Perplexity
AI search engine that answers questions with real time citations from across the web.
What it is
Perplexity is an AI powered search engine that answers questions with cited sources in real time. It combines the conversational feel of ChatGPT with the source transparency of traditional search engines, giving you direct answers backed by clickable references instead of a list of blue links. Available as a web app at perplexity.ai, mobile apps for iOS and Android (plus the dedicated Comet iOS app), a Chrome browser extension, and native Samsung device integration via "Hey Perplexity." In February 2026, Perplexity expanded beyond search with Computer, an agentic platform that autonomously executes multi step tasks by routing subtasks across multiple AI models including GPT-5.4 and Codex as subagent models. Computer introduced features like Custom Skills (reusable automation templates), Model Council (multiple models deliberating on answers), and Voice Mode for hands free task interaction.
Who it is for
Researchers and students: get cited, source backed answers for academic and professional research
Journalists and fact checkers: verify claims with real time sources and transparent citations
Professionals who need current information: market data, competitor analysis, industry trends with sources you can verify
Developers building search features: the Sonar API adds cited, real time search to any application
Teams conducting collaborative research: Spaces let multiple people build shared knowledge bases
Anyone tired of clicking through search results: get direct answers instead of scanning ten blue links
Pros and cons
Pros
- +Every answer cites its sources with clickable links, so you can verify any claim instantly
- +Pro Search conducts multi step research autonomously, following up and digging deeper without manual prompting
- +Clean, ad free interface focused entirely on delivering answers rather than selling ad placements
- +Supports multiple AI models including Claude Sonnet 4.6, GPT-5.4, Gemini 3.1 Pro, and Perplexity's own Sonar 2 models
- +Spaces enable collaborative team research with shared context and custom instructions
- +Free tier is genuinely useful, with unlimited basic searches and a limited number of Pro Searches
- +The Sonar API enables developers to build search augmented apps with real time citations
Cons
- −Source quality varies; some cited pages are low quality, outdated, or tangentially relevant to the query
- −Free tier provides only a limited number of Pro Searches, which runs out quickly during intensive research sessions
- −No image generation on the free tier; you need Pro ($20/month) to create images
- −Smaller model selection compared to ChatGPT or Claude, which offer more specialized model variants
- −Enterprise pricing requires a custom quote with no publicly listed rates, making it hard to budget in advance
Pricing
- Unlimited basic AI searches
- Limited Pro Searches per week
- Citation links on every answer
- Up to 200 Pro Searches per week
- All AI models (Claude Sonnet 4.6, GPT-5.4, Gemini 3.1 Pro, Sonar 2)
- File upload and analysis
- Image generation
- All Pro features
- ~$17/month (save 16%)
- Up to 200 Pro Searches per week
- All Pro features
- Perplexity Computer (10,000 credits/month)
- Unlimited deep research queries
- All Max features
- ~$167/month (save 16%)
- All Pro features
- SSO/SCIM single sign on
- Admin controls and user management
- All Enterprise Pro features
- Advanced reasoning models (Claude Opus, o3-pro)
- Unlimited deep research queries
Prices change; check the official pricing →