AI tool Perplexity for beginners: answers with sources

How it differs from a chat assistant

A chat assistant is built for back-and-forth: drafting, rewriting, explaining. Perplexity is built for looking things up. Its answers come with links to the pages it used, so you can open the page a claim came from and check it yourself. That makes it a good first AI tool for people who don't yet trust AI answers.

What the free plan includes

Perplexity's help center lists these on the free Standard plan:

• Basic searches, described as practically unlimited.
• 3 Pro Searches a day. A Pro Search digs deeper and reads more pages.
• 1 Research query a month.
• Limited basic file uploads.
• Your search history.

On the free plan Perplexity picks the model for you. Advanced models and image generation aren't included.

What Pro adds

According to the help center, Pro includes:

• 10 times as many citations per answer.
• More file and photo uploads.
• A choice of advanced AI models.
• Extended access to Pro Search and Research.
• Image generation, and limited access to video generation.

The help articles we checked don't print the Pro price. They list Education Pro at $10 a month with student verification through SheerID, and Enterprise Pro starting at $40 a month or $400 a year per seat.

What to try first

1. Ask something you'd normally search. "What's the difference between a heat pump and a furnace?" Then open two of the linked sources.
2. Use a Pro Search on a real decision. Save your three a day for questions that need several sources, like comparing two products.
3. Ask a follow-up. It remembers the thread, so "which one is cheaper to run?" works without repeating yourself.

Always open at least one source on anything that matters. The links are the point.

When paying makes sense

If three Pro Searches a day is enough, the free plan is all you need. Pro is for people who research every day. Students should look at Education Pro first.

Frequently asked questions