What Perplexity does
Perplexity is an AI answer engine from Perplexity AI. You type a question and it searches the web, then writes an answer with numbered citations you can click to check the sources. Paid plans add a choice of frontier models from several labs, longer Research reports, file and app creation, image and video generation, and a browser agent. It suits people who want sourced answers rather than a plain chatbot reply, and teams can buy Enterprise seats with internal knowledge search.
Best for
- Quick research questions that need sources
- Students and teachers on the Education Pro discount
- Comparing answers from several AI models in one place
- Teams searching internal files alongside the web
Key features
Cited web answers
Every answer links to the web pages it drew from, so you can open and verify each claim.
Research mode
Runs a longer multi-step search and writes a report; Free gets one Research query per month, paid plans get more.
Model choice
Pro subscribers can pick newer models such as GPT-5.2, Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Gemini 3.1 Pro instead of the default.
Files and apps
Paid plans can create documents and simple apps and accept more file and photo uploads, up to 50 files per project on Pro.
Image and video generation
Pro includes image generation and limited video generation; Max raises the video allowance.
Developer API
A separate pay-as-you-go API platform lets developers build on Perplexity's search with bought credits.
Perplexity pricing
Perplexity has a free plan. Free gives practically unlimited basic searches, 3 Pro Searches a day and 1 Research query a month, with the model chosen for you. Paid plans start at $17/month. The official pricing page lists Pro and Max only at annual-billing rates. API usage is billed separately as pay-as-you-go credits. Prices checked on the official site on Nov 9, 2026.
| Free | $0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Education Pro | $10/month | Verified students and educators via SheerID |
| Pro | $17/month, billed annually | Monthly-billing price not shown on the pricing page |
| Enterprise Pro | $40/month per seat | Or $400/year per seat |
| Max | $167/month, billed annually | Highest limits, 10,000 monthly credits |
Source: Perplexity pricing page
Pros and cons
What it does well
- Answers come with clickable citations, which makes fact-checking fast.
- One subscription covers several leading AI models instead of paying each lab separately.
- The free plan is usable for everyday searches with no payment details.
Know before you sign up
- Free users get only 3 Pro Searches a day and 1 Research query a month.
- Paid plans still have weekly and monthly caps on Pro Search, Research and file creation, and advanced model access may be limited at busy times.
- Subscriptions bought through the App Store or Google Play are separate from web billing and must be managed on the device.
Alternatives to Perplexity
ConsensusSearch academic papers with AI support.
ElicitFind papers and assemble cited research briefs.
SemrushResearch search and AI-answer visibility.
AndiAsk search questions and receive conversational answers.
ChatPDFAsk questions about a PDF document.
HumataAsk questions across an internal knowledge base.
Questions about Perplexity
What is Perplexity?
Perplexity is an AI answer engine from Perplexity AI. You type a question and it searches the web, then writes an answer with numbered citations you can click to check the sources. Paid plans add a choice of frontier models from several labs, longer Research reports, file and app creation, image and video generation, and a browser agent. It suits people who want sourced answers rather than a plain chatbot reply, and teams can buy Enterprise seats with internal knowledge search.
Is Perplexity free?
Perplexity has a free plan. Free gives practically unlimited basic searches, 3 Pro Searches a day and 1 Research query a month, with the model chosen for you. Paid plans start at $17/month. The official pricing page lists Pro and Max only at annual-billing rates. API usage is billed separately as pay-as-you-go credits. Prices checked on the official site on Nov 9, 2026.
How much does Perplexity cost?
Paid plans start at $17/month; plans listed on the official pricing page: Free ($0), Education Pro ($10/month), Pro ($17/month, billed annually), Enterprise Pro ($40/month per seat), Max ($167/month, billed annually). The official pricing page lists Pro and Max only at annual-billing rates. API usage is billed separately as pay-as-you-go credits.
Who is Perplexity best for?
Quick research questions that need sources, Students and teachers on the Education Pro discount, Comparing answers from several AI models in one place and Teams searching internal files alongside the web.
Where can I use Perplexity?
Perplexity is available on Web, iOS, Android and API, according to its official site.
What are some alternatives to Perplexity?
Similar research tools include Consensus, Elicit, Semrush and Andi. Compare them on the Research page.