Perplexity is an AI-powered answer engine built by Perplexity AI, Inc. that searches the web in real time and returns conversational answers with numbered citations linking to its sources. It runs on a freemium model with a genuine free Standard plan, and the Pro plan starts at $20 per month.
Who builds it
Perplexity is developed by Perplexity AI, Inc., available at perplexity.ai alongside a developer API platform.
What it does
Perplexity answers questions by sourcing content from the web in real time, so responses reflect current information rather than only a model's training data. Each answer includes numbered citations linking to the original sources, letting users verify claims or explore further; Pro-tier answers include roughly 10 times as many citations per answer for greater reference depth. For detailed answers with extensive sources, users can choose the underlying model: Sonar (Perplexity's in-house model), GPT-5.2, Claude Sonnet 4.6, or Gemini 3.1 Pro. Its own crawler, PerplexityBot, is what surfaces and links sites in Perplexity's search results.
Core features
- Freemium pricing: a free Standard plan plus Pro ($20/month), Max, and Enterprise tiers
- Real-time web search, so answers reflect current information rather than stale training data
- Numbered inline citations on every answer, with Pro giving roughly 10x more citations per answer
- Choice of underlying model: Sonar (in-house), GPT-5.2, Claude Sonnet 4.6, or Gemini 3.1 Pro
- Developer API priced at $1 per 1M input tokens and $1 per 1M output tokens (Sonar)
- PerplexityBot, Perplexity's own web crawler, indexes and surfaces sites in search results
- Enterprise/team pricing from $40/month or $400/year per seat, with advanced seat management
- SOC 2 Type II compliance
Who it's for
Perplexity suits researchers, students, and professionals who want a search-first, citation-heavy answer engine rather than a pure writing assistant — the free Standard plan already offers practically unlimited basic searches, making it usable as a daily research tool without paying. Teams that need heavier usage, more citations per answer, or seat-based collaboration move to Pro, Max, or the per-seat Enterprise plan.
Data and compliance
Perplexity states it has servers for the Service in the US, and the verified facts don't show a dedicated EU-hosting option — so data residency is US-based rather than EU-based today. Perplexity holds a SOC 2 Type II report covering security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy controls. Logged-in users can opt out of having their search information used to improve Perplexity's AI models from their account settings.