Perplexity
AI answer engine that searches the web and gives answers with links to its sources, useful for quick research.
What it is
Perplexity is an AI-powered answer engine. Instead of a list of links, it searches the web and writes an answer, with numbered links to the sources it used. That makes it useful when you need recent information and want to check where it came from.
Best for
- Quick research on recent topics, products and news
- Comparing options, such as software, suppliers or approaches, with sources
- Finding official pages and documents faster
- Getting a first overview of an unfamiliar topic before reading deeper
How to start
- Open the official website or app. You can try it without an account; signing in saves your history.
- Ask a specific question and open the source links next to the claims that matter.
- Use follow-up questions to narrow down, for example "Only use sources from Indian government websites."
Example prompts
What are the main differences between the old and new tax regime for a
salaried employee? Use only official or well-known sources and link them.
Compare three popular invoicing tools for small businesses in India:
features, free plan and limitations. Give sources for each point.
Pricing
There is a free plan with a limited number of advanced searches. A paid plan adds more advanced searches, more models and extra features. Check the official site for current plans.
Watch out for
- Sources make checking easier, but the summary can still misread a source. Open the link and read the relevant line for anything important.
- Sources may be outdated or unreliable websites. Prefer official sites for rules, rates and deadlines.
- Do not paste confidential company data into search-style tools.
Our tip
Use Perplexity for "what is out there?" research, then use a chat assistant with the actual documents for the detailed work. For laws and tax rules, always end at the official source.