Search engines hadn’t modified a lot in a really very long time — till AI search entered the scene. Perplexity is among the synthetic intelligence platforms attempting to reshape how we discover solutions on-line by skipping the record of hyperlinks and delivering direct, conversational outcomes. Unlike conventional Google Search, which sends you off to different websites, Perplexity tries to be the positioning. You can apply it to the online or obtain its free app for Android, iOS, Mac and Windows.Perplexity AI was based in August 2022 by Aravind Srinivas (previously a analysis scientist at OpenAI), Denis Yarats (with expertise at Facebook AI Research), Johnny Ho (ex-Quora engineer) and Andy Konwinski (a Databricks co-founder).In a short while, it has grown from a scrappy startup right into a fast-evolving generative AI instrument with professional options and an agentic AI purchasing assistant that may make purchases in your behalf. It’s half search engine, half chatbot and it is altering how individuals seek for data.Perplexity has change into particularly standard amongst college students, researchers and tech-savvy customers who need quick, dependable solutions with out having to dig by a number of websites. It has amassed 22 million lively customers throughout its web site and app, whereas its cellular app has been downloaded 13.9 million occasions since its launch.Read on to seek out out what precisely Perplexity is, the way it works, what units it aside from ChatGPT and different generative AI instruments — and about a number of the authorized battles it has been going through.What is Perplexity?Perplexity calls itself the world’s first “answer engine” that makes use of massive language fashions to know and offer you direct, detailed responses to your questions. It searches the online in actual time and, as a substitute of exhibiting you a listing of blue hyperlinks, it pulls information from what must be trusted sources (although Reddit typically finds itself on that record) and summarizes the knowledge into clear, up-to-date solutions in pure language. The firm additionally encourages you to double-check the sources, which, contemplating how typically now we have seen AI instruments hallucinate, must be your default observe by now. Interestingly, Perplexity was the primary generative AI instrument whose search outcomes got here with citations. Now, ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and even Claude (as a result of it could possibly entry the web) are including citations with deep analysis options.As OpenAI and Google push their premium analysis instruments behind paywalls, Perplexity has joined the deep analysis race with a extra accessible possibility. The function breaks down complicated questions into smaller subtasks, pulls from tutorial papers, technical sources and long-form articles and compiles all of it into an in depth report, typically in only a few minutes. So it is barely quicker at producing outcomes than most rivals.Rob Howard, an AI marketing consultant and founding father of the schooling platform Innovating with AI, thinks extremely of those developments. “Deep research is the first tool that really changes my job,” Howard advised me. “The core idea of ‘go read 600 articles in 10 minutes and give me the highlights and then link me to them’ is just incredibly valuable for so many people. And it’s kind of like having an army of interns or an army of research assistants working with you, for a very low price.”What can Perplexity do?Perplexity solutions questions like “What is quantum computing?” and “What’s the best time to visit Japan?” You can observe up with extra questions or refine your question such as you would in a chat. Similarly to Google’s “People also ask” part once you search, you’ll be able to broaden on the subject with an provided set of questions underneath the Related part on the backside of the web page. Perplexity / Screenshot by CNETCNET’s employees selected Perplexity as the most effective chatbot for analysis, which is what most individuals use it for, however it could possibly additionally:Summarize lengthy articles or paperwork.Explain complicated subjects in plain language.Offer comparisons and professionals/cons lists.Perform inner information search on uploaded recordsdata like PDFs, Word docs and Excel sheets (Pro and Enterprise customers solely).Look up real-time inventory costs and monetary knowledge (knowledge is sourced through Financial Modeling Prep API).If you are a Perplexity Pro subscriber within the US, the “Buy with Pro” function handles your purchasing request from begin to end. It selects a product primarily based in your preferences, completes the acquisition utilizing your saved particulars and, for a restricted time, even gives free delivery. Perplexity additionally launched a voice assistant for iOS, providing hands-free solutions at a time when Apple was nonetheless holding off by itself AI options.Another new launch is Perplexity Labs, an agentic AI function that allows you to construct full tasks — suppose studies, dashboards and spreadsheets — simply by typing out what you want in plain language. It handles the whole lot from researching on-line to writing and operating code, creating charts and organizing the leads to one place. Labs is offered to Pro customers on Perplexity’s cellular and net apps, with desktop help coming quickly. While Deep Research is constructed for quicker, well-cited solutions, Labs is healthier suited to longer, extra complicated duties the place the aim is to provide one thing usable, not simply informative. Most tasks take about 10 minutes or extra to finish.How is Perplexity completely different from ChatGPT and Google Search?Traditional Google Search crawls the online and ranks outcomes. ChatGPT can generate content material and reply questions primarily based on its coaching knowledge and real-time net outcomes. Perplexity combines each approaches: It retrieves present data from the online and makes use of AI to summarize it. Similarly, Google’s AI Overviews now present AI-generated outcomes above normal search outcomes.Perplexity, as beforehand talked about, is thought for a constant and distinguished show of supply citations for each piece of knowledge it supplies. Other AI instruments will give citations on demand.Another distinguishable function is that different gen AI purposes prioritize open-ended dialog or artistic content material era, like photographs and movies. Until lately, Perplexity was unable to try this, however for the reason that finish of April, it could possibly now create photographs.you’ll be able to generate photographs on perplexity now. the UI is cute and enjoyable. now we have additionally added help for grok 3 and o4-mini for mannequin choice choices (which already helps gemini 2.5 professional, claude 3.7, perplexity sonar, gpt-4.1, deepseek r1 1776), and looking out into supporting o3 as… pic.twitter.com/RX6L98pf2g— Aravind Srinivas (@AravSrinivas) April 25, 2025
I attempted creating one thing easy and enjoyable to check it, and it seems that photographs in Perplexity and ChatGPT are very comparable, regardless of ChatGPT’s canine having 5 legs (ha). It comes as no shock, given Perplexity makes use of OpenAI’s picture era fashions just like these utilized by ChatGPT. Images generated by ChatGPT (left) and Perplexity (proper) of a cartoon-style canine. Perplexity / Screenshot by CNETWhile Perplexity can help with debugging and writing smaller code snippets, it is not going to be most customers’ go-to instrument for coding. ChatGPT or GitHub Copilot are higher for that.The firm is now growing Comet, a next-generation agentic AI net browser. It is constructed on Chromium and integrates Perplexity’s conversational search engine straight into the browser. You can be part of a waitlist forward of the beta launch, which lately started for Apple Silicon Mac customers. Perplexity / Screenshot by CNETPricing and plansLike most comparable instruments, Perplexity gives freemium pricing. It is free to make use of (ceaselessly, it says), with a Standard plan that features limitless fundamental searches, a restricted variety of queries utilizing extra superior fashions and three picture generations per day. The $20 per 30 days Pro plan grants you entry to the most recent fashions like OpenAI’s GPT-4o (Omni), Anthropic’s Claude 4.0 Sonnet, Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro, xAI’s Grok 3 Beta and Perplexity’s personal Sonar Large. It helps file uploads and limitless picture era, and features a month-to-month API credit score. It additionally gives perks the place you will get numerous choices and financial savings from journey, wellness and finance manufacturers. Businesses can select an Enterprise tier, beginning at $40 per person per 30 days, with enhanced safety, customized mannequin tuning and workforce collaboration options. There can be customized pricing for big organizations.In July, Perplexity moreover launched a $200-per-month ($2,000-per-year) plan referred to as Perplexity Max, which incorporates limitless labs, early entry to new options, the top-tier AI fashions like OpenAI’s o3-pro and Claude Opus 4, in addition to precedence help from Perplexity. Merges, collaborations and integrationsIn its try to scale back its reliance on Google, Samsung reportedly is near signing a significant cope with Perplexity AI that will convey its AI-powered search options to Galaxy smartphones, together with the upcoming S26. The deal would additionally reportedly embody a monetary funding from Samsung and deeper integration of Perplexity into apps like Samsung Internet and Bixby. This can be Perplexity’s greatest cellular partnership after lately teaming up with Motorola.Perplexity is eyeing deeper integrations past smartphones. Srinivas lately hinted at a possible Firefox integration in a publish on X and Mozilla’s Connect discussion board additional fueled hypothesis, although nothing official has been confirmed. The firm was additionally in early talks to purchase half of TikTok’s US operations after a federal ban was placed on maintain. But it does not cease there. Perplexity introduced new partnerships in May with Statista, PitchBook and Wiley. While free customers get restricted entry, Pro and Enterprise subscribers obtain extra month-to-month searches utilizing these premium sources. The aim is to supply data that was as soon as reserved for professionals with expensive subscriptions, like medical doctors or monetary analysts, and make it accessible to on a regular basis customers.Rumor has it that Apple is in talks with Perplexity, both to accumulate the corporate or associate with it to develop an AI search engine powered by Perplexity, and presumably combine its know-how into Siri.A Perplexity spokesperson dismissed studies of a possible merger or acquisition.Lawsuits and different controversiesPerplexity’s fast progress has additionally drawn authorized warmth. It all began in June 2024, when Forbes accused Perplexity of utilizing its unique reporting with out correct credit score and issued a authorized menace. On Oct. 2, 2024, The New York Times despatched a cease-and-desist letter to Perplexity, alleging illegal use of its copyrighted content material. On Oct. 21, Dow Jones (The Wall Street Journal’s writer) and NYP Holdings (The New York Post’s writer) filed a joint lawsuit towards Perplexity, accusing it of “massive illegal copying” and copyright infringement by repackaging their content material.The BBC additionally threatened to sue Perplexity over unauthorized use of its content material, including to the rising record of media organizations pushing again.When requested in regards to the lawsuits, Perplexity declined to remark aside from to explain the BBC allegations as “manipulative and opportunistic.”The BBC declined to remark additional, saying it had nothing so as to add past what was reported within the Financial Times.Howard advised CNET that in the present day’s copyright legal guidelines, within the US and globally, are already struggling to maintain up with the web, not to mention the fast rise of AI.Unfortunately for the creators, with Anthropic profitable the lawsuit over its use of copyrighted books to coach AI, the choice could have opened a Pandora’s field for comparable rulings to observe.”What the AI companies have done is essentially just ask for forgiveness rather than permission,” Howard stated. “What we’re seeing instead is they’re basically negotiating settlements where it’s like, OK, you can use our stuff, but you have to pay us.” This is strictly what Perplexity tried to do, going through the strain. The firm has launched a revenue-sharing Publishers Program that lets authorized retailers earn cash when their work is cited inside the reply engine. Publishers like TIME, Fortune, Der Spiegel, Entrepreneur, The Texas Tribune and WordPress.com have already signed on.Is Perplexity value utilizing?People are turning to AI for analysis en masse. If you are in search of quick, conversational solutions with actual sources, Perplexity is among the finest instruments accessible in the present day. It’s particularly helpful for research-heavy duties the place you’d usually click on by a dozen tabs.It’s not good however for on a regular basis questions or as a second opinion alongside Google or ChatGPT, it is a good instrument to make use of.Another factor to be conscious of, like with any AI instrument, is you’ll be able to’t totally depend on Perplexity for privateness. The firm says it logs use and should retailer prompts for analysis and enchancment functions, though there’s an possibility to make use of “incognito mode” for personal searches or decide out fully in settings. Go to the “AI Data Retention” possibility underneath the Account part, and swap the toggle to “off.” This will stop Perplexity from utilizing your interactions for AI coaching.