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Research AI tool
Perplexity AI
Perplexity AI is an AI answer engine that responds to natural-language questions with concise, source-cited answers built from a real-time web index.
Audience
Researchers
Pricing
Freemium
What Perplexity AI does
- Source-cited answers with inline links to the pages each claim is drawn from
- Real-time web search, so answers reflect current information rather than a frozen training cutoff
- Conversational threads that let you ask follow-up questions in context
- Spaces for organising threads, files, and shared research by topic
- Pro subscription unlocking advanced models, file uploads, and image generation
When to use Perplexity AI
- Researching an unfamiliar topic and getting a sourced overview in one query
- Fact-checking a claim by tracing it back to the original web pages
- Replacing the 'open ten tabs and skim' workflow with a single answer plus citations
Perplexity AI pricing
Perplexity AI is offered as a freemium product. Plans and exact prices change often — check the official Perplexity AI site for current tiers and limits.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Perplexity AI free?
Yes. Perplexity has a free tier that covers everyday questions. A paid Pro subscription adds advanced model access, file uploads, and image generation — see the Perplexity pricing page for current plans.
How is Perplexity different from ChatGPT?
Perplexity is built as an answer engine: every response cites the web pages it drew from, and its index refreshes in real time. ChatGPT can browse the web on request but is primarily a general-purpose conversational assistant.
Who should use Perplexity AI?
Researchers, students, journalists, and knowledge workers who need sourced, current answers fast — rather than long-form chat or hand-rolled Google searches.