Perplexity is an AI-powered search engine that delivers accurate, conversational answers to questions by searching the web in real time and pairing every response with verifiable citations. Rather than returning a list of links, the platform reads, synthesizes, and cites sources, reducing the friction between asking a question and receiving a trustworthy answer.

The platform supports multiple search modes to match different levels of need. Standard Search provides fast, cited answers for everyday queries. Pro Search enables multi-step reasoning for complex questions. Research mode autonomously analyzes hundreds of sources and produces comprehensive reports in minutes, exporting results as PDFs, documents, or shareable Perplexity Pages. Create files and apps allows users to build reports, spreadsheets, dashboards, and simple web applications using natural language prompts.

Perplexity integrates cutting-edge models including GPT-5.2, Claude Sonnet 4.6, and Gemini 3.1 Pro, with a model selector that lets Pro subscribers switch between backends on a per-query basis. A persistent memory system retains preferences and context across conversations, improving personalization over time without requiring manual context management.

Enterprise plans add team collaboration features, shared Spaces, SSO, SOC 2 compliance, audit logs, data retention configurability, and SCIM security controls. A dedicated API platform provides developers with programmatic access to Perplexity's search infrastructure via the Sonar API and Search API, supporting real-time ranked results with domain filtering, multi-query search, and region targeting.