Perplexity: who it fits, what it costs, and the catch
Who Perplexity fits, and who it does not
- Checked 2026-10-16
- 4 sources
Scored against the other verified AI assistants tools. How we score tools. What we earn is not part of it.
- Good for
- People who want quick answers drawn from web searches
- Researchers who run many searches on one topic
- Not for
- Teams that need a shared workspace on a small-business plan
- Users who want image generation on a free plan
- The catch
- Strong for web-based answers, but the free plan allows only 3 Pro Searches a day and the monthly-billed Pro price isn't published.
Data last verified: 2026-10-16
What Perplexity costs over five years
Five years for a team of 5, paid yearly: $10,000
On the Enterprise Pro plan, at today's price. We do not assume a rise.
- Paid monthly, one year
- $2,400
- Paid yearly, one year
- $2,000
Paying yearly saves $400 a year (17%).
Change the number to see your own total. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Vendor pricing page · checked 2026-10-18We have tracked Perplexity's prices since 2026-10-18; no change so far. All price changes
The free plan, as Perplexity describes it.
- Free plan
- Unlimited basic searches; 3 Pro Searches a day; 1 research query a month; limited uploads; no image generation
- Vendor page · checked 2026-10-18
What you risk by starting
Trial, refunds and getting your data out of Perplexity.
- Refund policy
- Monthly plans: refund within 24 hours; annual: within 72 hours (14 days in the EU, UK and Turkey; 7 days in South Korea and Brazil). One refund per account.
- Vendor page · checked 2026-10-16
What we verified Perplexity can do
Open a row for the vendor's own wording and the page we read it on.
Chat interfaceYes
File uploadYes
Web browsingYes
Understands imagesNot verified
Not verified: the vendor gives no detail.
Not verifiedVoice modeYes
Follows your standing instructionsNot verified
Not verified: the vendor gives no detail.
Not verifiedRemembers your preferencesYes
Code executionNot verified
Not verified: the vendor gives no detail.
Not verifiedTeam workspaceYes
Connects to your other apps (API)Yes
If Perplexity isn’t right for you
See every verified AI assistants tool
Rank 1
Google Gemini
People who already use Gmail, Docs and Drive
Our score83 / 100Five years for a team of 5: $1,497
Rank 2
Gemini Notebook
Students and researchers working from their own documents
Our score79 / 100Five years for a team of 5: $1,497
Rank 3
Claude
Beginner and working programmers needing code generation and debugging
Our score71.7 / 100Five years for a team of 5: $6,000
Show all 6 alternatives
Rank 4
ChatGPT
Writers, marketers and creatives drafting content
Our score70.9 / 100Five years for a team of 5: $6,000
Rank 5
Microsoft Copilot
People already paying for Microsoft 365 who want AI inside Word, Excel and Outlook
Our score69.8 / 100Five years for a team of 5: $649.95
Rank 6
Microsoft 365 Copilot
Small businesses already on Microsoft 365 who want Copilot in Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams
Our score62.1 / 100Five years for a team of 5: $5,400
Where these facts come from
What to do next
- Work out the cost for your own team size
- Compare the runner-up, Google Gemini
- See how we score, so you can check our work
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Data last verified: 2026-10-16