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What is Perplexity?

PerplexityThis is an AI-powered research tool centered on online search and source citation. Users ask questions in natural language, and the system retrieves information, organizes answers, and provides links to the original sources. It is ideal for first gaining a comprehensive understanding of an issue and then delving deeper through the cited sources; it can also be used in conjunction with uploaded materials to create research reports and other outputs.

Perplexity was founded in August 2022 and launched its early Q&A product, Ask, in December of the same year. The company announced onAnnouncement Regarding Series A Funding and Mobile App LaunchThe article reviews this history. The product’s development focuses on combining language models with search, allowing users to ask follow-up questions about the same topic rather than simply browsing a set of search results based on keywords.

In February 2025, Perplexity launched Deep Research, which organizes multi-step research into reports; in May of the same year, it launched Labs, further expanding research capabilities to include the creation of documents and small applications. Subsequent interfaces refer to Labs-related capabilities as “Create files and apps.” Names and menus in older tutorials may differ; please refer to the current product interface when using the features.

Key Features of Perplexity

Standard Search and Pro Search

Standard Search is suitable for queries with a clearly defined scope, such as finding an official statement or verifying a concept. Pro Search performs multiple searches and synthesizes results from various sources, making it ideal for questions with multiple criteria; it also supports follow-up questions within the same session. Users can select a source category—such as web, academic, financial, or documents—based on their task to better match their questions with relevant sources.

The value of citations lies in facilitating verification; they do not serve as a guarantee of the content’s authenticity. A single response may incorporate data from different years, regions, and statistical methodologies; even similar figures may not be directly comparable. When using this information formally, you should open the relevant links to verify the original sources rather than relying solely on the generated conclusions.

Research: A multi-step research process centered on a specific research question

Research addresses problems that require decomposition, retrieval, and comprehensive analysis, automatically organizing the research process and generating a relatively comprehensive report. It is advisable to clearly define the objectives, timeframe, geographic scope, comparison dimensions, and exclusion criteria before beginning. For example, when researching the application of a particular technology in small teams, the process should distinguish between experimental results, released features, and the vendor’s future plans.

Once the report is complete, you can continue to probe areas where the evidence is weak, requesting additional counterexamples, differing viewpoints, or information that has not yet been found. The depth of research is not necessarily related to the length of the report; a short report that accurately articulates unknowns and limitations is often more valuable than a lengthy document filled with details that cannot be verified.

Background of the Document and Production of the Output

Perplexity supports uploading files and images as background information for questions, and its solutions also cover materials such as PDFs, CSV files, audio, and video. When analyzing your own reports, you should explicitly request that facts from the uploaded files be listed separately from external search results to facilitate item-by-item verification.

"Create files and apps" allows you to generate reports, tables, dashboards, and simple web applications based on your data. When creating tables, you must specify the fields, units, and calculation methods; when creating interactive pages, you must describe the inputs, operations, and outputs. After generation, check whether the files can still be edited, whether the formulas are correct, and whether the pages function properly with different inputs. These creation tools each have their own terms of use.

What scenarios is it suitable for?

• Information Gathering Prior to the Study:Get a quick overview of the topic, find the source materials, and then create a list of items that require further reading.
• Product and Solution Comparison:Organize the criteria, restrictions, and scope of application in a consistent manner, while retaining the source of each conclusion.
• Public Fact-Checking:Verify figures, citations, and the timing of events, and compare whether different sources corroborate one another.
• From Data to Results:Continue organizing the verified information into reports, tables, or visualizations suitable for discussion.

How to Use Perplexity to Compare Technical Proposals

1. Define the problem.Specify the business tasks to be addressed, the operating environment, the prerequisites, and the potential solutions. First, define the selection criteria, then request proposals—this will prevent the tool from having to guess your priorities.
2. Select the appropriate mode.Use "Search" when looking up a specific feature; use "Research" when you need to compare documents, case studies, and constraints simultaneously. Upload your existing requirements specification, ensuring it primarily consists of primary sources such as official technical documentation and original research papers.
3. Specify the format of the evidence.Example Requirements: “Compare each item based on deployment method, input data, permission requirements, and known limitations, citing sources for each item; mark any items for which no information was found as ”unknown’; and keep vendor claims separate from third-party test results.”
4. Check for comparability.Review key references to ensure they describe the same version, the same plan, or similar conditions. If you find conflicting sources, request a list of discrepancies; do not force the merging of inconsistent data.
5. Fix the issues before delivery.Continue probing the conditions that remain uncertain to produce a report outlining “confirmed discrepancies, issues requiring verification, and recommended tests.” When tables or dashboards are needed, transfer the confirmed data to a document creation tool.

This report is intended to assist in organizing trials and evaluations. When deployment, procurement, or business-critical operations are involved, validation in a live environment is still required, as publicly available information cannot guarantee that a tool is suitable for your specific processes.

How to Choose Between Perplexity and Similar Research Tools

The Standard, Pro, Max, and Enterprise plans differ in terms of search, research, upload, and creation quotas. For details, seeOfficial Solution Description. The Developer API is billed separately; do not confuse app subscriptions with API entitlements.