Why 8/10: Top pick for research and search: every answer comes with citations, the free tier is usable, and Pro adds Deep Research and model choice. Points off because the pricing page now shows only annual prices for Pro and because the product keeps adding credit-based features that make costs less clear.
By ToolSift editorial. Last checked . Prices change often; "check site" means verify with the vendor.
What it does
Perplexity is a search-first AI. You ask a question, it searches the web and writes an answer with numbered citations linking to its sources. Its pricing page describes Free as "search only with accurate answers and citations" and lists citations in every answer on every plan. Pro and Max add Deep Research for multi-step questions, access to and selection between top models, more file uploads, asset and video generation, 400+ app connectors and Model Council, which compares answers from several models.
Perplexity's FAQ says it orchestrates multiple top models and picks one per query, including models from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and NVIDIA. Pro raises every limit, adds premium data sources such as PitchBook and Statista, and lets you choose a preferred model. The newer Computer feature runs agent-style tasks against a credit balance, with bonus credits on Pro and monthly credits on Max.
Perplexity also makes the Comet browser, whose assistant uses the same models. Enterprise plans add admin and data controls for organisations.
Against our runners-up: Google NotebookLM is better when the material is your own (uploaded papers, notes, transcripts) and you want answers grounded only in those sources; Elicit is built for academic literature reviews, finding and summarising papers. Perplexity's edge is speed on the open web: a cited answer in seconds, with Deep Research when a question needs several rounds of searching. Use it to find and check, then go to the sources.
Our verdict
Perplexity is the fastest way to get an answer you can check, because every answer cites the web pages it draws on. Free covers everyday questions; Pro adds Deep Research, a choice of top models, more file uploads and Perplexity's agentic Computer feature. It is the right tool for looking things up and verifying claims quickly. It is not the right tool for analysing a large private document collection, where a notebook-style tool such as NotebookLM fits better, and you should still open the cited sources, since a citation is not a guarantee.
✅ Pick it if You want quick, cited answers to look up and verify, and occasional deep multi-step research.
⛔ Skip it if You need analysis of your own private document collection, or you want answers without opening sources.
Pricing: As of 19 Oct 2026 (USD), per Perplexity's pricing page: Free $0; Pro $17/month billed annually (4,000 bonus Computer credits); Max $167/month billed annually (35,000 bonus credits plus 10,000 Computer credits a month). Perplexity's help centre lists Max at $200/month or $2,000/year, with annual billing only on the web. The pricing page did not show a monthly Pro price when we checked; see checkout. Enterprise plans are priced per seat. Check site.
Perplexity is run by Perplexity AI, Inc., a US company headquartered in San Francisco.
What to watch
Open the citations: an answer can cite a source that doesn't fully support the claim. For anything you'll publish or act on, read the source.
Monthly Pro price: the pricing page showed only the annual rate ($17/month) on 19 Oct 2026; the monthly price appears at checkout.
Credits on top of plans: Computer features use credits, with bonus credits on Pro and monthly credits on Max. Check how many a task uses before running large jobs.
Private documents: file uploads are limited on Free; for working deeply across your own corpus, a dedicated notebook tool may suit better.