Perplexity FAQ — 15 Questions Answered

Q: Is Perplexity better than ChatGPT?

For real-time research with citations, Perplexity is better — it grounds every answer in live web sources and shows the links inline. For open-ended creative writing, code generation, or long conversations, ChatGPT (GPT-5) is generally better because it's optimized for those workflows. Many users keep both: Perplexity for fact-finding and current events, ChatGPT for writing and coding.

Q: Does Perplexity have its own LLM?

Yes and no. Perplexity has its own model family called Sonar (a fine-tuned variant optimized for search-grounded responses), but it also routes queries to GPT, Claude, and Gemini depending on user choice and plan. Pro users can pick which underlying model handles their query. Sonar is the default for free users and for fast searches; Sonar Pro for deeper research.

Q: Is Perplexity safe to use?

Yes, Perplexity is safe in the standard sense — it's a legitimate company (private, US-based), uses HTTPS, and doesn't sell your data to third parties. Conversations are stored on Perplexity's servers and used to improve the product unless you opt out in Settings → Privacy. Like any AI assistant, don't paste actual passwords, API keys, or sensitive personal data into it.

Q: Is Perplexity publicly traded?

No. Perplexity AI is a private company. You cannot buy stock in Perplexity on any public exchange. The company has raised funding from Jeff Bezos, NVIDIA, IVP, and other investors at private valuations exceeding $9 billion as of 2025, but those are private rounds — not available to retail investors. No IPO has been announced.

Q: How does Perplexity make money?

Three revenue streams: 1) Perplexity Pro subscriptions ($20/mo for unlimited Pro searches and advanced model access). 2) Perplexity Enterprise — custom plans for teams that need SSO, admin controls, and data residency. 3) API access — developers pay per query to embed Perplexity's search-grounded answers into their own products. The company has also experimented with sponsored answers (clearly labeled), though this is a small revenue contributor.

Q: How to get Perplexity Pro for free?

Three legitimate paths: 1) ISP/carrier partnership — several telecoms include Perplexity Pro with mobile or broadband plans. 2) University partnership — check perplexity.ai/student. 3) Referral program — refer friends through your settings page; each successful referral gives you a free month, stackable up to a year. There's no 'free trial' code that works for everyone; new accounts typically get a few free Pro searches per day before being rate-limited to Sonar.

Q: Is there a Perplexity app for Linux Ubuntu?

Perplexity does not publish an official Linux app. On Linux/Ubuntu, use the web version at perplexity.ai. You can wrap it as a desktop app using community tools like Nativefier or Tauri, or install it as a PWA from Chrome/Edge (three-dot menu → Install Perplexity). The PWA approach gives you a near-native app experience with offline support for cached results.

Q: How do I set up Perplexity search in Chrome?

Two options. Easiest: install the official Perplexity Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store — it adds Perplexity as a search shortcut and lets you search any selected text. For a deeper integration, set Perplexity as your default search engine: chrome://settings/searchEngines → Add → URL = https://www.perplexity.ai/search?q=%s. Now Chrome's omnibar sends queries to Perplexity by default.

Q: How do I see mentions in Perplexity?

'Mentions' refers to where your brand or content has been cited inside Perplexity's answers. There's no built-in dashboard for this — Perplexity doesn't publish source-mention analytics. Workarounds: 1) Search for your brand name on Perplexity and see if it appears in the citation list under answers. 2) Use a third-party AI search monitoring tool (Profound, Otterly, AthenaHQ) that tracks brand mentions across Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Gemini. 3) Monitor your referrer logs — clicks from Perplexity show up in analytics as referrer perplexity.ai.

Last updated: May 13, 2026 · 8 min read

Straight answers to the questions people ask about Perplexity — its models, safety, business model, and the things the official docs don't explain well.

Jump to

Is Perplexity better than ChatGPT?
Does Perplexity have its own LLM?
Is Perplexity safe?
Is Perplexity publicly traded?
Is Perplexity Pro free for students?
How does Perplexity make money?
How to get Perplexity Pro for free
Linux Ubuntu app?
Set up in Chrome
See mentions in Perplexity
Use account on iPhone
How to jailbreak Perplexity
Cancel subscription
How it differs from search engines
Focus modes

Is Perplexity better than ChatGPT?

Different tools for different jobs. The honest take:

For real-time research with citations, Perplexity is better. It grounds every answer in live web sources and shows the links inline, so you can verify what it said.
For open-ended creative writing, code generation, or long conversations, ChatGPT (GPT-5) is generally better — it's optimized for those workflows and has access to a much wider feature set (custom GPTs, Code Interpreter, image generation).

Most heavy users keep both: Perplexity for fact-finding and current events, ChatGPT for writing and coding. If you can only pick one and your work is mostly research, pick Perplexity. If it's mostly making things, pick ChatGPT.

See the ChatGPT vs Perplexity comparison for the system-prompt level difference.

Does Perplexity have its own LLM?

Yes and no.

Perplexity has its own model family called Sonar — a fine-tuned model optimized specifically for search-grounded responses. Sonar reads search results faster and cites them more accurately than a generic LLM.

But Perplexity also routes queries to third-party models depending on user choice and plan:

Free users: Sonar (default)
Pro users: Choose between Sonar Pro, GPT, Claude, Gemini, and Grok per query
API: Direct access to Sonar variants for developers

So when someone asks "does Perplexity have its own LLM?" the answer is yes (Sonar exists) but most user-facing experiences blend Sonar with whichever third-party model the user picked.

Is Perplexity safe to use?

Yes, in the standard sense. Perplexity is a legitimate US-based private company, uses HTTPS for all traffic, and doesn't sell your data to third parties. As of 2026, it has solid privacy practices: data residency in the US, SOC 2 Type II compliance, and a published privacy policy.

Your conversations are stored on Perplexity's servers and used to improve the product unless you opt out in Settings → Privacy → Data Retention.

Things to not do (true for any AI assistant):

Don't paste actual passwords, API keys, or SSH keys
Don't share unredacted medical or legal documents
Don't share your employer's confidential code or contracts unless your employer has approved it

Is Perplexity publicly traded?

No. Perplexity AI is a private company. You cannot buy Perplexity stock on any public exchange.

The company has raised funding from Jeff Bezos, NVIDIA, IVP, and other private investors at valuations exceeding $9 billion as of late 2025 — but those are private rounds restricted to accredited investors. No IPO has been announced, and there's no public timeline for one.

If you see a stock ticker claiming to be "Perplexity" on a trading platform, it's not the real Perplexity AI — it's either a different company with a similar name or a scam.

Is Perplexity Pro free for students?

Not directly. Perplexity does not offer an automatic student discount the way GitHub Pro or Notion do.

However, there are indirect free-Pro paths for students:

University partnership program — Perplexity has signed deals with universities to give enrolled students 1 year of Pro free. Check perplexity.ai/student to see if your school is on the list.
ISP/carrier bundles — Several telecom providers (T-Mobile in the US, etc.) bundle Perplexity Pro with consumer mobile plans, which many students already have.

If your school isn't on the partnership list, ask your CS department or research computing group — they sometimes have institutional accounts students can use.

How does Perplexity make money?

Three revenue streams as of 2026:

Perplexity Pro subscriptions — $20/month for unlimited Pro searches, advanced model access, file uploads, and the iOS/Android apps.
Perplexity Enterprise — custom plans for teams that need SSO, admin controls, data residency, and audit logging.
API access — developers pay per query to embed Perplexity's search-grounded answers into their own products.

Perplexity has also experimented with sponsored answers (clearly labeled as "sponsored"), where brands pay to have follow-up question suggestions appear after relevant queries. This is a small revenue contributor compared to subscriptions and is implemented carefully to avoid mixing organic answers with ads.

How to get Perplexity Pro for free?

Three legitimate paths:

ISP / carrier partnership — Check if your mobile or broadband provider bundles Perplexity Pro. T-Mobile, Visible, and several international carriers do.
University partnership — perplexity.ai/student.
Referral program — Refer friends through your settings page; each successful referral gives you a free month, stackable up to a year of Pro.

There's no universal "free trial" promo code that works for everyone. New accounts typically get a few free Pro Searches per day, then are rate-limited to standard Sonar for the rest of the day.

Is there a Perplexity app for Linux Ubuntu?

Perplexity does not publish an official Linux desktop app.

On Linux/Ubuntu, your options are:

Use the web version at perplexity.ai (works perfectly in Firefox, Chrome, Brave, etc.)
Install as a Progressive Web App (PWA) — In Chrome/Edge, click the three-dot menu → Install Perplexity. This gives you a near-native app experience with offline caching.
Wrap with Nativefier or Tauri for a true desktop-app feel: npx nativefier https://perplexity.ai. The result is a small Electron app with a window icon and tray support.

How do I set up Perplexity search in Chrome?

Two options depending on how deep you want the integration.

Option 1 (easiest): install the extension

Install the official Perplexity Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store. It adds:

Right-click on any selected text → "Ask Perplexity"
A toolbar button that opens Perplexity in a sidebar
Keyboard shortcut to bring up Perplexity over any page

Option 2: replace Chrome's default search engine

Go to chrome://settings/searchEngines, click Add, and enter:

Search engine name: Perplexity
Shortcut: p (or whatever you like)
URL: https://www.perplexity.ai/search?q=%s

Set it as default. Now typing in the omnibar goes straight to Perplexity. Or keep Google as default and use the shortcut: type p, hit Tab, then your query — that searches Perplexity without changing the default.

How do I see mentions in Perplexity?

"Mentions" usually means: where is my brand or content cited in Perplexity's answers? Perplexity does not publish a built-in source-mention analytics dashboard.

Workarounds:

Manual check — Search for your brand name on Perplexity and look at the citation list under generated answers. If you appear, you're being mentioned.
AI search monitoring tools — Third-party services like Profound, Otterly, AthenaHQ, and Peec.ai track brand mentions across Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Gemini. Most are paid SaaS.
Referrer logs — Clicks from Perplexity show up in your web analytics as referrer perplexity.ai. Use Google Analytics, Plausible, or Fathom to track inbound from Perplexity over time.

Can I use my Perplexity account on iPhone?

Yes. Perplexity has a native iOS app — download from the App Store and sign in with the same email or OAuth provider you use on the web. The app syncs:

Your Pro subscription
Conversation history
Spaces (Perplexity's equivalent of folders/projects)
Settings and preferences

The iOS app also includes voice mode and a Spotlight search integration — type into Spotlight and tap the Perplexity result to send the query directly to the app.

How to jailbreak Perplexity AI?

We're not going to provide jailbreak instructions — they violate Perplexity's terms of service and can get your account banned.

What's worth knowing instead:

Perplexity's safety filtering is layered on top of the underlying LLM (GPT, Claude, etc.). The same prompts that worked on a base model often won't work in Perplexity because of the wrapper.
If you have a legitimate research need that's being blocked (security research, academic study of harmful content, journalism), email support@perplexity.ai with context. They can sometimes whitelist accounts or provide guidance.
For prompt engineering that's allowed but underused, see how to write system prompts — most "I can't get Perplexity to do X" issues are prompting issues, not filter issues.

How to cancel Perplexity subscription?

Depends on where you signed up:

Web: Settings → Account → Manage Subscription → Cancel.
iOS: This goes through Apple's subscription manager. Open Settings app → your name → Subscriptions → Perplexity → Cancel.
Android: Google Play Store → Menu → Subscriptions → Perplexity → Cancel.
Via an ISP/carrier bundle: Contact your provider — you can't cancel from inside Perplexity if they're the billing entity.

After cancellation you keep Pro access until the end of the current billing period, then drop to the free tier. Your conversation history is preserved.

How does Perplexity differ from traditional search engines?

Three real differences:

You get a synthesized answer, not blue links. Perplexity reads the top search results and writes the answer for you, with citations.
Follow-up questions stay in context. You can refine the search conversationally — "OK, but only for the EU" or "what about the cheaper option?" — without restating everything.
Citations are inline. Each claim links to the source. You can verify, or click through if you want the original article.

Trade-offs vs Google:

Google surfaces niche, local, and very recent results that Perplexity sometimes misses.
Perplexity's answer is sometimes wrong even when its sources are right (LLM summarization can drop nuance).
Google is faster for navigational queries ("Twitter login") where you just want the link.

What are the focus modes in Perplexity?

Focus modes scope Perplexity's search to specific source types. Switch via the Focus dropdown under the search bar:

Web (default) — full internet
Academic — peer-reviewed papers via Semantic Scholar and similar databases
Math — computational answers via Wolfram
Writing — uses the LLM only, no live search. Best for drafting and brainstorming.
YouTube — video transcripts
Reddit — community discussions and threads
Social — X / Twitter posts

Pro Search is available across all modes for Pro users — it runs more comprehensive multi-step queries with deeper synthesis.

What's next

Build a prompt that works in Perplexity Pasted prompt too long for Pro Search? Estimate token count and trim it before sending. Free, runs in your browser. Open the token counter.