# Perplexity

> AI search assistant that answers questions with cited sources

Perplexity is an AI search assistant that answers questions with cited sources drawn from the web. Threads allow follow-up questions, Pro Search and Deep Research guide longer investigations, and Labs produces reports and projects. The app is free and syncs across devices, with paid Pro and Max plans above the free version.

- **Category:** AI Assistants
- **Made by:** Perplexity AI, Inc. (since 2022)
- **Website:** https://www.perplexity.ai
- **Runs on:** Web, iOS, Android, Browser extension
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 4, 2026

## Pricing

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

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** 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.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Listed alongside Pro and Max on the plans page; pricing is not shown. |

Read from https://www.perplexity.ai/pro on Oct 4, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Perplexity before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **Lower monthly cost with annual billing** (Annual discount): 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. Source: https://www.perplexity.ai/pro

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- Research questions where you want the sources behind each answer
- Follow-up questions that build on an earlier search
- Quick, current answers by voice or text on a phone

## Worth knowing

- 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.

## What people say

- **App Store rating of the iPhone and iPad app:** 4.8 out of 5 from 512,507 ratings in the United States, read Oct 7, 2026. This is the store's rating of the app, not a score from ToolGPA. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1668000334

Often praised:

- Reviewers and commenters like getting a direct answer with its sources listed, in place of working through a page of search results themselves. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1668000334, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49505678, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49536677)
- Asking follow-up questions to dig further into a subject, in some cases as a kind of tutor, is a use that reviewers and a commenter describe. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1668000334, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49725190)

Often criticised:

- A reviewer and two commenters report answers that were wrong, or that cited sources which did not say what the answer claimed. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1668000334, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49536677, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49321459)
- Several commenters say they see little reason left to choose it over the large AI assistants or Google's own AI answers. (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49596060, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49537019, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49536952)

Based on 10 App Store reviews, nine of them four or five stars, from September 2023 to August 2026, and about 15 Hacker News comments from August to October 2026. These are themes summarised from public reviews and discussions, not ToolGPA's own verdict.

**Tags:** AI search, Chat assistant, AI features, Public API

## Alternatives

- [ChatGPT](https://toolgpa.com/tools/chatgpt): OpenAI's general-purpose AI assistant for chat, images and voice. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/chatgpt-vs-perplexity)
- [Gemini](https://toolgpa.com/tools/gemini): Google's AI assistant, tied into Gmail, Docs and other Google apps. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/gemini-vs-perplexity)
- [Claude](https://toolgpa.com/tools/claude): Anthropic's AI assistant for writing, analysis and coding. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/claude-vs-perplexity)
- [Gemini Notebook](https://toolgpa.com/tools/notebooklm): Google's AI research assistant that answers from your own sources. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/notebooklm-vs-perplexity)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 4, 2026:

- https://www.perplexity.ai/pro
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/perplexity-ask-anything/id1668000334
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perplexity_AI
- https://docs.perplexity.ai

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/perplexity
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).