Perplexity
Last updated May 11, 2026 by jonholm
- Industry
- AI Search / Answer Engine / Generative AI
- Business Model
- Freemium SaaS + API + (formerly) Advertising
- Target Market
- Consumer, Prosumer, Developer, Enterprise
- Employee Count
- 501-1000
- Funding
- $1.72B+
- API Available
- Yes
Market Position
Leading AI answer-engine challenger to Google search; among top-tier AI labs alongside OpenAI/Anthropic on AI-search use cases
Products & Features
Perplexity (free tier)
Free answer-engine web/mobile app
Perplexity Pro
$20/mo paid tier — multiple model access, Pro Search, Spaces
Perplexity Max
$200/mo premium tier — extended compute, priority access
Comet
AI-powered agentic browser (Win/Mac/Android/iOS) — separate ATDb entity
Sponsored Questions (DISCONTINUED 2026-02)
Native ad format launched Nov 2024 with Criteo, Indeed, WPP; shut down Feb 2026 amid AI-search-trust concerns
Key Features
Citation-grounded answers with linked sourcesMulti-model routing (Claude, GPT-4o, Llama, Grok, etc.)Real-time web search integrationSpaces — collaborative AI workspacesPro Search — multi-step deep researchComet browser integration
Use Cases
AI-powered search and researchCitation-based answer generation for fact-checkingGEO / AI visibility optimization (target for SEO-evolution)Agentic web browsing via CometMarketing research and competitive intelligence
Connections