2026 Review

Perplexity

AI answer engine that searches the web in real time and responds with cited, checkable answers.

Chatbots ResearchFreemiumAPIPopular74% positive

Facts checked Aug 2, 2026

About Perplexity

Perplexity is an AI-powered answer engine: ask anything and it searches the live web, then writes a direct answer with inline citations you can verify. The free plan includes unlimited quick searches; Pro is $20/month ($200/year) with unlimited Pro searches, 20 Deep Research queries a day, and frontier model choice, while Max is $200/month and Enterprise Pro runs $40/user/month. Its agentic Comet browser became free for everyone in March 2026.

At a glance

Founded: 2022
Headquarters: San Francisco, US
Platforms: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Browser extension

Integrates with

Google DriveDropboxSharePointGitHub

Main competitors

ChatGPT Google Gemini Claude

Best for

Research with sourcesNews & current eventsShopping researchFinance lookupsSearch-grounded apps

Pros

Citations on every answer make claims checkable — still rare among chatbots
Free tier includes unlimited quick searches
Pro bundles multiple frontier models plus $5 monthly API credit for $20
Comet browser adds agentic browsing at no extra cost

Cons

Citations can mismatch or dead-end — answers still need spot-checking
Weaker than ChatGPT or Claude for long conversations and creative work
Trustpilot sits at 1.6 on billing and cancellation complaints

Our verdict

Best for: Researchers and news-driven users who want sourced, current answers rather than a chatbot's memory.

Skip if: You mostly want conversation, coding, or writing help — ChatGPT or Claude are stronger all-rounders.

Our review

Perplexity attacked the one weakness every chatbot shared — you couldn't tell where answers came from — and built a product around fixing it. Every response is grounded in a live web search and footnoted, which turns AI answers from something you trust into something you can check. Pro is quietly one of the better deals in AI: $20/month buys unlimited Pro searches with your pick of frontier models, 20 Deep Research runs a day, and a $5 API credit. Giving away the Comet browser in March 2026 extended that aggression to the browser itself.

The weaknesses are real, though. Citations occasionally point somewhere that doesn't support the claim, so high-stakes research still needs the spot-check the interface conveniently enables. As a conversationalist, writer, or coding partner it trails ChatGPT and Claude — this is a search product, not an everything assistant. And its 1.6 Trustpilot score, driven by billing and cancellation complaints, is a pattern shared with much of the industry but no less worth knowing.

Meanwhile the giants have noticed: Google's AI Mode and Gemini fold cited search into products with billions of users, and ChatGPT searches the web by default now. Perplexity's edge is that search is its whole product, not a feature — the interface, follow-ups, and research tools are all tuned for it.

Verdict: the best AI search engine, and the free tier plus free Comet browser make trying it a no-brainer. Keep ChatGPT or Claude for conversation and creation; use Perplexity when the answer needs receipts.

What reviewers elsewhere say

74% positive — Users trust the cited, current answers and clean interface; complaints center on subscription billing, cancellation friction, and occasional citation mismatches.

G2 4.5 out of 5 (239 reviews)Trustpilot 1.6 out of 5 (180 reviews)

Sentiment estimated from reviews on G2, Trustpilot, Reddit, as of Aug 2026. Third-party scores are point-in-time snapshots. We don't host user reviews.

Key features

Every answer grounded in live web sources with inline citations
Deep Research runs multi-step investigations (20/day on Pro)
Comet, Perplexity's agentic AI browser — free on desktop and mobile
Frontier model choice on Pro — GPT, Claude, Gemini, and in-house Sonar
Labs turns prompts into reports, dashboards, and mini apps (Pro)
Sonar API for building search-grounded applications

How to use Perplexity

Search free at perplexity.ai — every answer arrives with citations.
Click the sources to verify claims before you rely on them.
Ask follow-ups in the same thread to narrow the research.
Run Deep Research for multi-step questions (20/day on Pro).
Install the free Comet browser to bring the assistant to every page.
Build on the Sonar API — Pro includes a $5 monthly credit.

Pricing

Deal: Annual billing cuts Pro to $200/year — two months free

Free$0

Unlimited quick searches, limited Pro searches and Deep Research.

Pro$20/mo

$200/year (about $17/mo). Unlimited Pro searches, 20 Deep Research queries/day, model choice, $5 monthly API credit.

Max$200/mo

$2,000/year. Unlimited Labs, earliest access to new models, Perplexity Computer credits.

Enterprise Pro$40/user/mo

Team workspace with SSO and data controls; Enterprise Max at $325/user/mo.

Pricing verified August 2026 · prices as listed by the vendor; check the official site for current offers.

Try Perplexity

Frequently asked questions

What is Perplexity?

Perplexity is an AI answer engine that searches the live web for every query and writes a direct answer with inline citations, positioning itself as a replacement for traditional search rather than a general chatbot.

How much does Perplexity cost?

The free plan has unlimited quick searches. Pro is $20/month or $200/year, Max is $200/month ($2,000/year), and Enterprise Pro starts at $40/user/month.

Is Perplexity better than ChatGPT?

For sourced, current-events research, yes — citations and live grounding are the default. For long conversations, coding, and creative work, ChatGPT and Claude remain stronger. Many people use Perplexity as their search engine and a general chatbot for everything else.

Does Perplexity have an API?

Yes. The Sonar API provides search-grounded model answers with citations for your own apps, and Pro subscribers get a $5 monthly API credit.

Is the Comet browser free?

Yes. Comet launched in 2025 as a paid perk but has been free for everyone since March 2026 on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, including agentic search, page summarization, and voice mode.