Perplexity AI for research
What is Perplexity AI?
Perplexity AI is a search and research tool powered by AI. Unlike traditional search engines that return a list of links, Perplexity reads through sources and gives you direct answers with citations. It combines the convenience of a chatbot with the reliability of source attribution.
Think of it as a research assistant that finds information, summarizes it, and shows you exactly where it came from.
What does Perplexity do?
Answers questions with sources: Ask Perplexity a question and it provides a clear answer along with links to the sources it used. This makes it easy to verify information and dig deeper.
AI prompt: "What are the main causes of inflation in 2024?"
Perplexity will answer the question and include citations from news articles, research papers, or other authoritative sources.
Searches current information: Unlike chatbots like ChatGPT (which have knowledge cutoffs), Perplexity searches the web in real time. This makes it perfect for questions about current events, recent news, or constantly changing information.
Organizes research threads: You can ask follow-up questions and Perplexity maintains the context of your research session, building on previous queries.
Generates summaries: Upload documents or provide URLs, and Perplexity can summarize and answer questions about the content.
Perplexity free vs paid
Perplexity Free includes:
- Unlimited quick searches with standard AI models
- Citations and source links
- Follow-up questions
- Mobile and web access
Perplexity Pro ($20/month) adds:
- Access to more powerful AI models (including GPT-4 and Claude)
- Unlimited "Pro" searches with advanced models
- File uploads for analyzing documents
- Image generation
- $5/month credit for API usage
For most research tasks, the free version works well. Upgrade to Pro if you need more sophisticated answers, want to upload and analyze documents, or use Perplexity heavily.
How Perplexity compares to chatbots
Perplexity is built for research and finding current information. It always includes sources and searches the web.
Chatbots (like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) are better for generating content, brainstorming, and creative tasks. They may not cite sources by default and often have knowledge cutoffs.
Use Perplexity when: You need factual, up-to-date information with sources to verify.
Use a chatbot when: You're brainstorming, drafting content, or working on creative projects where sourcing isn't critical.
How Perplexity compares to Google
Perplexity gives you direct answers with citations. You skip the step of clicking through multiple links and reading full articles.
Google gives you a list of links to explore yourself. You decide which sources to trust and piece together information manually.
Use Perplexity when: You want a quick, synthesized answer with sources for verification.
Use Google when: You want to explore many different perspectives, or you need very specific, niche results that require manual evaluation.
Many people use both: Perplexity for quick research and Google when they need to go deeper or explore more sources.
Getting started with Perplexity
- Visit Perplexity AI
- Type your question in the search box
- Review the answer and click on source citations to verify or read more
- Ask follow-up questions to dig deeper into the topic
No account required for basic use, but signing up lets you save your search threads and access your history across devices.
Tips for using Perplexity effectively
Be specific: Instead of "tell me about climate change," try "what are the main climate change mitigation strategies proposed in 2024?"
Check the sources: Perplexity cites its sources, but always verify important information by clicking through to the original links.
Use follow-up questions: If the first answer isn't complete, ask Perplexity to elaborate, clarify, or focus on a specific aspect.
AI prompt: "Can you provide more detail on renewable energy strategies?"
Try different phrasings: If you're not getting the answer you need, rephrase your question or add more context.
When to use Perplexity
Use Perplexity when:
- You need quick, factual answers to specific questions
- You're researching current events or recent information
- You want sources and citations for verification
- You're doing exploratory research on a new topic
Skip Perplexity when:
- You need highly specialized or academic research (use Google Scholar or databases)
- You're working on creative or opinion-based writing (use a chatbot)
- You already know the exact source you need (just go directly to that source)
Combining Perplexity with other tools
Perplexity works well alongside other AI tools:
Perplexity for research → Chatbot for writing: Use Perplexity to gather information and sources, then paste that into ChatGPT or Claude to help you write or organize the content.
AI prompt to chatbot: "Using this research from Perplexity, write a 500-word summary suitable for a blog post: [paste Perplexity answer]"
Perplexity for fact-checking → Chatbot for brainstorming: Use a chatbot to generate ideas or drafts, then use Perplexity to verify facts and claims.
Privacy and source quality
Source quality: Perplexity pulls from a wide range of sources. Always evaluate the credibility of cited sources, especially for important decisions.
Privacy: Perplexity processes your queries on its servers. Avoid searching for highly sensitive or personal information.
Bias: Like any AI tool, Perplexity may reflect biases in its training data and sources. Cross-check important information with multiple sources.
Related resources
Want to organize and analyze research further? See NotebookLM for organizing information. Looking for AI help with general tasks? Check out Which chatbot should I use?.