Perplexity
The AI-Powered Answer Engine
Perplexity AI is a conversational search engine that combines the power of large language models with real-time web search. Unlike traditional AI chatbots, Perplexity sources its answers from the live web and provides citations, making it ideal for research and fact-checking.
What Perplexity Can Do
Real-Time Web Search
Perplexity searches the web in real time and delivers up-to-date answers — not training data that could be months old.
Learn moreCited Sources
Every answer includes clickable source citations so you can verify information and dig deeper into any topic.
Learn moreFollow-Up Questions
Ask follow-up questions naturally within a conversation thread. Perplexity maintains context across the entire session.
Learn moreVisual Search
Upload images and get AI-powered analysis and answers. Perfect for identifying objects, analyzing charts, or understanding visuals.
Learn moreFile & PDF Analysis
Upload PDFs and documents for instant summarization, key point extraction, and Q&A — no manual reading needed.
Learn moreFocus Modes
Switch between Web, Academic, Writing, Wolfram|Alpha, YouTube, and Reddit search modes for targeted results.
Learn moreReal Prompts to Try Right Now
Copy these prompts directly into Perplexity. Each one is crafted to demonstrate a specific capability.
What are the latest breakthroughs in quantum computing in 2024? Summarize the top 3 developments with sources.
Returns a structured summary of recent quantum computing advances with clickable citations from academic and news sources.
Is it true that [recent claim you saw online]? What do credible sources say about this?
Provides a balanced fact-check with multiple source citations, highlighting what is confirmed vs. disputed.
Using Academic focus mode: Find peer-reviewed studies from the last 2 years on the effectiveness of intermittent fasting for type 2 diabetes.
Returns a list of actual academic papers with authors, journals, and key findings — no paywalls needed.
What is the current market share breakdown of cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) as of this quarter? Include recent trend data.
Delivers up-to-date market share percentages with sources from analyst firms like Gartner and IDC.
Compare the pricing plans, key features, and recent news for Notion, Obsidian, and Roam Research as of today.
Side-by-side comparison of all three tools with current pricing, feature list, and recent product updates from their websites.
What is the latest stable version of Next.js and what are the most important new features introduced in the last two major releases?
Accurate, up-to-date version info and feature changelog pulled directly from official release notes — not stale training data.
Who Uses It & How
Academic Research
Find cited academic sources and summarize complex papers in seconds.
DetailsNews & Current Events
Get instant summaries of breaking news with original source links.
DetailsMedical & Health Questions
Research symptoms and treatments with referenced medical sources.
DetailsFinancial Research
Track market trends, company news, and financial data with live results.
DetailsTechnical Lookups
Find latest documentation, library updates, and community solutions.
DetailsProduct Research
Compare products and find reviews with current pricing information.
DetailsWhich Version Should You Use?
Perplexity offers multiple model tiers. Here is what each one is best suited for.
Default (Sonar Small)
- Fast responses
- Everyday questions
- Quick research
Sonar Large Online
- Deeper research
- Better reasoning
- More detailed answers
Claude 3.5 Sonnet
- Best writing quality
- Nuanced analysis
- Follows complex instructions
GPT-4o
- Strong reasoning
- Code generation
- Versatile tasks
Master Perplexity
Use Focus Modes
Switch to 'Academic' mode for research papers or 'YouTube' mode to find video explanations of any topic.
Ask for Sources First
Start your query with 'According to recent sources...' to get Perplexity to prioritize well-cited, reliable information.
Use Spaces for Projects
Perplexity Pro lets you create Spaces — private research workspaces where you can save and organize your queries.
Chain Your Questions
Ask a broad question first, then refine with follow-ups. Perplexity builds on previous context, giving you progressively precise answers.
Your First 30 Minutes with Perplexity
Create a Free Account
Go to perplexity.ai and sign up with Google or email. The free tier gives you 5 Pro searches per day and unlimited standard searches.
Pro tip: Start without an account to test it — no login required for basic searches.
Choose Your Focus Mode
Click the search mode dropdown before searching. For research papers, use 'Academic'. For current events, use 'Web'. For Reddit opinions, use 'Social'.
Focus modes dramatically change result quality for specialized topics.
Ask Your First Question
Type a natural language question — not just keywords. The more context you provide, the more precise the answer and citations will be.
Add phrases like 'as of 2024' or 'recent studies show' to get the most up-to-date results.
Explore the Thread & Sources
After getting an answer, click the numbered citations to verify sources. Then ask follow-up questions to go deeper — Perplexity maintains conversation context.
Save useful threads to your Perplexity Library for future reference.
Who Gets the Most from This Tool?
Researchers & Academics
Real-time access to studies with academic citations beats any training-data-only model.
Example: Finding 2024 clinical trial results for a literature review
Journalists & Writers
Verify facts instantly and find multiple source perspectives on any story.
Example: Fact-checking a claim before publishing an article
Business Analysts
Track market trends, competitor moves, and industry news with live data.
Example: Compiling a competitive landscape report with current pricing
Students
Get cited answers with real sources — far better for learning than uncited AI responses.
Example: Understanding a complex topic for a school essay with academic sources
The Honest Review
Strengths
- Real-time web search with citations
- Free tier is generous and useful
- Excellent for research and fact-checking
- Multiple specialized search modes
- Clean, minimal UI
Weaknesses
- Can be verbose for simple questions
- Pro tier needed for advanced models
- Not ideal for purely creative tasks
- Limited file upload on free tier
Plans & Cost
Free
per month
- Unlimited quick searches
- 5 Pro searches/day
- Standard AI model
- Web & image search
- Follow-up questions
Pro
per month
- Unlimited Pro searches
- Advanced AI models (GPT-4o, Claude)
- File uploads
- Spaces & collections
- API access
- Priority support