What is Perplexity AI?
Perplexity AI is an "answer engine": a search tool that uses AI to reply to your questions in plain language with cited sources, instead of a list of links. Founded in 2022 and led by CEO Aravind Srinivas, it's free to start, with a Pro plan at $20/month, plus apps and a free AI browser called Comet.
Why — the first-principles explanation
To understand what Perplexity is, contrast it with the two tools it sits between. A search engine like Google gives you ten blue links and makes you do the reading. A chatbot like a plain language model gives you a fluent answer but from memory, so it can be outdated or made up. Perplexity fuses the two: it searches the web like a search engine, then writes a direct answer like a chatbot, and attaches citations so you can verify it.
The technique that makes this work is retrieval-augmented generation. When you ask something, Perplexity retrieves fresh web pages, feeds the relevant text to a language model, and asks it to answer using those sources. It can route your question to different engines, its own Sonar models plus GPT, Claude, and Gemini, choosing based on the task and your plan.
Around that core, Perplexity has grown into a small ecosystem: web and mobile apps, deeper modes like Pro Search and Deep Research, a developer API (Sonar), and Comet, an AI-powered web browser with a built-in assistant that can take actions for you. The company markets itself as "where knowledge begins", positioning itself as a faster, more trustworthy alternative to traditional search.
An example that makes it click
Imagine the difference between a phone book and a smart friend. A phone book (old-school search) hands you a page of listings and says, 'good luck, start calling.' A know-it-all friend (a plain chatbot) just tells you an answer, but sometimes they're guessing.
Perplexity is the friend who actually looks it up while you wait, then tells you the answer and adds, 'and here are the exact websites I got that from.' You get the speed of just asking a person, plus the receipts of a real search. That combination, an answer plus its sources, is what Perplexity AI is.
Key facts
- Perplexity AI is an AI-powered answer engine that returns cited, conversational answers from live web search.
- It was founded in 2022 and is led by CEO Aravind Srinivas.
- It uses retrieval-augmented generation and routes across Sonar, GPT, Claude, and Gemini models.
- It's free to start; Pro is $20/month and Max is $200/month as of 2026-07.
- Its ecosystem includes web and mobile apps, the Sonar API, and the free Comet AI browser.
An answer engine that searches the live web and cites its sources.
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no cost to you.▶ The 60-second explainer (script)
What is Perplexity AI? The simplest way to put it: Perplexity is an answer engine. It sits right between a search engine and a chatbot, and takes the best of both. A regular search engine like Google hands you ten links and makes you dig. A regular chatbot gives you a smooth answer, but sometimes it's guessing from old memory. Perplexity does both at once: it searches the live web, then writes you a clear, direct answer, and stamps it with citations so you can click and verify every claim. Under the hood it uses several AI models, its own Sonar, plus GPT, Claude, and Gemini. It was founded in 2022, and its motto is 'where knowledge begins.' You can use it free on the web or in the app, upgrade to Pro for twenty dollars a month, and it now even has its own AI web browser called Comet. In short: it's search that actually answers you, and shows its work.
What authoritative sources say
People also ask
Who owns Perplexity AI?
Perplexity is an independent company founded in 2022, led by co-founder and CEO Aravind Srinivas, backed by prominent tech investors.
Is Perplexity a search engine or a chatbot?
Both, really. It's an 'answer engine' that searches the web like a search engine but replies conversationally with citations like a chatbot.
What can I do with Perplexity?
Ask research questions, get cited answers, run Deep Research reports, analyze uploaded files, and browse with its AI-powered Comet browser.