Perplexity

AI search that answers with clickable sources.

About

Perplexity is an AI-powered search engine that answers questions in plain language and shows the sources behind each answer. Instead of a list of links to sift through, you get a readable summary with citations you can open and check. It is built for research, fact-checking, and staying current, rather than for long-form writing or coding alone.

Key features

• Natural-language answers with inline citations linking to the original sources
• Live web search so answers can cover recent news, prices, and fast-moving topics
• Pro Search for deeper, multi-step research on complex questions
• Deep Research mode that compiles longer cited reports on a topic
• Choice of underlying AI models on paid plans, rather than a single fixed model
• File uploads for asking questions about documents, PDFs, images, and other files
• Spaces and saved threads for organising research by project or topic

Pricing

Free plan $0/month; Pro plan $20/month, or $200/year (about $17/month equivalent); Max plan $200/month

Prices change — check the official pricing page before buying, and confirm which limits apply, since some Pro allowances are described in general terms rather than exact numbers.

Best for

Researchers, students, journalists, and professionals who need fast, sourced answers every day.

Limitations to know

AI search answers can be wrong, outdated, or cite sources loosely, and a citation does not guarantee that the source actually supports the claim, so check important facts directly. It is also weaker than a dedicated chatbot for long-form writing, nuanced synthesis, and complex multi-step analysis.

What users like

• Speed and up-to-date answers are commonly praised, with users valuing fresh results over stale chatbot knowledge
• Citations are widely appreciated because they let readers verify claims quickly instead of trusting an answer blindly
• Ease of use is a recurring theme, with many users adopting it as a daily replacement for traditional search for research tasks
• Research modes and model choice on paid plans are frequently valued by students, writers, and professionals

What users complain about

• Hallucinations and loosely supported citations are reported often, especially on niche or fast-moving topics
• Usage limits and changing credit rules frustrate some paying users, particularly heavy researchers
• Billing, auto-renewal, and refund handling draw many complaints on consumer review sites, alongside slow support
• Answer depth is criticised by some users who find it weaker than dedicated tools for complex analysis and long-form work

Our editorial score

Our editorial score: 8.3/10 — our own judgement, not an aggregate of user ratings. See the full review for the reasoning.

Read the full Perplexity review · More Voice, Search & Productivity tools · All AI tools

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