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Perplexity

Perplexity is a conversational AI search engine with real-time web citations — Free, Pro ($20/mo), Max ($200/mo), and Enterprise plans, plus a free Comet AI browser released March 2026.
Verified: May 4, 2026 Pricing verified May 2026 from Perplexity pricing page. Comet browser released free March 18, 2026.
Starting at
Free (unlimited basic search, ~5 Pro Searches/day). Pro $20/mo ($200/yr). Max $200/mo ($2,000/yr). Education Pro $10/mo (verified students). Enterprise Pro $40/user/mo ($400/yr). Enterprise Max $325/user/mo. Comet browser free (March 2026). Sonar API from $1/MTok.
Free plan permanently available — no credit card required
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Top Alternative
ChatGPT →

ChatGPT Plus at $20/month provides broader AI capabilities including image generation, voice mode, and a larger integration ecosystem alongside web search.

Software Specs

  • Free Trial: Free plan permanently available — no credit card required
  • Learning Curve: easy
What We Like
  • Real-time web search with source citations in every response — answers are grounded in current information rather than a training cutoff
  • Comet AI browser released free March 2026 — agentic browsing, search, and research tools at no additional cost
  • Education Pro at $10/month for verified students — 50% discount on Pro features for academic users
  • Sonar API includes web grounding by default — developers get search-grounded AI without wiring a separate search API
Considerations
  • Free tier's 5 daily Pro Search limit is restrictive — users with regular research needs hit it quickly
  • At $200/month, Max is the same price as ChatGPT Pro and Claude Max — competitive pricing but also equally expensive at power-user tier
  • Enterprise Max at $325/user/month is significantly more expensive than comparable enterprise AI tiers at competing platforms
  • Not designed for creative work — image generation, voice mode, and document creation are secondary to search
Expert Verdict
Perplexity is the best AI search tool for users who need current, cited information rather than AI-generated responses based on training data. The citation-first approach makes it well-suited for research and fact-checking workflows. Pro at $20/month is the right tier for anyone who searches more than 5 times daily. Users who need broader AI capabilities — image generation, long-form writing, coding assistance — should use Perplexity alongside rather than instead of ChatGPT or Claude.

Perplexity AI is a conversational search and answer engine founded in 2022, headquartered in San Francisco. It combines large language models with real-time web access and source citation to provide direct, verifiable answers to natural language queries — positioned between a traditional search engine and an AI chatbot. The platform serves millions of users and has expanded significantly in 2025–2026 with new product lines including Perplexity Computer, Comet (a free AI browser released March 2026), and Enterprise offerings.

Pricing as of May 2026: Free provides unlimited basic searches with source citations and approximately 5 Pro Search queries per day, but no access to advanced AI models, image generation, or premium data sources. Pro at $20/month ($200/year, ~$16.67/month) provides unlimited Pro Search, access to the latest models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and others, file uploads, image and video generation, and $5/month in Sonar API credits. Max at $200/month ($2,000/year) adds unlimited Labs and computer agent features, unlimited Deep Research, and priority access to new features. Education Pro is $10/month for verified students (via SheerID). Enterprise Pro starts at $40/user/month ($400/year) with shared Spaces, admin controls, SSO, and SOC 2 compliance. Enterprise Max at $325/user/month adds the highest model access and advanced governance features.

The Comet AI browser was released free in March 2026. Previously a $200/month PC-only subscription effectively bundled with Max, the browser now works free across iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac with agentic search, page summarization, voice mode, shopping assistance, and Deep Research built in.

The Sonar API enables developers to integrate Perplexity’s search-grounded AI into their own products, with pricing ranging from $1/million input tokens on the base Sonar model to $15/million output tokens on Sonar Pro — with web search grounding baked in, eliminating the need for a separate search integration.

Perplexity’s defining feature is real-time web access with citations in every response. Unlike general-purpose AI assistants that have a knowledge cutoff, Perplexity searches the current web for every query, making it particularly valuable for research, fact-checking, and questions about recent events.

Ready to try Perplexity?

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Perplexity Pro cost?

Perplexity Pro costs $20/month on monthly billing or $200/year ($16.67/month) on annual billing — a 17% savings. Pro includes unlimited Pro Search queries, access to the latest AI models from OpenAI and Anthropic, file uploads, image and video generation, and $5/month in Sonar API credits.

What is the Perplexity Comet browser?

Comet is Perplexity's AI browser, originally launched in July 2025 as a $200/month PC-only subscription. On March 18, 2026, Perplexity released Comet free across iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac. The free Comet includes agentic search, page summarization, voice mode, shopping assistance, and Deep Research from within the browser. There is no separate Comet account fee.

What makes Perplexity different from ChatGPT?

Perplexity is primarily a search and research tool — every response searches the current web and provides citations for its answers. ChatGPT is primarily an AI assistant with knowledge from training data (supplemented by optional web search). Perplexity excels at current events, fact-checking, and research. ChatGPT is stronger for writing, coding, image generation, and conversational tasks. Many users use both for different workflows.

What is the Sonar API?

The Sonar API lets developers integrate Perplexity's search-grounded AI into their own products. Unlike standard LLM APIs, Sonar includes real-time web search grounding by default — you don't need to wire a separate search API. Pricing starts at $1/million input tokens on the base Sonar model and reaches $15/million output tokens on Sonar Pro. Pro subscribers receive $5/month in Sonar API credits.

Is there a free version of Perplexity?

Yes. The free plan is permanently available with no credit card required. It includes unlimited basic searches with source citations. Pro Search queries (which use more advanced AI models and deeper research) are limited to approximately 5 per day on the free plan. Access to the latest AI models, image generation, and file uploads requires a Pro subscription.

Advertiser Disclosure: Pricing verified May 2026 from Perplexity pricing page. Comet browser released free March 18, 2026.. We may receive compensation for clicks or purchases on this site.

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