Perplexity
by Perplexity AI · www.perplexity.ai ↗
AI answer engine that combines web search with cited, conversational answers.
search citations
- Category
- Answer Engines
- Business model
- Freemium
- Availability
- Global
- Launched
- 2022-12
- Record updated
- 2026-07-27
- Founded
- 2022
- Headquarters
- US
Overview
Perplexity is an AI answer engine founded in 2022 that combines live web search with conversational answers and inline citations. It offers focused research modes, file analysis, and the Comet browser, with a free tier alongside Pro subscriptions. It is one of the most widely used AI-native search products.
Key features
- Web-grounded answers with inline source citations
- Deep Research mode for multi-step investigations
- Choice of frontier models on Pro plans
- File upload and data analysis in threads
Use cases
- Research questions needing sourced, current answers
- Comparing products, papers, and topics quickly
- Replacing traditional search for complex queries
Pricing
A free tier is available; Perplexity Pro adds more Deep Research queries, frontier model choice, and file limits.
Frequently asked questions
Does Perplexity cite its sources?
Yes. Perplexity answers include inline citations linking to the web sources used.
Is Perplexity free?
Yes. A free tier is available; Pro subscriptions add advanced research modes and model choices.
Who develops Perplexity?
Perplexity is developed by a San Francisco-based company founded in 2022.
Similar products
- Andi — Conversational AI search engine that answers questions and summarizes pages instead of showing ad-driven links.
- Comet — AI-powered web browser from Perplexity with a built-in assistant that answers questions and performs tasks across pages.
- Consensus — AI answer engine that finds and summarizes findings from peer-reviewed scientific research papers.
- Elicit — AI research assistant that finds, screens, and summarizes academic papers to help answer research questions.
- Exa — Neural web search API built for AI applications, returning meaning-based results and page content.
- Felo — Multilingual AI search engine that generates sourced answers and mind-map style summaries.
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Sources
This record was last reviewed on 2026-07-27.
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