Perplexity
AI answer engine with cited sources, handy for company research and market mapping.
From $20/mo Free tier API
Bottom line
AI answer engine with cited sources for company and market research. Free plan; Pro $20/mo, Max $200/mo, Enterprise Pro $40/seat/mo.
Stands out for: Perplexity cites its sources on every answer, so recruiters can check a claim about a company, funding round or layoff before using it with a client or candidate.
Watch out for: It is built for research rather than drafting: for long outreach sequences or job ads, ChatGPT or Claude fits better. Personal plans offer an opt-out from AI training, so check that setting before pasting candidate details.
Overview
Perplexity is an AI answer engine: you ask a question and it searches the web and returns an answer with numbered citations you can check. Recruiters use it to research a target company before a call, map competitors to source from, check market and layoff news, and build account lists for business development. Research mode writes longer cited reports, and Computer and the Comet browser assistant can carry out multi-step tasks on the web.
The Free plan gives basic search with citations and three Pro Searches a day. Pro is $20/mo and adds top models from OpenAI, Anthropic and others, deep research, file uploads and app connectors. Max is $200/mo for the highest limits, and Enterprise Pro is $40/seat/mo or $400/seat/yr, with team data never used for model training.
Who it's for
Best for
- Researching a company or market before a client or candidate call
- Agency business development teams building target-account lists
- Recruiters who want sources they can check, not just an answer
Not ideal for
- Long outreach sequences and job ads
- Finding candidate contact data
Key features
Cited answers. Every answer links its sources, so a claim about a company, funding round or layoff can be checked before it goes to a client or candidate.
Research and Computer. Research mode writes longer cited reports, and Computer and the Comet browser assistant carry out multi-step tasks on the web, such as building a list of target companies.
AI features
| What the AI does | Plan |
|---|---|
| Cited answers from live web search | Free |
| Pro Search with a choice of top models | Pro |
| Research reports with citations | Pro |
| Create files and apps | Pro |
| Comet browser assistant | Pro |
Only features named in the vendor's own documentation. Anything sold separately is marked as an add-on.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Cited search, 3 Pro Searches a day |
| Pro | $20/mo | Top models, deep research, connectors |
| Max | $200/mo | Highest limits, 10,000 monthly credits |
| Enterprise Pro | $40/seat/mo | Or $400/seat/yr, no training on your data |
| Enterprise Max | $325/seat/mo | Highest team limits, SCIM and audit logs |
The Free plan costs nothing and includes basic search with citations and three Pro Searches a day. Pro is $20/mo and adds top AI models, deep research, file uploads, app connectors and 4,000 bonus Computer credits; Max is $200/mo for the highest limits and 10,000 monthly credits. Enterprise Pro is $40/seat/mo or $400/seat/yr and Enterprise Max is $325/seat/mo, with data never used for training. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.
Checked 7 Oct 2026. Vendors change prices without notice.
Is Perplexity expensive?
Perplexity starts at $20/mo. We list 6 AI assistants tools in total. 6 have a free tier, and those with a public price typically start around $17 a month.
- 0 quote-based
- 6 free tier
- 6 public price
Worked out automatically from every AI assistants listing, so it updates as the directory changes.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Every answer comes with citations
- Pro lets you choose between models from several AI labs
- Enterprise plans never use your data for training
Cons
- Free plan allows three Pro Searches a day
- Max costs $200/mo
- Less suited than ChatGPT or Claude to long-form drafting
How Perplexity compares
See all Perplexity alternatives, with what each one does differently and a head to head for every pairing.
| Tool | Free tier | From | MCP | API | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ✓ | $20/mo | – | ✓ | |
| | ✓ | $8/mo | – | ✓ | Compare |
| | ✓ | $17/mo | – | ✓ | Compare |
| | ✓ | $30/mo | – | ✓ | Compare |
$8/mo Free tier API
Broader everyday assistant for drafting, files and analysis, with deep research on Plus.
$17/mo Free tier API
Better for long documents and natural writing, with connectors to recruiting tools.
$30/mo Free tier API
Live web plus X search, useful if you track companies and candidates on X.
Your next step
Shortlisting Perplexity?
Still deciding? Ask an AI assistant about Perplexity.
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