Perplexity
by Perplexity AI
The AI-powered answer engine that cites its sources.
Score
Score
Our verdict
Perplexity AI has carved out a unique niche as the go-to AI search engine that combines conversational AI with real-time web sourcing and inline citations. It excels for researchers, journalists, students, and professionals who need factual answers backed by verifiable sources. The main caveat is its narrower feature set compared to general-purpose assistants like ChatGPT — it does not generate images, write long-form content as effectively, or offer voice mode.
Overview
Screenshot
Score breakdown
Overall score
Scores are editorial assessments by the Compare Best AI team on a 0–10 scale.
Expert review
CBAI Editorial Team
Compare Best AI · Editorial Team
Perplexity AI has redefined what an AI-powered search engine can be, offering a conversational research experience that combines the best of Google Search with the intelligence of frontier language models. Unlike traditional chatbots that generate responses from training data alone, Perplexity searches the live web in real-time and provides inline citations for every claim, making it uniquely trustworthy for factual research and professional work.
How we tested
Days tested
14 days
Tasks evaluated
- ·Factual research accuracy test
- ·Academic paper research
- ·Market analysis queries
- ·Source verification audit
- ·Complex multi-step research
- ·Comparison with Google Search
Method
Identical research queries tested against ChatGPT web browsing and Google AI Overviews
Reviewer
CBAI Editorial Team
Plans & pricing
Free
Limited daily use and simple questions
- Citations in answers
- Access to basic AI models
- Pro Search: 3/day (plan comparison article)
- Research queries: 1/month (plan comparison article)
- File uploads: weekly limits (lower tier)
- Computer monthly credits: not included
- Perplexity Patents (beta): free for all users with base quota
Pro
Power users needing extended research and uploads
- Extended Pro Search (high daily volume; weekly limits ~400/week advanced use per comparison article)
- Extended Research access
- Create files and apps access
- 10× citations per answer (Pro help article)
- Advanced AI models (GPT-5.2, Claude Sonnet 4.6, Gemini 3.1 Pro listed in help article)
- Image generation; limited video generation
- Increased file/photo uploads
- Computer: 4,000 one-time bonus credits (expire in 30 days); no recurring monthly Computer credits on Pro (credits help article)
- Auto-refill trigger at 500 credits when enabled
- Perplexity Patents (beta): higher usage quotas vs Free
Max
Experts needing highest limits and frontier models
- Everything in Pro
- Highest access to advanced models (incl. thinking models per help articles)
- Extended Create files/apps and Deep Research limits (~500/month file creation, ~500/month research, ~4000/week Pro Search per comparison table)
- 10,000 monthly Computer credits (credits help article)
- 35,000 one-time bonus credits on signup (Max marketing page)
- Max Assistant on Comet; highest weekly browser agent limits
- Brain (Research Preview) for Computer users
- Priority support
- Perplexity Patents (beta): additional quotas and model configuration vs Free
Enterprise Pro
Teams needing data privacy and admin controls
- All Pro features plus strict data privacy (not used for training)
- Per-seat licensing; mix Pro and Max seats
- Internal knowledge search via Projects and File Connectors
- Increased daily file uploads with org controls
- Dedicated Enterprise support; admin billing
- SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS (enterprise pricing page)
- API access: not included—separate API credits purchase
- 25% discount for education/non-profit/government on Enterprise Pro (onboarding guide)
Enterprise Max
Organizations needing highest enterprise limits and security add-ons
- Everything in Enterprise Pro
- 15,000 monthly Computer credits/seat (enterprise pricing page; 500 on Enterprise Pro per same page comparison)
- 40,000 bonus credits (enterprise pricing marketing)
- Up to 10,000 personal files; 5,000 files per Project
- 15 video generations/month (8s, audio, 16:9) per help articles
- SCIM, audit logs, configurable data retention when org has ≥1 Enterprise Max seat
- Priority / forward-deployed support options on custom contracts
Pricing may vary by region. Always verify on the vendor's website.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Perplexity | ChatGPT | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search & Research | |||
| Real-time web search | |||
| Inline citations | |||
| Multi-step Pro Search | |||
| Core AI | |||
| Multiple model access | |||
| Image generation | |||
| Voice conversation | |||
| Productivity | |||
| Shareable research pages | |||
| File upload and analysis | |||
| Pricing & Plans | |||
| Free tier available | |||
Is it right for you?
Good fit for
Researchers and academics
Real-time sourced answers with inline citations eliminate hours of manual source verification.
Journalists and writers
Quickly fact-check claims, find primary sources, and gather background information with verifiable references.
Students
Research papers and assignments with properly cited sources; Academic focus mode for scholarly results.
Business analysts
Market research, competitive intelligence, and trend analysis with up-to-the-minute web data.
Less suited for
Creative content generation
Perplexity is built for research, not for generating marketing copy, stories, or creative writing at scale.
Code-heavy development
Lacks dedicated coding tools, code execution, and IDE integrations that GitHub Copilot or Cursor provide.
All-in-one AI needs
No image generation, voice mode, or custom assistants — users wanting everything should consider ChatGPT.
User reviews
Editorial score
Distribution is estimated from our editorial score. Verified user reviews coming soon.
Use cases
Typical ways teams rely on this tool — from everyday tasks to specialized workflows.
- Research
- Fact-Checking
- Academic Writing
- Market Analysis
- Competitive Intelligence
- News Monitoring
- Content Research
Integrations
Reported connectors
Apps and services commonly connected out of the box or via official connectors.
- Chrome Extension
- Safari Extension
- iOS
- Android
- API
- Slack
- Zapier
- Discord
Privacy & compliance
Security & data practices
Highlights we track from the vendor's documentation. Always confirm current terms, subprocessors, and regional policies on their official site.
- SOC 2
- GDPR-ready
Details
Category
Price
- Free $0
- Pro $20/mo
- Max $200/mo or $2,000/yr (web annual)
- Enterprise Pro $40/seat/mo or $400/yr
- Enterprise Max $325/seat/mo or $3,250/yr.
Free version
Best for
- Real-time web research with cited sources
- Fact-checking and rapid information lookups
- Deep research reports on any topic
Frequently asked questions
Perplexity
Productivity & Collaboration
Ready to get started?
Visit the Perplexity website to explore plans and start your free trial.
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