• Testing ChatGPT Pro ($200/mo) vs Perplexity Deep Research ($20/mo)
• Same prompt: Build a defensible AI agent startup
• Target: $5M ARR in 3 years
• MVP budget: $5K

2) PERPLEXITY AI WINS ON SPEED
• Completed research in ~2 mins
• Analyzed 34+ sources
• More concise, actionable insights
• Free tier available!

3) CHATGPT WINS ON DEPTH
• Longer, more detailed analysis
• Comprehensive playbooks
• Better market context
• More examples & case studies

4) BEST STARTUP IDEAS GENERATED:

Legal Contract AI (Perplexity):
• $2.4B market opportunity
• Auto-redline contracts
• Defensible through learning
• Clear path to $5.4M ARR

AI Sales Assistant (ChatGPT):
• Virtual SDR automation
• Network effect moat
• Product-led growth strategy
• $100M+ potential

5) MVP INSIGHTS:

For $5K budget:
• Use existing APIs (OpenAI/GPT-4)
• Start with Chrome extension
• Focus on single workflow
• Manual fallback for quality
• Self-serve freemium model

6) KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Both tools are INSANELY good
• Perplexity = Fast, concise, free tier
• ChatGPT = Deeper analysis, more context
• Both provide actionable insights
• Worth integrating into workflow

7) PROTIP:
For best results:
• Be specific with constraints
• Ask follow-up questions
• Double-click on interesting areas
• Cross-reference competitor insights

Bottom line: These AI research tools are an unfair advantage for founders right now.

Notable Quotes:
"Distribution is the new moat" - Greg
"This is an unfair advantage right now" - Greg regarding AI research tools

Conclusion: Both platforms demonstrated valuable capabilities, with Perplexity offering speed and efficiency while ChatGPT provided more comprehensive analysis. The video suggests both tools can be effective for startup planning, with the choice depending on user preferences for depth versus speed.

Want more free ideas? I collect the best ideas from the pod and give them to you for free in a database. Most of them cost $0 to start (my fav)

Get access: https://www.gregisenberg.com/30startupideas

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