Perplexity

Perplexity is an answer engine. You type a question, it searches the web, reads the most relevant pages and writes a short conversational answer. Its help center says every answer includes numbered citations that link to the original sources, so you can open the page behind any claim and check it yourself. That habit of showing sources is the main reason people use it for research instead of a plain chatbot.

There are a few ways to search. A standard search is quick and suits simple questions. Pro Search runs a more thorough search across more sources and, on paid plans, lets you pick the model that writes the answer. Research, which Perplexity also calls Deep Research, runs dozens of searches on its own, reads hundreds of sources and returns a full report in a few minutes, according to the help center.

Pricing, as listed on Perplexity's pricing page when we checked on October 24, 2026: the Free plan costs $0 and includes citations in every answer, access to basic models and limited daily use. Pro is listed at $17 per month billed annually and raises every limit, adds model selection and premium data sources. Max is listed at $167 per month billed annually for heavy use. The help center also lists an Education Pro plan for verified students. Check the pricing page before you buy, because plans and limits change often.

Perplexity also makes Comet, an AI browser, which we cover in our best AI browser guide.

Who it suits: students, writers and professionals who want fast, sourced answers about current topics, news, products or general questions. Who should look elsewhere: anyone who needs only peer reviewed papers. For academic literature, a scholarly tool such as Elicit, Consensus or Scite searches research databases directly. Whichever you use, open the cited sources before you rely on an answer, since a summary can still misread a page.