Perplexity
ActivePerplexity AI · founded 2022
AI search with citations, built for research.
Perplexity is an AI answer engine that grounds responses in real-time web search with visible citations. It is the go-to for factual, current-information research rather than creative writing. Pro adds stronger models, file upload, and deeper research agents.
At a glance
- Category
- AI Assistants & Chat
- Primary use case
- Cited AI search and research
- Entry price
- $20/mo
- Free plan
- Free tier with limited Pro searches
- API
- Yes
- Open source
- No
- Evidence level
- Research / specifications only
- Last checked
- 20 Aug 2026
Pricing
Last checked 20 Aug 2026
| Free plan | Free tier with limited Pro searches |
|---|---|
| Trial | None |
| Entry price | $20/mo |
| Pro price | $20/mo |
| Team price | $30/user/mo |
| Enterprise | Custom |
| API pricing | Usage-based (Sonar API) |
| Usage limits | Free tier limits Pro searches per day |
Pro ~$20/mo, Pro yearly discount. Team/Enterprise tiers available.
What it does
Secondary use cases
- Deep Research
- Quick fact lookup
- Document Q&A
Input types
Text, Document, URL
Output types
Text
Models used
Multiple (GPT, Claude, in-house)
Agent capabilities
Platforms
✓ Web — Windows — macOS — Linux ✓ iOS ✓ Android ✓ Browser extension ✓ API — CLI — VS Code — Self-hosted
Integrations
APIBrowser extension
Privacy & commercial rights
Data retention
Not fully disclosed
Trains on your data
Not disclosed
Enterprise privacy
Not disclosed
Self-hosting / local
Not available
SSO
Not disclosed
Compliance
Not disclosed
Commercial use
Permitted — Commercial use permitted
Pros & cons
Pros
- Real citations you can check
- Strong for current events
- Fast answers
- Free tier is genuinely useful
Cons / trade-offs
- Weak for long-form creative writing
- Citation quality varies
- Less useful offline
Alternatives to Perplexity
Considering a switch, or comparing before you buy? See the full alternatives guide.