Perplexity

Perplexity is an AI answer engine. Instead of giving you a list of links, it searches the web, writes a short answer and shows the sources it used, so you can check where each claim comes from. It is available on the web and mobile apps, and includes a research mode for longer reports.

Quick facts

• Made by: Perplexity AI (founded 2022)
• Free plan: Yes, with limited daily advanced searches
• Paid plans: Pro, Max, Education Pro, Enterprise Pro and Enterprise Max
• Works on: Web, iOS and Android, plus the Comet browser
• Pricing last checked: October 2026, using several recent published sources. Perplexity changed its plans several times in 2026, so confirm on the official plans page.

What Perplexity is best at

• Quick, sourced answers: a cited starting point for almost any factual question.
• Research: Deep Research runs many searches and compiles a report.
• Market and competitor scans: gather what is public about a company or topic fast.
• Follow-up questions: keeps context so you can narrow a question step by step.

Key features

• Answers with numbered citations you can open.
• Deep Research reports for longer topics.
• Spaces for organising research and files on paid plans.
• A choice of AI models on paid plans.
• The Comet browser, an AI-assisted browser that is available to all users.
• A separate Sonar API for developers, billed apart from the subscriptions.

Plans and pricing

Audit logs, data retention controls and SCIM on the Enterprise plans have seat or tier requirements, so check with Perplexity before planning a rollout. Limits and plans have been adjusted several times in 2026, and some users report limits tightening without notice.

Best for

• Anyone who wants answers they can verify at the source.
• Students, analysts and marketers doing frequent research.
• Replacing many manual searches with one sourced summary.

Less suited to

• Long-form creative writing or heavy document drafting, where a general assistant like Claude or ChatGPT is stronger.
• Cases where you need a fixed monthly limit without surprises.

How to get started

1. Open the Perplexity website or app. You can search on the Free plan without paying.
2. Ask a specific question and name the time period or region you care about.
3. Open the cited sources for anything important, and do not rely only on the summary.
4. Use follow-up questions to narrow the topic rather than starting over.
5. Upgrade to Pro if you hit daily limits or want Deep Research regularly.

Prompt ideas to copy

What are the main differences between [option A] and [option B] for [use case]? Cite sources and note where they disagree.

Summarise what is publicly known about [company], including products, recent news and competitors, with a source for each point.

Find recent, reliable sources on [topic] published in the last [period] and summarise the three most important developments.

Limitations and things to watch

• A cited answer can still be wrong or misread a source, so open the links.
• Plans, limits and feature access have changed often in 2026.
• The API is billed separately from the subscription plans.

Frequently asked questions

Is Perplexity free?

Yes. The Free plan includes basic AI search with a small number of advanced searches and Deep Research runs per day.

How is Perplexity different from a search engine?

Instead of a list of links, it searches the web, writes a short answer and shows the numbered sources it used so you can check each claim.

How much does Perplexity Pro cost?

Pro was $20 per month (about $200 per year) when we last checked in October 2026. Perplexity changed its plans several times in 2026, so confirm on the official plans page.

Is the Perplexity API included in my subscription?

No. The Sonar API for developers is billed separately from the subscription plans, though Pro includes a small monthly API credit.

Can I trust Perplexity’s answers?

A cited answer can still be wrong or misread a source, so open the links for anything important.

Alternatives

For all-round assistants that can also search, see ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini.