Perplexity is the AI-native answer engine — a product designed from day one around "question in, cited answer out" rather than "chat continuing." Founded in 2022 by Aravind Srinivas and a small team, Perplexity has carved out a distinctive position in the AI product landscape, sitting between Google (pure search) and ChatGPT (pure chat) with a user experience purpose-built for research.
This page is the living reference to Perplexity — the product, pricing, what's new, how it compares, and every story we publish tagged Perplexity. We update it whenever Perplexity ships a meaningful change.
As of April 2026, Perplexity runs on a combination of its own Sonar-series search models plus user-selectable routing to GPT-5, Claude Opus/Sonnet, and Gemini Pro.
We rated Perplexity 4.7 / 5. The best AI search experience by a meaningful margin. If you do any kind of research professionally, Pro at $20/month replaces a dozen tab-juggling sessions every day. The closest thing to a Google replacement we've reviewed.
Read the full Perplexity review →Latest news about Perplexity
Every story we've published tagged Perplexity. Refreshed automatically every time the newsroom publishes.
- Aug 24, 2026Nvidia in talks to invest in Perplexity at $30B-plus valuationThe chipmaker is deepening ties with an AI search startup it already backs, cementing Nvidia's role as both supplier and shareholder across the sector.
- Aug 18, 2026Perplexity's Airtel giveaway added millions of India users, and some are payingDownloads collapsed 90% after the free offer closed, but monthly revenue hit $156,000 in July 2026 — more than four times January 2025.
- Aug 4, 2026Reddit moderators fight AI-driven spam as chatbots make the site search's top citationReddit was the most-cited domain by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Mode in May, drawing a wave of covert brand promotion.
- Jul 28, 2026Perplexity brings Personal Computer agent to Windows for $200/month usersThe agentic tool works across local files, Microsoft 365, and the web, targeting enterprise workflows that live on Windows desktops.
- Jul 7, 2026Nvidia's Vera CPU targets agentic AI with 50% IPC gain over GraceThe 88-core Arm chip aims to keep GPUs fed as agents run in loops; Perplexity ran a coding workflow 1.5x faster than x86.
- Jun 9, 2026Perplexity targets 2028 IPO regardless of Anthropic, OpenAI listingsCEO Aravind Srinivas tells CNBC the AI search startup will go public in 2028 even as Anthropic and OpenAI race to list first.
Timeline of major releases
- Dec 7, 2022Perplexity launchesAravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Andy Konwinski, and Johnny Ho launch Perplexity.ai as an AI-native answer engine combining LLMs with live web search.
- Jun 1, 2023Perplexity Pro launchesPerplexity introduces a $20/month Pro subscription with GPT-4 access, Copilot agent, and file uploads.
- Apr 23, 2024Perplexity Enterprise ProEnterprise tier launches with SSO, data privacy guarantees, and team features.
- Nov 17, 2024Sonar models in-housePerplexity ships its own Sonar-series search models optimized for answer quality and speed, in addition to routed access to GPT-5, Claude, and Gemini.
- Jul 9, 2025Comet browser launchesPerplexity launches Comet, an AI-native browser with Perplexity built into every page action — search, summarize, chat, automate.
- Feb 20, 2026Perplexity Max and shopping agentsPerplexity launches Max at $200/month with priority frontier models, Comet Pro features, and production-ready shopping agents.
How to access Perplexity
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Unlimited quick answers, limited Pro Search, standard models. |
| Perplexity Pro | $20/mo | Pro Search with GPT-5, Claude, Gemini model selection, Copilot agent, file upload, image generation. |
| Perplexity Max | $200/mo | All Pro features plus priority access to frontier tiers (GPT-5 Pro, Opus 4.7), Comet Pro browser features, shopping agents. |
| Enterprise Pro | $40/user/mo | SSO, SOC 2 compliance, data excluded from training, team workspaces. |
| Sonar API | Usage-based | Perplexity's search-grounded API for developers. |
Perplexity vs. ChatGPT vs. Gemini
| Feature | Perplexity | ChatGPT | Gemini |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary interface | Answer engine (citations always) | Chat (citations optional) | Chat (grounding optional) |
| Model choice | Pick GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, or Sonar | GPT-5 family | Gemini family |
| Citation quality | Best in class | Improving | Improving |
| AI-native browser | Comet | No | Chrome (Gemini integration) |
| Price for mid-tier | $20/mo | $20/mo | $19.99/mo |
What makes Perplexity different
Three product choices distinguish Perplexity from the general-purpose chatbots. First, citations are first-class — every answer comes with numbered sources, inline, by default, not as an afterthought. Second, model choice is exposed — Pro users pick which frontier model answers each question, rather than being locked into one lab's output. Third, the product is scoped to research-and-answer rather than open-ended chat — conversations are shorter, each turn more grounded, the whole UX tuned for "find me the answer" workflows.
Those choices add up to a product that professional researchers, analysts, and knowledge workers adopt at a higher rate than ChatGPT, which is still the default for general-purpose AI use.
Comet and the browser bet
In July 2025, Perplexity launched Comet, an AI-native browser. The bet: most AI-augmented browsing today happens through extensions and chatbots bolted onto Chrome. An AI-first browser can do better by rethinking every page interaction — tabs, bookmarks, forms, browsing history — around AI capabilities.
Comet is Perplexity's move to own the distribution surface rather than remaining a web product competing for search-engine referrals. It's a significant strategic move and one of the more interesting product bets in the current AI landscape. The Comet Pro tier in Max includes agent features that automate multi-step browsing tasks.
Pricing and plans
Perplexity's consumer pricing mirrors ChatGPT and Gemini at $20/month for Pro, with a new $200/month Max tier positioned against ChatGPT Pro. The economics are interesting because Perplexity pays frontier-model providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google) for the routed queries — meaning its gross margins depend on getting the routing right (cheaper Sonar models for easy queries, frontier models only when needed).
Enterprise Pro at $40/user/month is where the real business traction is. Consulting, finance, legal, and research-heavy roles have been quick to adopt Perplexity at the team and company level.
Where Perplexity wins — and where it doesn't
Perplexity wins on research workflows — anything where you want a grounded, cited answer about something current. It wins on model flexibility — no other consumer AI lets you pick between frontier labs for each query. And it wins on the citation UX, which is noticeably better than ChatGPT Search or Gemini's grounded answers.
It loses on raw conversational depth (it's not built for extended back-and-forth the way ChatGPT is), on ecosystem (no GPTs-equivalent marketplace, no Artifacts-class output rendering), and on pure brand recognition. For many general-purpose AI users, ChatGPT is still the habit. Perplexity's bet is that research and answer-specific use cases are enough of a wedge to build a meaningful business.
Our coverage
Everything tagged Perplexity appears in Latest news above. For alternatives, see ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. For broader industry coverage, see our AI news and AI tools beats.
