Perplexity or Piloti?
For every planning question, Piloti draws on the project’s state law from RIS and the OIB guidelines, and researches the web as well where that helps. Perplexity searches the web and names the sources for every answer. For building law, what decides is which version applies in the state.
Perplexity details as stated by Perplexity (perplexity.ai), read in September 2026. We do not list prices, because they vary by plan.
In short
For Austrian building law, Piloti is the better choice: it draws on the state law and the OIB edition in force in the project’s state, checks every citation against the source text and works inside the project. Perplexity fits current research on the open web.
What Piloti does for building law
Piloti draws on the laws of the state your project is in and on the OIB guidelines in the edition in force there. Add federal law such as the ASchG, the UVP-G and the Trade Act, your office archive and the project documents. Where the web helps, for manufacturer data for example, Piloti researches there too and links every source.
Every citation is checked against the source text before it appears; RIS sources open at the marked passage. If a deciding fact such as the building class is missing, Piloti asks once instead of guessing.
In detail
| Piloti | Perplexity | |
|---|---|---|
| Principle | Austrian building law as the foundation, plus office archive, project documents and web search | Answers from the web, with sources for every answer |
| Sources | State law from RIS, OIB guidelines, register of standards, federal law such as ASchG, UVP-G and the Trade Act | Open web; in Spaces also your own files |
| Web search | Yes, every source linked, alongside building law | The core of the product |
| State and edition | Draws on the state’s laws and names the OIB edition in force there | Depends on which pages the search finds and whether your question states both |
| Evidence | Citation down to section, clause or page, checked against the source text; RIS sources open at the marked passage | Links to the web pages the answer comes from |
| Project work | Projects with drawings, versions, tasks, project memory and approval | Spaces combine web search and your own files around a topic |
| Training | No training on office data | According to Perplexity: Enterprise data not used for training; on Free and Pro, use for model improvement is on by default and can be switched off |
Perplexity details as stated by Perplexity, read in September 2026. If something has changed, write to us and we will correct it.
Where Piloti is ahead
- State law from RIS instead of whichever page ranks first. Piloti draws on the laws of the state the project is in.
- OIB guidelines with clause and page, in the edition in force there.
- Citations are checked against the source text before they appear.
- Web search included: every source is linked, and the answer shows whether a statement comes from building law, the office, the project or the web.
- The project: drawings, tasks, file notes sent for approval, and a memory of what is already settled.
What Perplexity is good for
- What is current on the web: subsidies, manufacturer data, market reports, an amendment that is in the news.
- Broad research and news far beyond building law, with sources for every answer.
- Ready to use, including on the free plan.
Why the web is unreliable for building law
Building-law answers on the web often sit in PDFs of varying age: a state government guidance sheet written before an amendment, a talk at the chamber, a manufacturer’s page, the 2019 edition of an OIB guideline next to the 2023 one. A search ranks by relevance, not by which version is binding in the state today.
Then there are nine building codes. A page on Vienna’s building law answers no question about a project in Vorarlberg, even if it ranks first. Perplexity names the source; whether it applies to your state and your edition is yours to check. Piloti starts from the project’s state and names the edition in force there.
Good to know
Responsibility for the design stays with the planning office. Piloti names the source of every answer so that you can check it, and asks when a deciding fact is missing. Piloti does not calculate a heating demand; it says which requirement applies and how a value stands against it.
Questions
Can Perplexity answer questions on Austrian building law?
It finds web pages on the topic and names them as sources. Whether the version it found is right for your state and the OIB edition in force there, the search does not decide. Piloti starts from the project’s state law from RIS and checks every citation against the source text.
What sources does Perplexity use?
The open web, with links to the pages the answer comes from. According to Perplexity, Spaces combine web search with your own files. Perplexity does not name a body of state building codes and OIB guidelines of its own.
Does Perplexity use my questions for training?
According to Perplexity, Enterprise data is not used for training. On Free and Pro, data retention for model improvement is on by default and can be switched off. Piloti does not train models on office data.
Does Piloti also research the web?
Yes. Alongside state law from RIS, the OIB guidelines and your documents, Piloti searches the web and links every source. In the answer you see whether a statement comes from building law, from your office, from the project or from the web.
Read on
- ComparisonsChatGPT or Piloti for building law?
- ComparisonsResearch building law yourself, or with Piloti?
- GlossaryWhat is the RIS?
- Building law by stateBuilding law in Vienna: Bauordnung für Wien, WBTV 2023 and OIB guidelines