Perplexity AI pricing (2026): Free vs Pro at $20, Max at $200, and how it compares with ChatGPT

Plans, prices and features checked on the official pages on October 20, 2026.

Perplexity AI has a free tier, and Perplexity Pro costs $20 a month or $200 a year, according to Perplexity’s own site. Max, the top consumer plan, costs $200 a month or $2,000 a year, and Enterprise plans are priced per seat.

Perplexity is an answer engine: it searches the web, writes a short answer and cites the sources. Its closest rival, ChatGPT, is a general chatbot that also searches the web, so the choice depends on whether you mostly look things up or mostly write, code and create.

How the answer engine works and what it is best used for

According to Perplexity’s help center, it is an AI-powered search engine. You ask a question, it searches the web, and it returns a conversational answer with citations and links to the original sources so you can check them.

Perplexity says it differs from a classic search engine in three ways: it synthesizes several sources into one direct answer, it pulls content from the web in real time, and it backs answers with citations from news organizations, academic publications and other established sources.

It does not rely on a single model. The help center says it integrates models from OpenAI (GPT) and Anthropic (Claude) and lets you choose the one that fits your task. For paid users, the Pro help article names Sonar, GPT-5.2, Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Gemini 3.1 Pro for detailed, source-heavy answers, and Sonnet 4.6 Thinking and Grok 4 for complex analytical questions. That list changes often, so check the article for the current one.

That design suits fact-finding, quick research, comparing products, summarizing a topic with sources and follow-up questions. Perplexity lists regular Search, Pro Search, Deep Research and Create files and apps among its capabilities.

Who owns Perplexity, where it is based and whether you can buy the stock

Perplexity’s own pages do not state ownership details, so this part rests on third-party reporting. Trackers describe it as a company founded in 2022 and headquartered in San Francisco, with Aravind Srinivas as CEO and co-founder.

It is a privately held startup, and the research found no confirmed IPO. That means there is no Perplexity stock to buy on a public exchange today. Reported valuation figures conflict across trackers, and one August 2026 report described talks at more than $30 billion, which is a report of negotiations, not a closed deal. Treat any valuation as unconfirmed.

The company has been in the news for bold moves, including a $34.5 billion bid for Google Chrome in August 2025. It has also faced scraping accusations: Cloudflare accused Perplexity of scraping sites despite explicit blocks, and Perplexity said Cloudflare got it wrong. These are claims by each side, not established findings.

Plans and pricing: What Free, Pro, Max and Enterprise cost

Perplexity publishes prices across its hub FAQ and help center. Limits below come from the plan comparison article, which describes them in broad terms for most plans.

Prices checked on October 20, 2026.

Credits matter if you use Perplexity Computer. The help center says 100 credits equal $1, ordinary Ask searches do not use credits, and Computer tasks and Comet’s Work mode do. Pro has no monthly credits but includes a weekly amount of Computer usage; Max includes 10,000 credits a month. Perplexity gives examples such as roughly 350 to 950 credits for a multi-step research report.

Refunds are narrow. The Max help article says most refunds are limited to 24 hours after purchase for monthly plans and 48 hours for annual ones, and mobile purchases follow Apple or Google rules.

Perplexity Pro features: What the $20 adds over the free tier

Perplexity’s Pro article lists these additions:

• About 10 times as many citations per answer.
• Create files and apps for larger projects.
• Higher file and photo upload limits.
• Extended access to Research mode.
• Enhanced image generation and limited video generation.
• Several advanced AI models under one subscription.
• Early releases, enhanced support and a Pro Discord channel.

Perplexity does not publish a daily search count for Pro, saying only that it allows a high volume and that access to advanced model queries may be limited in weeks of especially heavy use. If you need numbers, the Enterprise Pro figures (400 Pro Searches a week) are the only published ones, and they apply to that plan.

Comet, the app and the API: Other ways to use Perplexity

Comet is Perplexity’s browser, described on its page as a personal AI assistant that can automate tasks, research the web and organize email. It is listed for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. The page text read for this guide did not state a price, so check the page before assuming it is free. Max includes Max Assistant on Comet with the highest weekly browser-agent limit.

Perplexity also offers desktop and mobile apps, an Enterprise tier and a developer API that is pay as you go and separate from subscriptions. API fees on its docs include $5.00 per 1,000 requests for the Search API, or $1.00 per 1,000 with Fast Search, and token rates for models on separate pages. For how those compare with other labs, see our AI API pricing tracker.

How to get started with Perplexity

1. Open perplexity.ai or install the mobile or desktop app.
2. Ask a question in plain language, and use the follow-up box to narrow it.
3. Open the cited sources to verify claims before relying on them.
4. Choose a model or mode (Search, Pro Search, Research) if your plan allows it.
5. Create an account to keep search history, then upgrade in account settings if you reach the free limits.
6. If you buy on the web, you can later move to Max from Pro; the help center explains how the balance carries over.

Perplexity vs ChatGPT: Where each fits

The two overlap, and both let you pay for several models. The difference is emphasis. Perplexity builds every answer around live sources and citations. ChatGPT is positioned as a general assistant for conversation, writing, coding and files, with web search as one feature.

ChatGPT prices come from OpenAI’s help center and announcements surfaced in search, because OpenAI’s pricing pages could not be fetched on October 20, 2026. OpenAI also lists a Go tier at $8 a month in the US, which can be localized. Confirm the figures at chatgpt.com/pricing.

At the same $20 price, many people choose on workflow: pick Perplexity when you want answers you can trace to a source, and ChatGPT when you want one assistant for everything else. Because both bundle third-party models, features and limits shift often.

Limits and things to know before paying

• Limits are weekly and monthly on most Pro features, and Perplexity says advanced model access can tighten during heavy-use weeks.
• Citations are not proof. Perplexity links sources so you can check them; it does not guarantee that every statement is correct.
• Max is for consumers on Free or Pro. Teams are directed to Enterprise Max.
• Credits can add cost. Max has a default $200 monthly spending cap on credit charges, adjustable up to $5,000, and auto-refill is off by default.
• Publisher disputes exist. Scraping accusations are contested by Perplexity, as noted above.

Common questions