Aravind Srinivas-led AI-powered search engine Perplexity has overtaken ChatGPT to become the number one free app on the Apple App Store. The development comes shortly after Perplexity partnered with Airtel to offer its ₹17,000 Perplexity Pro subscription for free to all Airtel users.
Perplexity Pro gives users access to advanced AI models such as GPT-4.1, Claude, Grok 4, and more, along with image generation capabilities across supported models. Subscribers also get access to the company’s newly launched Comet browser, which remains invite-only for free users.
Apart from Perplexity and ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini holds the fifth spot in the list of top free apps on the App Store.
Meanwhile, ChatGPT continues to lead the charts on the Google Play Store, where Perplexity is yet to challenge its position among the top free apps.
OpenAI recently launched its new ChatGPT agent, a general-purpose agentic system capable of handling various tasks on a user’s behalf, including reading emails, browsing the web, creating presentations, and more. The Sam Altman-led company will be hoping that its new agentic capabilities help it regain its place on the App Store.
ChatGPT itself experienced a viral moment a few months ago with its GPT-4o image generator, which became a highly sought-after feature not just in India but globally. With the AI race heating up, users frequently switch from one AI app to another. For instance, China’s DeepSeek became a viral sensation overnight in January after its AI models directly challenged ChatGPT. Similarly, Elon Musk’s Grok gained significant traction following the launch of the Grok 3 model and the subsequent Ghibli-style image trend.
However, much of this traction tends to be short-lived, with user attention often shifting to the next big launch in the rapidly evolving AI space.
Perplexity raises fresh capital
In related news, Perplexity has raised fresh capital in a deal that values the company at $18 billion, according to Bloomberg. The AI startup secured $100 million in an extension of its previous funding round, which had valued the company at $14 billion.
Founded in 2022, Perplexity has quickly emerged as one of the most prominent generative AI startups, tripling its valuation from $1 billion to $3 billion last year before tripling it again within a few months.
