An answer engine that cites its sources, with model choice on paid plans.
- Starting price
- $17/month (Pro, billed annually)
- Pricing model
- Freemium
- User rating
- 4.4 / 5
- Best for
- Research questions where you need to check sources
Perplexity is an answer engine. It searches the web, then writes a short answer with numbered citations. For factual questions that is faster than working through a page of blue links.
Who Perplexity is for
It suits research where the sources matter. Every claim carries a link, so checking an answer takes seconds instead of a fresh search.
The free tier is deliberately tight: around three Pro Searches a day and one research query a month. That is enough to judge the product, not to work with it.
Which Perplexity plan should you pick?
Pro at $20 a month, or $17 a month on annual billing, is the plan most people need. It moves Pro Searches to weekly limits and opens up the stronger models and the Comet browser.
Max at $200 a month exists for heavy research volumes. Students can get Pro at $10 a month with verification.
Teams start at Enterprise Pro, from $40 per user a month or $400 per seat a year, which adds shared spaces and admin controls.
Perplexity pricing and plans
Free
$0
per month
Around 3 Pro Searches a day, 1 research query a month.
- Unlimited basic searches
- Cited answers
- Web and mobile apps
- Limited file uploads
Pro
$20
per month
$17 per month billed annually at $200.
- Weekly Pro Search limits, not daily
- Access to stronger models
- Comet browser
- File and image analysis
Max
$200
per month
For heavy, sustained research use.
- Highest search and research limits
- Priority access to new features
- Everything in Pro
Education Pro
$10
per month
Requires student verification.
- Full Pro feature set
- Same weekly limits as Pro
Enterprise Pro
From $40
per user, per month
$400 per seat billed annually.
- 400 Pro Searches per week
- 50 research queries a month
- Shared spaces and admin controls
- SSO and data controls
Pricing checked against the official Perplexity pricing page on 5 September 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm before you buy.
What Perplexity actually does
- Cited answers with numbered sources
- Pro Search for multi-step research questions
- Deep research reports
- Comet, its own AI browser
- File, image and document analysis
- Spaces for organising research threads
- Model choice on paid plans
- Sonar API for developers
- Web, iOS and Android apps
Pros and cons
What works well
- Every answer carries checkable citations
- Cheaper than most rivals on annual billing
- Comet browser included with Pro
- $10 student plan is unusually good value
- Sonar API for developers
What to watch out for
- Free tier is too limited for real work
- Max at $200 a month is hard to justify for most people
- Limits moved from daily to weekly, which is harder to plan around
- Answer quality depends on what it finds on the day
Perplexity FAQs
Is Perplexity free?
Yes, with tight limits. The free tier gives unlimited basic searches but only around three Pro Searches a day and one research query a month.
How much is Perplexity Pro?
$20 a month, or $17 a month if you pay $200 for the year.
What is the difference between Pro and Max?
Volume. Pro moves you from daily to weekly Pro Search limits. Max, at $200 a month, gives the highest limits and earliest access to new features.
Is there a student discount?
Yes. Education Pro is $10 a month with student verification and includes the full Pro feature set.
How much does Perplexity cost for teams?
Enterprise Pro starts at $40 per user a month, or $400 per seat billed annually, with 400 Pro Searches per week per user.
What is Comet?
Perplexity’s own browser, included with Pro. It puts the answer engine directly into your browsing rather than in a separate tab.
Does Perplexity replace Google?
For factual questions with a clear answer, often yes. For navigational searches, shopping and local results, a normal search engine is still faster.
Can developers use Perplexity?
Yes. The Sonar API is billed separately from consumer subscriptions and gives programmatic access to cited search answers.
Where does the 4.4 rating come from?
It is the aggregate score from 321 reviewers on G2, checked 12 August 2026. It is not our own hands-on test score.
Weighing up other options? Read the 10 best Perplexity alternatives.
Ready to try Perplexity?
Go to Perplexity