Perplexity
AI answer engine that cites a source for every claim.
Best overallFree plan
- Best for
- Quick answers with sources
- On your PC
- No, online only
- Works on
- Web, iPhone, Android, Windows
- Made by
- Perplexity AI
What’s good
- Clear answers with numbered sources to check
- Pro lets you pick models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google
- Free Comet browser with an AI assistant built in
Downsides
- Its own Sonar models rank near the bottom of LMArena Search
- Exact Pro and Max limits are not published
- Free plan gets only a few Pro searches
At a glance.
- Best for
- Quick answers with sources
- Price
- Free plan, then $20/mo
- Works on
- Web, iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, API
- Open source
- No
- Made by
- Perplexity AI
- Website
- perplexity.ai
How it ranks.
- LMArena Search, style control (Sonar Pro High)#37 · 11432026-11-05
Can I run it myself?
No. It only runs online.
Your prompts and files go to the company’s servers. See the local options in this category for a private alternative.
Want it offline? The best local option for ai search is Vane (formerly Perplexica).