Tool profile

Perplexity: what it is, what it costs, where it breaks

Perplexity is an AI answer engine and assistant made by Perplexity AI that searches the web for each question, writes a response with numbered source links, and also offers file analysis, report generation, a browser called Comet and an API, sold as a free tier and paid individual and enterprise plans.

By Sebastiaan Smits, editor · Updated October 16, 2026 ·Sources checked October 2026

What to know first

Perplexity sells a free Standard tier and paid plans that add stronger models, longer research runs and file generation. As of October 2026, the help center lists Education Pro at $10 per month for verified students and educators, and Enterprise Pro at $40 per seat per month or $400 per year. Buyers should check the pricing page for the individual Pro and Max figures, since the help articles read for this page did not print them. Paid usage is metered by modes and credits.

Perplexity at a glance

Maker	Perplexity AI, United States
Free plan	Yes
Entry price	$20 per month, or $17 per month billed annually (Pro)
API access	Yes
Category	Best AI Chat Assistants in 2026, rank 5 of 9
Website	perplexity.ai

Who Perplexity is best for

Students and educators

Education Pro costs $10 per month with SheerID verification and includes everything in Pro, plus Learn Mode, which makes it the cheapest paid route into the full feature set.

Teams that search internal files

Enterprise plans add shared Projects, centrally governed file connectors and a stated rule that customer data is never used for training, which a personal account cannot match.

People who switch between model families

Pro lets you pick among the in-house Sonar model and third-party models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and xAI inside one search box, instead of paying each vendor separately.

Builders who need web-grounded API calls

Perplexity documents a separate API platform with Agent, Search and Embeddings APIs, billed on its own and not included in any subscription.

Perplexity plans and pricing

Plan	Price	What it includes
Standard (Free)	0	Practically unlimited basic searches, search history, a very limited number of Pro Searches, limited basic file uploads, and automatic model choice. No advanced models or image generation.
Pro	Monthly or annual, see pricing page	Extended Pro Search, Research mode, advanced models, image and limited video generation, higher upload limits, and a limited number of Create files and apps queries every 30 days.
Education Pro	$10 per month	Everything in Pro for verified students and educators, with Perplexity Computer, Learn Mode, unlimited Pro Searches and premium models. Verification runs through SheerID.
Max	Monthly, see pricing page	Everything in Pro with the highest access to advanced models, extended Create files and apps limits, Max Assistant in Comet, early access, priority support and the Brain research preview.
Enterprise Pro	$40 per seat per month, or $400 per year	Pro features plus per-seat administration, shared Projects, file connectors, trust center access, dedicated support and a stated rule that data is never used for training.

Prices as of October 2026; vendors change plans often, so confirm on the vendor's pricing page.

What Perplexity does

Four search modes: Best, Pro Search, Reasoning Search and Research are separate modes. Best picks a model automatically and has no quota on Pro, while Research chains several models to produce a longer report on a complex topic.
Create files and apps: This mode builds reports, spreadsheets, presentations, dashboards and simple web apps from a prompt. Pro gets a limited number of queries every 30 days, and Max gets extended limits.
Credit-metered Computer: Perplexity Computer runs agentic tasks against a weekly allowance. Beyond it, credits are sold at 100 credits per dollar, and a quick fact check uses roughly 15 to 70 credits, with larger projects costing more.
File and app connectors: Pro supports Google Drive and Dropbox as sources and attachments. Files do not sync after the first attach, so an edited document must be uploaded again. Shared connectors for Projects are an Enterprise feature.
Comet browser and Brain: Comet is Perplexity's own browser with an assistant, and Max adds a heavier reasoning mode. Brain, a memory layer for Computer that tracks your projects and files, was in research preview for Max when checked.

How Perplexity handles your data

Perplexity's privacy notice (updated July 8, 2026) says it does not sell personal data or send queries and conversation content to advertisers, and that email content is not used to train models. It does not cover Enterprise and API data, where Perplexity acts as a processor. Third-party model providers are contractually barred from training on Perplexity data. Uploaded files are kept 30 days (7 for Enterprise Pro), and account deletion removes personal data within 30 days. Incognito stops search activity being saved across sessions. The notice read here did not state a consumer training default.

Where Perplexity falls short in practice

Quotas hide behind mode names. Pro Search is described as high volume rather than numbered, and access to advanced models can be limited in weeks of heavy usage. Buyers cannot plan a month from the published text alone.
Agent work spills into credits. Computer runs on a weekly allowance, then draws on credits at 100 per dollar. Both Max and Pro accounts carry a monthly spending cap on credits, and the Max default is $200.
Uploaded files expire from context. Session files stay accessible for 30 days, after which follow-up questions lose the file contents. Connector files do not re-sync on Pro, so a revised contract must be attached again by hand.
Individual price is not printed in help. The Pro and Max help articles describe features but no dollar figure, and the pricing page is rendered client-side. Check the live page before budgeting for a group.

Works with

Alternatives to Perplexity

Perplexity: common questions

What does Perplexity Pro add over the free plan?

Per the help center, Pro adds extended Pro Search, Research mode, advanced models from several vendors, image and limited video generation, higher file upload limits and a limited allowance of Create files and apps queries every 30 days. The Standard tier has only a very limited number of Pro Searches and no advanced models.

How much does Perplexity Enterprise cost per seat?

As of October 2026, Enterprise Pro is $40 per seat per month or $400 per year, and Enterprise Max is $325 per month or $3,250 per year. Discounts may apply for teams of 250 or more, schools and nonprofits. API usage is not included and is bought separately as credits.

Does Perplexity let OpenAI or Anthropic train on my questions?

No. Perplexity states that its agreements with third-party model providers such as OpenAI and Anthropic prohibit using Perplexity data for training their models, and that data processed this way is not retained by them. This covers the providers, and separate wording governs Perplexity's own handling.

How long does Perplexity keep uploaded files?

Files attached to a session are retained for 30 days, or 7 days for Enterprise Pro users, after which follow-up questions can no longer read them. Files in Projects and personal repositories stay until deleted. Deleting a session removes its attached files, and account deletion clears personal data within 30 days.

Can Perplexity search my Google Drive or Dropbox?

Yes. Pro supports Google Drive and Dropbox connectors, usable as a search source or as attachments in a session, with Google Docs, PDFs, Office files, CSV, Markdown and JSON supported. Syncing is not supported on Pro, so edits to the original need a fresh upload. Project-level connectors require Enterprise.