Komo vs Perplexity (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Perplexity grades higher than Komo: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 4, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Komo grades higher on the free plan. Perplexity grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Komo
AI search engine with credit-metered access to premium models
Perplexity
AI search assistant that answers questions with cited sources
Which one is for you
Pick Komo if
- Fits if you mainly want to search and compare answers across models
- Works for someone happy to spend a small daily credit budget
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a phone or desktop app: it's browser only
- Tight if you stay free: premium models, deep research and people search need Pro
- Watch out: searching needs a signed-in account even on the free plan
- Watch out: the monthly-billing price isn't shown on the page
Pick Perplexity if
- Fits if you want the sources behind an answer, not just the answer
- Works for questions that lead to more questions, since follow-ups build on the same thread
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you won't check citations, as some users report sources that don't back the answer
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $20 on the US App Store against $17 a month billed annually, and Max is $167
- Not for you if you need the free limits up front, because the plans page doesn't give them
- Not for you if it's for a company, as Pro and Max are described as for personal use only and Enterprise has no price
- Watch out: credits are sold on top, from $5.00 for 500, and there's no desktop app or image generation listed
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAKomoFair | 2.8GPAPerplexityGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $17 a month billed yearly, at the dear edge of the category, and Max is $170. Top-ups are $5 for 500 credits. | CPro is $17 a month billed annually, and $20 a month on the US App Store, against a category middle of about $12. Deep Research, the choice of models and the higher limits all sit up there, and Max is another world again at $167 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree: 25 credits every day, no card, all focus modes and search history. One person can get through a day on that. | CFree use gets cited answers, follow-up threads, a library and sync across devices, which covers the odd question. The plans page never states the free limits, though, so you only learn where they are by hitting them. |
| Features | CSearch with focus modes, credit-metered premium models, deep research and people search. Search is the job; there's no writing or file work. | BIt covers its job: answers from live web pages with the sources listed, Pro Search and Deep Research for longer digs, Labs turning a request into a finished report, an Assistant that drafts email and books things, and voice. No image generation on the listing, and nothing it connects to. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, but it's a search box in the browser: sign in and type. | A4.8 from about 512,500 App Store ratings, the highest in this category by some way. Type a question, read the answer, ask the next one. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with no apps or integrations listed. | BWeb, iPhone, Android and a browser extension, with your threads synced across them. No desktop app, and the listing names no integrations. |
| Best for | AI search with credit-metered premium models | research answers with the sources shown |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Komo and Perplexity. How we grade
Price against what you get
Komo starts at $17 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Perplexity starts at $17 a month and scores 3.3.
Perplexity scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other AI assistants on the chart, 27 score higher than Komo for less, and 6 score higher than Perplexity for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Komo also covers research.
At a glance
| Komo | Perplexity | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $17 per month, billed annually | $17 per month when billed annually ($20 a month on the US App Store) |
| Free plan | 25 credits every day, Komo Fast and budget models, all focus modes and search history. | Free to use, with cited answers, follow-up threads and sync across devices. Perplexity's plans page does not spell out the free plan's limits. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Komo AI | Perplexity AI, Inc. |
| Price read from | komo.ai | perplexity.ai |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Komo
- Searching needs a signed-in account, even on the free plan.
- Only the annual-billing price is shown on the pricing page text we could read; the monthly-billing price is not recorded here, and the page labels annual billing as a 15% saving.
- Premium models, deep research and people search are not on the free plan.
- Komo lists no mobile or desktop apps; it is used in a browser.
Perplexity
- The plans page quotes annual-billing prices only: Pro at $17 and Max at $167 a month. The US App Store lists monthly subscriptions at $20.00 for Pro and $200.00 for Max.
- Pro and Max are described as for personal use only.
- Credits are sold separately in packs from $5.00 for 500 to $50.00 for 5,000.
Key features
Komo
- Credit-metered usage
- Every search draws from one credit balance: a daily grant on Free and a monthly grant on paid plans.
- Focus modes
- All focus modes are available on the free plan.
- Premium models
- Pro and Max add the premium models the pricing page names: GPT, Claude, Gemini and Grok.
- Deep research
- Longer research runs are included from Pro upward.
- People search
- A search mode for finding people, listed on Pro and Max.
- Credit top-ups
- Paid plans can buy non-expiring credits on top of the monthly grant: 500 credits for $5 or 2,500 for $20.
Perplexity
- Cited answers
- Responds to questions with answers drawn from current web content and lists the sources used for each one.
- Pro Search and Deep Research
- Guided AI search modes for exploring a question in more depth than a single answer.
- Thread follow-ups
- Ask follow-up questions in the same thread so later answers build on earlier ones. Past threads are kept in your Library.
- Assistant
- Handles tasks such as drafting emails, scheduling appointments and booking reservations.
- Perplexity Labs
- Turns a request into a finished report or project rather than a short answer.
- Voice
- Ask questions by speaking instead of typing and get up-to-date answers back.
Plans
Komo
Free$0
25 credits every day, Komo Fast and budget models, all focus modes and search history. No card required.
Komo Pro$17
per month, billed annually
2,000 monthly credits, premium models (GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok), deep research, people search and non-expiring top-ups.
Komo Max$170
per month, billed annually
Everything in Pro with 25,000 monthly credits, the highest parallel-run limits and priority access to new features.
Perplexity
Free$0
Cited answers, follow-up threads, a library of past searches and sync across devices.
Pro$17
per month, or equivalent, when billed annually
Deep research, a choice of AI models, expanded Computer access, document and app creation, and higher usage limits and memory.
Max$167
per month, or equivalent, when billed annually
Everything in Pro with the highest usage limits, 10,000 monthly credits, frontier models and priority access to new features.
EnterpriseCustom
Listed alongside Pro and Max on the plans page; pricing is not shown.
Ways to pay less
Komo
- Annual discount
Save 15% with annual billing
The pricing page marks its Annual toggle with a 15% saving against monthly billing.
Perplexity
- Annual discount
Lower monthly cost with annual billing
Perplexity's plans page prices Pro at the equivalent of $17 a month when billed annually; the US App Store lists the monthly subscription at $20.00.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Komo or Perplexity?
As of Nov 12, 2026, they start at the same price. Komo starts at $17 per month, billed annually, and Perplexity starts at $17 per month when billed annually ($20 a month on the US App Store).
Which has a free plan, Komo or Perplexity?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Komo and Perplexity have a free plan.
Which platforms do Komo and Perplexity run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Perplexity lists iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.