Perplexity review
An answer engine that shows its sources — AI search, deep research, and the Comet browser.
TECHi verdict
Perplexity is the best first stop for sourced research, and that's a narrower crown than its ambitions suggest. The free tier is generous enough that most people never need Pro; pay the $20 when you hit the Pro-search ceiling or need model choice and file uploads, and treat $200 Max as an agent product, not a consumer upgrade. The deeper question is whether an answer engine that summarizes publishers into oblivion can keep its own supply chain — the lawsuits aren't noise, they're a referendum on the business model. Use it to find and frame sources, and click through before you cite anything. If Comet's free agentic browsing holds up, that — not search — may end up being the product that justifies the ambition.
Pros
- + Purpose-built research flow — focus modes, follow-ups, and threads beat retrofitting a general chatbot for source-finding
- + Inline numbered citations on every answer make verification a click, not an act of faith
- + Fast enough to replace a first Google pass, with Deep Research handling the slower structured reports
Watchouts
- - Leans on whatever ranks — SEO spam and thin aggregators surface in citations more often than the polished UX implies
- - Summaries can subtly misrepresent the sources they cite, so anything high-stakes still requires opening the links
Frequently asked
What are the pros of Perplexity?
Purpose-built research flow — focus modes, follow-ups, and threads beat retrofitting a general chatbot for source-finding. Inline numbered citations on every answer make verification a click, not an act of faith. Fast enough to replace a first Google pass, with Deep Research handling the slower structured reports
What are the watchouts / cons of Perplexity?
Leans on whatever ranks — SEO spam and thin aggregators surface in citations more often than the polished UX implies. Summaries can subtly misrepresent the sources they cite, so anything high-stakes still requires opening the links
What is the TECHi verdict on Perplexity?
Perplexity is the best first stop for sourced research, and that's a narrower crown than its ambitions suggest. The free tier is generous enough that most people never need Pro; pay the $20 when you hit the Pro-search ceiling or need model choice and file uploads, and treat $200 Max as an agent product, not a consumer upgrade. The deeper question is whether an answer engine that summarizes publishers into oblivion can keep its own supply chain — the lawsuits aren't noise, they're a referendum on the business model. Use it to find and frame sources, and click through before you cite anything. If Comet's free agentic browsing holds up, that — not search — may end up being the product that justifies the ambition.