Using Poe vs ChatGPT in Hong Kong

In a world rapidly shifting towards a digital-first approach, Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are revolutionising the way we communicate, learn, and conduct business. Two particularly influential tools, Quora's Poe and OpenAI's ChatGPT, are at the forefront of this revolution in Hong Kong.

This blog post dives deep into a head-to-head comparison of these two AI platforms, shedding light on their unique features and their significance in Hong Kong's dynamic tech landscape. 

Quora's Poe vs OpenAI's ChatGPT: What's the Difference? 

Poe, developed by Quora, is an app that acts as a hub for various chatbots, offering users a consolidated platform to interact with multiple AI technologies, and it even has a mobile app for accessibility. In contrast, ChatGPT, created by OpenAI, is a specific language model designed to generate human-like conversations and is primarily accessible via a web interface. While Poe focuses on streamlining user experience by hosting different bots for specific needs, ChatGPT excels in delivering high-quality generation. 

In-Depth Look at Poe

What is Poe?

Poe, an application introduced by Quora, has gained popularity recently, especially in countries like Hong Kong, where a paid ChatGPT subscription is unavailable. This platform amalgamates the capabilities of various other AI models, including ChatGPT and Llama from META. Though interactions with GPT-4 on Poe are constrained to one free message daily, it provides an avenue for users to experience and test the capabilities of GPT-4 without an initial subscription.  Poe provides a user-friendly platform to interact with these AI models to seek answers to questions, generate code, gain advice, or engage in friendly chit-chat. Its bots include Assistant (formerly known as Sage), Claude, ChatGPT, Google PaLM and Llama-2-70b. Poe does not require VPN to access its bots, unlike Open AI’s ChatGPT, providing a seamless experience for Hong Kong residents without the need for VPN or other complex means.

Key Features and Pricing of Poe

Features:

• Improved Functionality: Poe offers an intriguing functionality: the ability to select from a variety of chatbots, thus providing varied and unique experiences to users

• Easy Accessibility:  Accessible via its website or an iOS app (with an Android version on the way), the platform maintains a user-friendly interface. Furthermore, it is accessible in Hong Kong without requiring the use of a VPN. 

• Free Version Available: Poe offers free access to all chatbots with limitations on the number of messages and access to advanced bots, making it more accessible to a broad user base.

Pricing:

Cost US $19.99 per month (US $239.99 per year) OR US $16.67 per month (199.99 per year)

Usage Limitations of Poe

• Paid subscribers receive messaging capacity for specific models, including 600 GPT-4 and 1000 Claude 2 messages monthly. Once these message limits are surpassed, Poe may reduce the messaging speed, quality, or availability of bots during periods of overcapacity.

• The monthly message usage limits reset on the anniversary of the subscription purchase.

• Subscribers are prohibited from selling, renting, sub-licensing, or lending Subscription Content to others.

• Subscribers are responsible for the security and accuracy of their accounts; they will be charged for unauthorized subscriptions.

• Subscribers must not provide false information to misrepresent their location or place of residence.

• Poe reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue subscriptions, services, content, or participating creators, disclaiming liability for such changes.

While Poe does also provide access to tools like a MidJourney prompt generator for image generation. We’ve found that the tool isn’t great, and it would be easier to prompt Midjourney directly or even use GPT-4 for ideation.

Which LLM models do you get with a Poe subscription?

• Claude-instant-100k: Limited access

• GPT-4: Limited access

• Claude-2-100k: Limited access

• Claude-instant: Limited access

• ChatGPT: Full access

• ChatGPT-16k: Limited access

• GPT-4-32k: Limited access

• Google-PaLM: Full access

• Llama-2-70b: Full access

• Llama-2-13b: Full access

• Llama-2-7b: Full access

What do these model names mean? The average user will likely need GPT-4 for most tasks if you’re looking for quality output. For longer tasks with large context (over several thousand words), it might be better to use GPT-3.5 or another model. PaLM and Llama aren’t as advanced and should only be used for testing and comparison purposes. Claude is probably the best option for a conversational format (especially if you are creating friendly chatbots), but it has the smallest knowledge base and cannot answer most questions.

The Role and Impact of Poe in Hong Kong

Despite its global reach, Poe's unique offerings make it a powerful tool for the residents of Hong Kong due to it not requiring VPN to access it. In fact, almost half of Poe’s user base is located in Hong Kong. Poe is redefining the digital landscape in Hong Kong for individuals by providing a platform for casual yet informative conversations.

In-Depth Look at ChatGPT

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT, powered by the GPT-4 architecture from OpenAI, is currently the best conversational AI available, designed to facilitate insightful dialogue across many topics. You can access GPT-4 directly via ChatGPT or third-party platforms acting as an interface or ‘skin’ to the GPT-4 model. With a range of functionalities, from answering complex questions to writing essays and generating code, it has attracted significant attention worldwide. Its offerings include a free version accessible to all and a premium version known as ChatGPT Plus, which offers additional benefits for a monthly fee. The development of a business-oriented version, 'ChatGPT Business', is also underway. 

Key Features and Pricing of ChatGPT

Features:

• Increased Accuracy: ChatGPT works on the principle of analyzing vast amounts of data from the internet to predict the next word in a sentence, thereby generating accurate, human-like text. It employs state-of-the-art AI models GPT-3 and GPT-4 developed by OpenAI.

• Reduced Errors: GPT-4, the enhanced version of ChatGPT 3.5, improves upon its predecessor by increasing input word limits, reducing errors, and enhancing creative expression.

• Code Interpreter: ChatGPT-4 gives you access to a code interpreter, which allows you to upload files directly to the OpenAI servers for analysis.

• Web Browsing: ChatGPT-4 gives you access to web browsing mode (currently disabled), which allows live browsing of the internet (similar to the new Microsoft Bing search).

• Plugin Availability: ChatGPT-4’s plugins are specialized tools crafted for language models, with an emphasis on safety. They enable ChatGPT to access current information, perform computations, or interact with third-party services.

• Diverse Plungin Options: Some of the first plugins have been developed by companies such as Expedia, FiscalNote, Instacart, KAYAK, Klarna, Milo, OpenTable, Shopify, Slack, Speak, Wolfram, and Zapier

Pricing:

Pricing: ChatGPT-4 costs $20 USD per month (US $240 per year).

Usage Limitations of ChatGPT

• There are no set usage limitations for paid subscribers. But access and speed may vary depending on the bandwidth of the platform. (for example, you may find that at a busy time during the week, you are limited to a certain number of messages per hour).

• ChatGPT-4 input prompts are limited to around 4,096 characters.

• Chat history can only be enabled if you agree to allow your conversations to be used for training data. 

The Role and Impact of ChatGPT in Hong Kong

In the bustling digital ecosystem of Hong Kong, ChatGPT has carved a unique niche. Offering seamless access to information, providing creative solutions, and enhancing productivity, it has become a reliable tool for both individuals and businesses. Despite the slight inconvenience due to it requiring VPN, its strong stance on user privacy has also earned it a positive reputation among its business and corporate user base.

Direct Comparison Between Poe and ChatGPT

Accuracy

While both platforms have demonstrated proficiency in delivering accurate information, GPT-4 in ChatGPT boasts a reduced error rate and enhanced creative expression, making it more suited for complex tasks. Poe, on the other hand, offers the choice of multiple bots, enabling users to select the bot that best suits their needs.

Data Privacy Policy

On the data privacy front, Poe complies with Quora's Privacy Policy, wherein various user data is collected and used for enhancing service delivery. In contrast, ChatGPT requires only minimal personal information and strongly emphasizes OpenAI's commitment to user privacy. This streamlined approach has been widely appreciated by its users, as it reduces the risk of data misuse.

Pricing

Poe and ChatGPT both offer free access with certain limitations, making them accessible to a wide audience. For users seeking enhanced features and functionality, both platforms offer premium versions priced at $20 per month.

Usage

Where usage is concerned, Poe is a versatile platform with its wide array of chatbots, making it ideal for daily use and casual interactions. ChatGPT, however, shines in more business-oriented use cases, particularly where data privacy is a major concern and complex tasks are involved. Open AI’s ChatGPT can be accessed in Hong Kong through some simple steps. 

Implications for Businesses in Hong Kong

Hong Kong's businesses can leverage both Poe and ChatGPT to their advantage. Poe's wide range of chatbots can cater to diverse interaction needs, whereas ChatGPT's capabilities can be employed for tasks where privacy is key such as legal text processing, among others. 

AI is leading remarkable transformations in the way businesses operate, a trend that is distinctly noticeable in Hong Kong's small businesses. In this region, AI is transitioning from being a beneficial addition to an essential instrument for growth.

Poe vs ChatGPT: Which is Best?

This depends a lot on the location you live in. Many countries, especially in Asia, cannot get a ChatGPT subscription as the service is still limited to Western countries (there are workarounds for this). If you’re based in Hong Kong or another country where ChatGPT isn’t available, you have two options:

If you have or know how to use a VPN, getting ChatGPT is better value for money as long as you only need to use GPT3.5 & GPT-4. There are fewer usage restrictions, and you directly pay for the tool and not via a third-party service. This is also better for business as you have more control over your data and who can access it. Web browsing mode (when enabled) is also an extremely powerful feature that requires a direct subscription.

If you cannot access a VPN and a foreign number/credit card for registration or are likely to use the tool infrequently, Poe is the best option for you.