Perplexity
AI answer engine that searches the web and responds with cited sources, plus research and browsing agents.
Overview
Perplexity is an AI answer engine: it runs web searches for every query and writes an answer with numbered citations, so it sits between a search engine and a chat assistant. Researchers, analysts, students and journalists use it for fact-finding, while Pro subscribers can choose which underlying model answers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Perplexity's own Sonar models), run Deep Research reports, upload files and use Labs to build reports and simple apps. Comet, Perplexity's browser for Windows and macOS, adds an agent that browses and completes tasks, and a WhatsApp bot and native apps cover mobile.
The Free tier allows unlimited quick searches but only a small daily quota of Pro searches and Deep Research runs. Pro costs $20 per month ($200 per year); Max is $200 per month for the highest limits and early access to new products. Enterprise Pro is $40 per seat per month ($400 per year) with SSO, admin controls and Internal Knowledge Search across connected sources such as Google Drive, SharePoint, Dropbox, GitHub, Notion and Slack; Enterprise Max is approximately $325 per seat per month.
What to know: citations reduce but do not eliminate errors, the model roster and quotas change often, and Perplexity faces ongoing copyright disputes with several major publishers.
Key features
AI
- AI assistant
- AI content generation
- AI agents
Collaboration
- Roles & permissions
Automation
- API access
Platforms
- Mobile app
- Desktop app
- Browser extension
Security
- SSO / SAML
Writing
- Multi-language support
- Integrations
- Dropbox, GitHub, Gmail, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Notion, Outlook, Slack, WhatsApp
- Platforms
- Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Browser extension, API
Pros & cons
Strengths
- Every answer carries numbered citations that can be checked
- Choice of frontier models from several vendors on Pro
- Deep Research and Labs produce structured reports from one prompt
- Comet browser and WhatsApp bot extend it beyond the chat window
- Enterprise tier searches internal files from Drive, SharePoint, Dropbox and GitHub
Limitations
- Answers can still misread or misattribute sources
- Free tier's Pro search and Deep Research quotas are small
- Max at $200 per month is costly for most individuals
- Ongoing publisher lawsuits create uncertainty about future source coverage
Pricing
Freemium. Free tier with limited Pro searches; Pro is $20 per month ($200 per year), Max $200 per month; Enterprise Pro is $40 per seat per month ($400 per year) and Enterprise Max approximately $325 per seat per month.
Free
Free
Unlimited quick searches with a small daily quota of Pro features.
- Unlimited standard searches with citations
- Limited Pro searches per day
- Limited Deep Research
Pro
Popular$20/mo
For individuals; $200 per year when billed annually.
- Large daily allowance of Pro searches
- Choice of frontier models
- Deep Research, Labs and file uploads
- Connectors to Gmail and Google Calendar
Max
$200/mo
Highest individual tier.
- Highest usage limits
- Access to the most advanced models
- Early access to new products
Enterprise Pro
$40/user/mo
Per seat; $400 per seat per year billed annually. Enterprise Max is approximately $325 per seat per month.
- SSO, SCIM and admin controls
- Internal Knowledge Search across connected sources
- SOC 2 Type II and data excluded from training
- Pro and Max seats can be mixed in one organization
Prices are listed in USD and can change. Confirm current pricing on the vendor’s pricing page.
Best for
A good fit if you are
- Researchers and analysts who need sourced answers rather than open-ended chat
- Teams replacing routine web research with cited summaries
- Users who want to compare answers from different models in one place
Not ideal if you
- Creative writing or long collaborative drafting
- Users who need image or video generation as a core feature
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Perplexity
From $20/mo · Free plan