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Perplexity alternatives · AI Assistants

Open-source alternatives to Perplexity

Perplexity is not described as open source on its own site. 13 of the 57 other AI assistants in this directory are open source, according to their own sites.

Perplexity has a free plan. Paid plans start at $17 per month when billed annually ($20 a month on the US App Store). All of them are free or have a free plan.

13 tools · Listings checked up to Oct 9, 2026 · Where the facts come from

The 12 closest to Perplexity

  1. DeepSeek

    Free AI chat assistant built on DeepSeek's openly released models

    • DeepSeek is free. Perplexity starts at $17 per month when billed annually ($20 a month on the US App Store).
    • Only DeepSeek lists macOS and Windows apps.
    • Only Perplexity lists a browser extension.
    • DeepSeek is open source, according to its own site.
    DeepSeek pricing and details

  2. Jan

    Open-source desktop app for running local and cloud AI models

    • Jan is free. Perplexity starts at $17 per month when billed annually ($20 a month on the US App Store).
    • Only Jan lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
    • Only Perplexity lists a web app.
    • Only Perplexity lists iOS and Android apps.
    Jan pricing and details

  3. Maple AI

    End-to-end encrypted AI chat that runs open models in enclaves

    • Maple AI starts at $20 per month (Pro). Perplexity starts at $17 per month when billed annually ($20 a month on the US App Store).
    • Only Maple AI lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
    • Only Perplexity lists a browser extension.
    • Maple AI is open source and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
    Maple AI pricing and details

  4. Lumo

    Proton's private AI assistant with zero-access encrypted chats

    • Lumo starts at $9.99 per month, billed yearly ($119.88), or $12.99 billed monthly. Perplexity starts at $17 per month when billed annually ($20 a month on the US App Store).
    • Only Perplexity lists a browser extension.
    • Lumo is open source, according to its own site.
    Lumo pricing and details

  5. HuggingChat

    Hugging Face's open-source chat app for open AI models

    • HuggingChat starts at $9 per month (Hugging Face PRO). Perplexity starts at $17 per month when billed annually ($20 a month on the US App Store).
    • Only Perplexity lists iOS and Android apps.
    • Only Perplexity lists a browser extension.
    • HuggingChat is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    HuggingChat pricing and details

  6. LibreChat

    Open-source, self-hosted chat interface for many AI providers

    • LibreChat is free. Perplexity starts at $17 per month when billed annually ($20 a month on the US App Store).
    • Only Perplexity lists iOS and Android apps.
    • Only Perplexity lists a browser extension.
    • LibreChat is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    LibreChat pricing and details

  7. Chatbox

    AI chat client for your own API keys or a hosted model plan

    • Chatbox starts at $3.50 per month, billed annually ($3.99 billed monthly). Perplexity starts at $17 per month when billed annually ($20 a month on the US App Store).
    • Only Chatbox lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
    • Only Perplexity lists a browser extension.
    • Chatbox is open source, according to its own site.
    Chatbox pricing and details

  8. PyGPT

    Open-source desktop AI assistant with agents, RAG and local models

    • PyGPT is free. Perplexity starts at $17 per month when billed annually ($20 a month on the US App Store).
    • Only PyGPT lists Windows, Linux and macOS apps.
    • Only Perplexity lists a web app.
    • Only Perplexity lists iOS and Android apps.
    PyGPT pricing and details

  9. AnythingLLM

    Open-source AI app for documents, agents and local models

    • AnythingLLM starts at $50 per month (Basic hosted cloud instance). Perplexity starts at $17 per month when billed annually ($20 a month on the US App Store).
    • Only AnythingLLM lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
    • Only Perplexity lists an iOS app.
    • Only Perplexity lists a browser extension.
    AnythingLLM pricing and details

  10. Cherry Studio

    Open-source desktop AI client for 50+ model providers

    • Only Cherry Studio lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
    • Only Perplexity lists a web app.
    • Only Perplexity lists a browser extension.
    • Cherry Studio is open source, according to its own site.
    Cherry Studio pricing and details

  11. Big-AGI

    Multi-model AI workspace that compares and merges answers

    • Big-AGI starts at $9 per month, billed yearly ($108), or $10.99 billed monthly (Pro). Perplexity starts at $17 per month when billed annually ($20 a month on the US App Store).
    • Only Perplexity lists iOS and Android apps.
    • Only Perplexity lists a browser extension.
    • Big-AGI is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    Big-AGI pricing and details

  12. NextChat

    Lightweight open-source AI chat client you can self-deploy

    • Only NextChat lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
    • Only Perplexity lists an Android app.
    • Only Perplexity lists a browser extension.
    • NextChat is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    NextChat pricing and details

1 more that are open source

All 13 in one table

Common questions

Is there an open-source alternative to Perplexity?

Yes. DeepSeek, Jan, Maple AI, Lumo, HuggingChat, LibreChat, Chatbox, PyGPT and 5 more are open source, according to their own sites.

Is Perplexity open source?

Perplexity is not described as open source on its own site. The listing was checked on Oct 4, 2026 against the pages it cites.

When was this checked?

Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 4, 2026 to Oct 9, 2026. Vendors change prices and plans without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.

This page is built from the listings. A tool is here because its listing says so, and the order is how close each is to Perplexity: the alternatives its listing names first, then the tools that share the most features with it.