What is Perplexity?
Quick answer
Perplexity is an AI answer engine. You ask a question, it searches the web, reads the results and writes a short answer with numbered citations you can click to check. It also makes Comet, an AI web browser, and lets paid users pick models from other companies.
Last updated
Updated · By Robert Breen
Why it matters for a small business
Perplexity is built for research with sources: checking a fact, comparing vendors, catching up on a regulation or finding the original page behind a claim. Every answer shows where it came from, which makes it quicker to verify than an answer without links. As of October 2026, Perplexity's help center lists a Free plan, Pro at $20 a month, Max at $200 a month and Enterprise Pro from $40 per seat a month. Pro and Max let you choose between Perplexity's own Sonar models and models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google.
Who it suits: anyone whose job involves looking things up and citing them, such as marketers, analysts, recruiters researching a market, or owners comparing suppliers. It is less suited to long writing or working inside your email and documents. On data, Perplexity's help center says Free, Pro and Max accounts have an AI data retention setting on by default that you can turn off under account preferences, and that Enterprise data is never used for training.
In a real lesson: Get Your Business Recommended by ChatGPT
Stepthrough has no Perplexity lesson yet. The closest is Get Your Business Recommended by ChatGPT, which teaches the same skill Perplexity is built around: reading an AI answer by its sources. You ask which accountants a new client should hire in town, and Fernbrook, the made-up firm, isn't named.
Then you open Sources and find that the answer leaned on firm websites, the Chamber directory and a local "best of" list. Perplexity puts those citations right in the answer, so the same check is one click away. Either way, the lesson's point holds: open the source before you repeat the claim.
Try this lesson free or read the step-by-step guide.
Common confusions
Perplexity vs Google Search
Google mostly lists pages and adds AI summaries. Perplexity writes the answer first and shows its sources under it. See AI search.
Perplexity vs ChatGPT
ChatGPT also searches the web and cites sources, and is stronger for writing and files. Perplexity puts search and citations first.
Tips
- Click at least one citation for every fact you plan to repeat.
- Turn off AI data retention on a personal account if you research client matters.
- Use it to find and check sources, then write the final piece in your main assistant.
Related terms
More AI assistants terms
Where you use it: free lessons
- Get Your Business Recommended by ChatGPT (ChatGPT, 10 min)
- Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task, Format (ChatGPT, 8 min)
Watch it in a free lesson: Get Your Business Recommended by ChatGPT
2:14Get Your Business Recommended by ChatGPT: video walkthrough
Ask ChatGPT who it recommends in your town, see which pages it trusts, then use it to write an FAQ page and Business Profile copy that answer real customer questions. The whole lesson narrated step by step, recorded in Stepthrough’s simulated practice environment.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Perplexity free?
- Yes, there is a free plan with limits. Pro is $20 a month and Max is $200 a month, as listed in Perplexity's help center as of October 2026.
- Can Perplexity be wrong even with citations?
- Yes. It can misread a source or cite a page that doesn't say what the answer claims. The citations make checking quick, but you still have to check.
- What is Comet?
- Comet is Perplexity's AI web browser. It can summarize pages and help with tasks as you browse. Perplexity lists it as free to download as of October 2026.