Yes, Perplexity is free: the Standard (Free) plan costs $0 a month and gives you practically unlimited basic searches with citations, but only 3 Pro Searches a day and 1 Research query a month.
As of November 3, 2026, Perplexity’s Help Center says the free plan also includes search history and limited file uploads, while Perplexity picks the model for each query. It does not include advanced AI models, image generation, the Comet Assistant browser agent, file and app creation, or premium support.
Paid plans raise those limits. Perplexity’s pricing page lists Pro at $17 a month and Max at $167 a month when billed annually. Pro adds advanced models such as GPT, Claude and Gemini options, image and video generation, and weekly Pro Search limits. Verified students and educators can get Education Pro for $10 a month. Developers should note that the API Platform is billed separately on a pay-as-you-go basis and has no free credits.
Related: Perplexity Agent API guide, Is ChatGPT free? and Is Claude free?
Source: Perplexity Help Center, “Which Perplexity Subscription Plan is right for you?”; Perplexity, “Perplexity Pricing: Plans for Individuals and Enterprise”
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