Perplexity AI Review: Features, Integrations, and Pricing

Perplexity AI is more than an alternative to ChatGPT. While its use cases are similar to other GPT-4 tools, its distinct features give users more than the average chatbot experience. In the past, most chatbots were designed for specific tasks due to their limited natural language processing (NLP). Today, the world boasts sophisticated, multipurpose, and personalizable chatbots thanks to recent developments in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and NLP.

Research shows that the rise in the use of chatbots could save businesses about 2.5 billion hours of work in 2024. Perplexity AI strives to be more than a chatbot. It doubles as a search engine leveraging up-to-date information to give users real-time answers during their online search. This article reviews Perplexity AI, its notable features, and what makes it stand out from gpt-4 and other similar tools.

Perplexity AI Overview

Perplexity AI is a chatbot that incorporates a copilot mode with GPT-4 and works as a search engine. While most people think of OpenAI’s Chat GPT as its main competition, the tool could pose a greater threat to search engines like Google, Microsoft Edge, Bard, etc. Thanks to its large language model (LLM), it conveniently infuses traditional search with chatbot queries to give highly inclusive search results.

Perplexity AI operates on a few AI models. When it first came to the market, it ran on GPT-3, the initial go-to for generating content and other AI applications. However, due to some of GPT-3’s limitations, the company soon integrated GPT-4 into its operations. To beat traditional search engines, the personalized search experience that GPT-4 offers is needed.

The platform now runs on a copilot mode for GPT-4, which has several advantages. Copilot can improve user experience by displaying follow-up questions and more accurate information. It also allows users to input text, images, and files for information retrieval. Its other advanced features include refining prompts and summarizing large texts, which we’ll learn about in the next section.

Although founded in 2022 by Andy Konwinski, Aravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Gaurav Agarwal, and Johnny Ho, the generative AI platform is growing rapidly. Its most recent funding round values the company at $520 million. During this Series B, which IVP led, it received $73.6 million. Some investors that participated were Nvidia, Jeff Bezos, and Balaji Srinivasan. According to its founders, Perplexity AI’s mission is to make information sourcing online feel like having a knowledgeable assistant by your side. 

• Established: 2022
• Founders: Andy Konwinski, Aravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Gaurav Agarwal, Johnny Ho
• Offices: San Francisco, California, United States

Expert Opinion

• User experience (Integrations)– 1/1
• Features quality– 1/1
• Customer service– 1/1
• Security– 0.8/1
• Pricing– 0.9/1

Rating: 4.7/5

Perplexity AI is a search engine that uses a chatbot-style interface. 

Perplexity AI is not so novel when compared with alternatives like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Jasper AI. However, it does stand out due to its method of operation. The first feature that caught our attention while using Perplexity was its referencing system. Apart from giving answers like a typical chatbot, it adds in-text references and links to the sources at the end of replies. This means only one thing- it is more suitable for academic writing than its competitors. 

We also discovered that it adds a section for other related questions after its responses. This was pretty accurate as the questions were almost always stuff that we would’ve asked next. However, we noticed one downside: it couldn’t generate long-form content. Its average responses were between 150-250 words. Compared to other LLMs, its interactive prowess still needs to be fully developed.

The platform had an easy-to-use interface. We could switch between modes and even dictate what sources we wanted our information to come from. Furthermore, we examined its API integration, which was pretty straightforward. Whenever we needed clarification about a feature on the platform, we asked the AI, and it gave accurate answers. However, for this review, we examined its resources, which consist of guides and troubleshooting articles, and they were easy to digest.

We learned a little about its security, but one thing’s for sure: the platform stores your data to improve your user experience. Its pricing is basic, but we would’ve loved to see more than one paid plan. 

Overall, we had fun using Perplexity AI. While there’s room for growth, it’s worth trying out depending on your use case.

Notable Features

Perplexity AI offers several features that make it a worthy alternative to Google, ChatGPT Plus, and other research tools. You can enjoy most of these features on the free version. However, some require you to subscribe to Perplexity’s premium plan. Below is an overview of some of these features.

1. Copilot

Perplexity’s AI-powered search engine is the future of the online answer engine. It incorporates a chatbot that interprets and responds to questions based on relevant information. It uses Open AI’s GPT-4 to provide users an interactive and personalized search experience. For instance, it could show users follow-up questions for contextual understanding.

Due to its advanced capabilities, Copilot’s answers come with in-text and end-of-text references. The in-text references are displayed as small numbers linking to the source of each sentence. Users can click on these numbers or check the side of the page for all the sources that come with the answer. Perplexity AI does not require you to have the perfect prompt. Instead, it derives context from your prompt and weaves the answer accordingly.

2. AI Profile

The chatbot-style search engine gathers information on the user and uses it to generate highly tailored, valuable insights for them. For instance, based on the information the tool has on you, you can ask it specific questions like “What are my missions and goals?” “What makes me happy?” What’s more, you could ask it to write a resume.

All you need to do is log in to the platform, navigate to the profile icon, and input all your essential information. You can fill in your interests, aspirations, occupation, and career journey. With this, the platform can show you real-time information about your interests. It can also suggest products or services to you upon your request.

3. Search Result Customization 

Similar to other powerful AI tools and search engines, Perplexity AI allows you to choose where you want your answers from. However, Perplexity AI emerges from the crowd by summarizing answers from those sources for you. Here’s a typical instance. While using Perplexity AI to search for “how to write the best love letters,” you can change your primary source to YouTube. This prompts the engine to scurry through transcripts of YouTube videos, using your query as a keyword. It then analyzes and summarizes related videos into answers for you.

This feature, coupled with the AI profile above, is changing the game in the chatbot world. Apart from choosing sources, this search engine powered by AI understands context. It considers the entire conversation on a thread and combines it with your new prompt to give a guided search result.

4. Perplexity AI Mobile App

Perplexity AI provides iOS and Android users with a mobile app. Like other search engines, the platform offers its browsing features on a mobile application. The app has a user-friendly interface and a default dark mode. 

Users can ask the AI questions by text or voice. They can also upload different files to get more relevant search results. What’s more, the app saves their search history for future references. 

5. Perplexity AI Chrome Extension

Apart from its mobile app and web version, Perplexity has a Chrome extension. Users don’t need the Perplexity Pro version to use it, as it is free. The Chrome extension ensures that users can ask questions directly from their browser. It can also summarize a web page’s data, enabling users to find accurate information quickly.

To use this feature, install the extension from the Perplexity AI website and pin it to your browser’s taskbar.

Perplexity AI Integration

Perplexity Pro provides an API known as the pplx-API. This is a REST API that allows developers to access its functions. By accessing its large language model through HTTPS, they can maximize it for NLP tasks. Some languages the API supports are Mistral 7B, Llama 13B, Code Llama 34B, and Llama 70B.

You need a Perplexity Pro account to get your pplx-api key. First, go to the account settings page, generate your API key, and include it as a header in your HTTPS requests for access.

Plans and Pricing

Perplexity AI pricing is divided into two plans- free and Pro versions. The free version is available to every user upon signing up to the platform, while the Pro version requires a monthly or yearly subscription. Below is an overview of these two plans.

Free Plan

The free plan is Perplexity AI’s basic plan. If you’ve tried ChatGPT, you’ll know it also has a free version. Internet users who sign up for Perplexity have access to its user-friendly tool. They can immediately start enjoying its AI-powered search and chatbot interface. The multimedia file upload option is also available to them. Although they can access Perplexity’s Copilot, its use cases are limited until they switch to Pro.

Features

• Access to GPT-4
• Limited use of Copilot
• Multimedia file upload
• AI-powered search
• Chatbot-style interface

Pricing

The Free plan is free for everyone.

Perplexity Pro Plan

Perplexity Pro is the paid version of Perplexity AI. To use this version, you must subscribe to a monthly recurring payment of $20 or a yearly fee of $200. This version is more advanced than the former because it has more Copilot use cases. You can send over 300 queries daily and get accurate answers. This plan also allows you to select the model you want. You could choose GPT-4, Claude 2.1, Gemini, or Perplexity, as you wish. What’s more, Pro users can access the pplx API for free, with a $5 monthly credit.

Features

• AI model selection
• Unlimited file uploads
• Upgraded Copilot use (300+ queries daily)
• $5 free monthly credit for pplx-API
• 7-day free trial

Pricing

Perplexity Pro costs $20 monthly and $200 yearly.

Terms and Policies

Perplexity AI’s terms and policies embody the whole essence of the platform. It contains its privacy policy, terms of use, and platform functionality. The company updated its policy document in December 2023, specifying the information it collects from users when using the platform and other related services. It also details the purpose of collection, which varies based on the data type. 

Also, Perplexity lists the services it provides on its website. The company prioritizes the safekeeping of user data. However, it also mentions that its privacy policies may change over time. Therefore, you should review its policies frequently if security is a significant concern for you. You can read more about their policies or contact them via the website in case of any problems.

Customer Support

Perplexity has a wide range of customer support options. If you wish to contact the company, you can email them at support@perplexity.ai. However, if your needs are related to using the platform, they’ve provided a comprehensive database of guides and how-tos. For questions on getting started, click here. For general or technical FAQs, follow this link.

Furthermore, click this link if you’d like to give feedback about the tool. Other means of getting customer support include joining the platform’s Discord community or browsing through its blog.

Conclusion

As more chatbot tools appear in today’s ever-changing world, these platforms must distinguish themselves from the crowd. For Perplexity AI, it is incorporating a search engine feel that can generate human-like texts for its chatbot and following strict AI regulations to produce accurate content.

Perplexity has several use cases, from article generation to research and summary, weather forecasts, planning, etc. Head to Perplexity.ai to start using the platform, or check out other excellent AI tools that Techwriteable has reviewed.