Is Perplexity free? Free version vs Pro
Yes. Perplexity has a free plan that gives answers with sources you can click, with limited weekly usage. Perplexity Pro costs $17 a month when billed yearly, and verified students can get Pro for $10 a month.
Prices checked Oct 2026.
What Perplexity is
Perplexity is like a search engine that writes you an answer. You ask a question, and it reads the web and replies in plain sentences, with numbered citations so you can check where each fact came from. That's why it tops our look something up properly page.
What's free
Perplexity's pricing page describes Free as search with accurate answers and citations, access to basic AI models, and good for limited daily use and simpler questions. Its FAQ says Free includes top AI models with limited weekly usage.
What Pro adds
Pro is $17 a month when billed annually. Perplexity says it raises every limit, adds deep research, lets you choose which AI model answers, and adds search across your files and apps plus its "Computer" feature for bigger tasks.
Students who verify their status can get Pro for $10 a month. There's also Max at $167 a month billed yearly, which is for heavy professional use.
Free or Pro?
For checking facts, comparing products or planning a trip, Free is enough for most people. Pay only if you're doing research every day and keep hitting the weekly limit.
Always click one or two citations on anything important, like health or money. Perplexity is good, but not perfect. For a tool that only uses your own documents, see Is NotebookLM free?.
The bottom line
Perplexity's free plan is the easiest way to get web answers you can actually check. Use it for everyday questions, product comparisons and quick fact checks. If you're a student, the $10-a-month student price makes Pro much easier to justify than the regular price.
The first thing to type
What are the pros and cons of a heat pump vs a gas furnace for a 3-bedroom house in a cold climate? Cite your sources.Common questions
Is Perplexity AI free?
Yes. The free plan gives cited answers with limited weekly usage.
How much is Perplexity Pro?
$17 a month when billed annually. Verified students pay $10 a month.
Do I need an account?
Sign in with Google or email to save your searches and use the free plan.
Is Perplexity better than Google?
It writes a summary with sources, which saves time. For important decisions, still open the sources.
Sources (checked 2026-10-20): www.perplexity.ai/hub/pricing, www.perplexity.ai/pro, www.perplexity.ai/students