What ChatGPT and Perplexity recommend for renovation and interior design in Singapore (25 Oct 2026)

In short (25 Oct, 1 run per prompt: 5 questions, each asked once on ChatGPT and once on Perplexity, 10 answers):

• ChatGPT named 3 to 5 firms in each answer (22 mentions, 19 different firms). Perplexity named 2 in every answer (10 mentions, 10 different firms).
• The answers were spread thin. 27 different firms were named across the 10 answers, 23 of them only once, and only 2 were named by both tools. The most-named firm appeared in 3 of the 10 answers.
• Our run log records a sponsored ad in all 5 of ChatGPT's answers; Perplexity showed none. Ads aren't counted as firms named.

Source: weCDEF check of ChatGPT (signed out) and Perplexity (free account, signed in), 25 Oct 2026, 09:57–10:08 SGT, from a Singapore connection. 25 Oct, 1 run per prompt. Prompts in the exact wording of our prompt set.

This study checked ChatGPT and Perplexity, asking each question once from a Singapore connection. Our client audits check ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews instead, asking each question 3 times from a Singapore connection (how we run each check). Perplexity isn't part of client audits, and Google AI Overviews weren't part of this study.

One answer per question per tool is a snapshot. AI answers change from one run to the next, so read these figures as a description of these 10 answers, not as a ranking.

What we asked

The 5 questions

These come from our fixed renovation and interior design prompt set, written the way homeowners type. Three mention BTO flats and one mentions 2026, so they reflect what homeowners were asking in October 2026. Each was pasted exactly as written.

Source: weCDEF prompt set v1.1; wording as run on 25 Oct 2026.

How we ran them

Each question was asked once on ChatGPT, signed out, and once on Perplexity, on a free account, from a Singapore connection. We saved a screenshot of every answer, logged the time in Singapore time, and counted only firms named in the answer itself, not in sponsored ads. There's more on how we work in how we run each check.

What the tools returned

Firms named per answer

Source: weCDEF check, 25 Oct, 1 run per prompt, Singapore connection. A "mention" is a firm listed in the answer text (one item per page showed no name and is identified by its link); sponsored ads are excluded.

How much the answers overlapped

• 27 different firms were named across the 10 answers. 23 were named once.
• 2 firms were named by both tools.
• The most-named firm (firm 1) appeared in 3 of the 10 answers, all of them ChatGPT answers. 3 more firms appeared in 2 answers each.

Source: as above. With 32 mentions, we don't give percentages.

The platforms and public sources they cited

Perplexity lists about 10 sources with every answer; ChatGPT shows a few source chips. The table counts the answers in which each source appeared, as far as our screenshots show. Counts aren't clicks. Sponsored ads aren't counted as sources.

Source: weCDEF check, 25 Oct, 1 run per prompt, Singapore connection.

Screenshots

Waterproofing vs renovation: one visible difference in this sample

In both trades, the two tools mostly named different firms. The kinds of sources differed: in these renovation answers, Perplexity referenced renovation and review platforms (Qanvast in 3 of 5 answers), while in our waterproofing answers it most often referenced a listing site and BCA's website. ChatGPT referenced HDB's website in 2 renovation answers.

That's a description of 20 answers, 10 per trade, each question asked once. It isn't a pattern we can generalise.

What this does and doesn't show

This is a small sample: 2 tools, 1 run per prompt, 5 prompts, on the morning of 25 Oct 2026, from a Singapore connection. AI answers change between runs, so a firm named once here might not be named next time, and the reverse. Signed-in ChatGPT users, other Perplexity accounts, other places and other days may see different answers. Google AI Overviews weren't checked. An IP lookup service classed the connection as a privacy or VPN address; we don't know whether either tool treated it differently. This shows what was returned that morning, not how either tool ranks renovation and interior design firms, and not what any firm should expect. Platform references show what the tools cited, not that a profile causes a recommendation.

What a renovation or interior design firm can check

These are checks, not a formula. Nothing here guarantees that an AI tool names you.

• Your platform profiles. If you're on a renovation or review platform, is your profile complete and accurate, with the same name, phone number and services as your website?
• Your registrations. If you're listed in HDB's Directory of Renovation Contractors or accredited under CaseTrust, say so on your website in text, with your details. Only state what the register actually shows.
• Your own website. Does it give price ranges and answer common homeowner questions in plain text?
• Your reviews. Are they genuine and recent? Never buy, swap or write reviews, and don't offer anything in exchange for them.

To see what AI tools say about your own firm, see how we run each check or request a free audit below.

FAQ

Do ChatGPT and Perplexity use Qanvast or Hometrust? In our 10 answers, Perplexity referenced Qanvast in 3 of its 5 answers; ChatGPT didn't reference it. Each tool referenced Hometrust in 1 answer. That's what they cited, not proof of how they choose which firms to name.

Do they mention HDB when recommending renovation firms? ChatGPT referenced HDB's website in 2 of its 5 answers. Perplexity referenced the government data portal, data.gov.sg, in 1.

Why are different firms named each time? AI answers vary from one run to the next, and the two tools drew on different sources. In this sample, only 2 of the 27 firms named were named by both. Our audit method asks each question 3 times and reports "named in X of 3 runs" (how we run each check).

Should I check whether my renovation contractor is registered with HDB? Yes. HDB keeps a Directory of Renovation Contractors, and HDB's own website is the place to check whether a contractor is listed, not us or an AI answer.

Why don't you name the firms? This is a study of patterns, not a ranking or an endorsement.

How do I see what AI tools say about my firm? Request a free audit. We run your trade's questions on ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews and send you dated screenshots, how often you were named, who was named instead, and a fix list.

Data and method notes

• Source: weCDEF check of ChatGPT (signed out) and Perplexity (free account, signed in), 25 Oct 2026. Renovation and interior design answers recorded 09:57–10:00 SGT (Perplexity) and 10:05–10:08 SGT (ChatGPT), from a Singapore connection. Some times are approximate.
• Runs: 1 run per prompt per tool, 10 answers in total.
• Prompt wording: exactly as written in our prompt set.
• How we counted: a mention is a firm listed in the answer text; sponsored ads are excluded. One ChatGPT list item showed no firm name but linked to one firm's site; we counted it as one firm. One Perplexity answer also suggested a renovation platform as an option; we didn't count it as a firm. Source references include source chips shown without a web address.
• No firms named: we name the platforms and public sources the answers referenced, but no renovation or interior design firm.
• Earlier check: a first pass on 18 Oct used a different connection and setup, so it isn't combined with these figures.
• Data file: not published yet. If we publish it, it will contain counts only.

Related: what ChatGPT and Perplexity recommend for waterproofing in Singapore · how we run each check · how we're testing our audit on our own sites first · weCDEF home