Think about a new search engine, just like Google, but that works like ChatGPT. Yes, that’s the AI Perplexity. It is smart AI that makes your searching feel more like a conversation than a chore. Let’s jump into the details and find out what it offers.

What is Perplexity AI?

Perplexity is an AI chatbot-like search engine that uses LLM and NLP to analyze web content and generate answers. It basically catches data from the internet to deliver a complete response to your prompts, much like ChatGPT and other AI chatbots. It was founded in San Francisco on December 7, 2022, as a search engine by Aravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski. Since then, perplexity has launched a Chrome extension, an Android and iOS app.

Features of AI Perplexity

Perplexity is a real-time AI software based on web search with powerful AI models. It is a smart, efficient AI assistant used by everyday users and professionals. Here are the features Perplexity AI offers you.

Different Language Models

AI Perplexity uses Meta’s Llama 3 Sonar as a default model for searches. But for more advanced searches, you can access some other LLMs, including;

• OpenAI’s GPT-4.1
• OpenAI’s GPT-3 o3-mini
• Anthropic’s Claude AI 3.5 Sonnet
• DeepSeek R1
• Perplexity AI Sonar Large
• Grok AI 3 Beta
• Gemini AI 2.5 Pro

Multi-search Options

Perplexity AI offers you different search options for your questions.

• Auto: It provides basic functionalities like answering questions, summaries, suggesting, and replying to follow-up questions.
• Pro Search: It includes Auto features plus a wider range of sources, detailed answers, other model options, multimodality, and the Internal Knowledge Search.
• Deep Search: It offers iterative search, reasoning, and comprehensive reports on queries.
• R1 Reasoning: It is an alteration of DeepSeek R1 that eliminates its censorship features.
• o3-Mini Reasoning: It completes tasks that need logic and problem-solving.

Search Filters

AI perplexity includes four tabs: web, academic, social, and finance. You can select one of the search filters to categorize your search query to help Perplexity find a more targeted answer.

Citations 

Each Perplexity AI answer has inlined citations. All citations are clickable, leading you to the original web content. You can check the authoritative data and read it further for more details.

AI Perplexity Pages

Perplexity pages make your complex threads of research, findings, sources, and insights into a structured, publication-style format, into presentable content, like reports, blogs, guides, or educational summaries.

Incognito Mode

AI Perplexity Incognito Mode allows you to search and explore information without saving your search history. It helps you when you want to do sensitive research, ask private questions, or simply maintain anonymity.

Thread & Library

The AI perplexity library called Threads saves all of your search queries. You can manage and organize these threads into specific folders and projects called spaces. It helps you manage research across multiple threads.

Multi-language Support

In AI Perplexity, you can ask questions in 145 languages, including:

• English
• Arabic
• Spanish
• French
• German
• Japanese
• Polish
• Korean
• Hindi
• Mandarin Chinese
• Italian
• Russian
• Portuguese

File Uploads

You can attach PowerPoint slides, Word, PDF, and Excel files in the Perplexity AI search bar. And ask detailed questions about them or extract insights immediately.

Supports Multi Media

AI Perplexity lets you upload and ask queries with images, voice recordings, code, and other media types. With the input, Perplexity identifies objects, extracts text, and explains the answer.

How Does AI Perplexity Work?

“Perplexity – Swiss Army Knife for Information Discovery and Curiosity.”

It was developed as a chatbot-based web search that blends the features of large language models (LLMs) and natural language processing (NLP). Its architecture enables it to understand user queries, search the internet, examine user-uploaded content, and create responses. So basically, it is a blend of ChatGPT AI and Google Search, just like Google aims to take with Gemini AI, formerly known as Bard AI.

The built-in LLM of AI Perplexity is Sonar: it is the modified version of Meta AI’s Llama 3. Sonar provides quick and contextually rich responses for everyday queries. However, if you want to ask for complex queries, Perplexity offers you powerful LLMs like:

• OpenAI’s GPT-4o and o3-mini are for deep reasoning, creativity, and image plus text processing.
• Anthropic’s Claude AI 3.5 Sonnet is used for long-form responses and contextual comprehension.
• Sonar Large is for more advanced internal models optimized for real-time web search and data-driven tasks.
• DeepSeek R1 adds another layer of flexibility for different reasoning methods.

Moreover, AI Perplexity uses traditional web technologies, including web crawling, semantic similarity, and keyword matching, to stay up-to-date and relevant about content and data. This complete hybrid system of AI makes Perplexity AI an incredible tool for both casual queries and professional-grade research.

How Much Does Perplexity AI Cost?

AI Perplexity, known as a ChatGPT alternative, offers freemium and paid pricing models for more advanced features.

The free plan includes unlimited basic searches, 3 Pro queries per day, limited file uploads, and access to Perplexity’s default model: Sonar.

The AI Perplexity Pro plan costs $20/month or $200/year and includes unlimited Pro searches, access to premium models like GPT-4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Sonar Large, and DeepSeek R1, as well as image generation, full document uploads, and $5 in Sonar API credits.

The Enterprise Pro Plan costs $40/month per seat or $400/year per seat and includes everything in Pro, plus advanced collaboration tools, organizational billing, internal file repositories, admin controls, and enterprise-grade security like SOC 2 compliance.

In addition to that, developers can access Perplexity’s Sonar model for integration into apps or research workflows via API with usage-based pricing.

How to Use AI Perplexity?

You can use perplexity on your web app, mobile apps, and Chrome extension. The interface is simple and easy to use. Here is how you can use Perplexity AI to get a quick answer to your question.

• Head to the Perplexity official website. Here, choose an AI model, set the source for your questions, and upload any document/file.

• In the search bar, type your question; however, you can also use the microphone to say your query.

• Perplexity will give you an answer with images and source citations to your question. You can check the information by referring to the hyperlinked article in the footnote. All your search threads are saved in the Library tab.

• In the Discover tab, you can explore the current news, curated topics, top stories, finance, entertainment, sports, arts, and more.

• In Spaces, you can set the search results, add notes, upload documents, and work together with other people within these spaces.

Why Use AI Perplexity Instead of Google or Other Search Engines?

You head straight to Google, Bing, or other search engines when you need answers, right? Well, you can use Perplexity for it, too, and the fact is it is better than a typical search engine.

Every search engine simply lists links when you type the query, while Perplexity AI gives you direct conversational answers backed by sources. AI Perplexity works just like AI chatbots, but it is more reliable for realistic queries because it combines real-time web searches with large language models (LLMs).

Chatbots like ChatGPT still fall short for common tasks like planning a holiday trip. Here, Perplexity wins by pulling data from multiple web sources, summarizing it clearly, and linking to the original content. So, you are not just getting a guess from AI: you will also get the data-backed answers that you can verify.

AI Perplexity is best at finding and summarizing data, but currently, it is not a complete replacement for either a search engine or an AI assistant. It basically fills the gap between them.

FAQs

Who owns Perplexity AI?

Perplexity AI is owned by Aravind Srinivas, who is the CEO and a key founder. Also, many investors contributed to the company’s funding.

Is Perplexity AI safe?

Yes, Perplexity AI is safe to use, and it does not sell your data. You can also use the Incognito mode for private searches.

Is Perplexity AI better than ChatGPT? Perplexity AI vs. ChatGPT

Both Perplexity AI and ChatGPT are for different purposes, so which one is better depends on your needs. Perplexity AI is excellent for quick and source-backed answers. ChatGPT is better for in-depth interactions and personalized tasks.

What are the top Perplexity alternatives?

The top 5 Perplexity AI alternatives are:

• ChatGPT
• Google Gemini
• Microsoft Copilot (Bing AI)
• Chatsonic
• Claude AI

Is AI Perplexity AI detector?

No, perplexity. AI is not an AI detector; it is a search engine that is powered by AI and allows you to research or ask questions.

How to use Perplexity AI to generate images on WhatsApp?

Follow these 3 easy steps to generate images via Perplexity AI on WhatsApp.

• Message “Hi” to Perplexity’s official number on WhatsApp.
• Now, type your request to generate images.
• It’ll reply with an AI-generated image in the chat.

What is Perplexity AI used for?

Perplexity AI is used for quick and reliable information. It works like a smart search engine that answers questions, summarizes topics, and helps with research, writing, and learning.

Is Perplexity AI illegal?

No, Perplexity AI is not illegal. However, it is facing lawsuits over copyright infringement and trademark issues. Media companies like the BBC, Dow Jones, and the New York Times claim that Perplexity use their content without permission.