Our verdict
Perplexity's free search is generous, and Ask searches never touch your credits. The paid plans come with more strings than the price suggests: refund windows measured in hours, bonus credits that vanish after about 30 days, AI data retention switched on by default, and terms that limit consumer plans to personal, non-commercial use. Buy Pro for search. Treat Computer credits as a separate, metered purchase.
Good fit if you…
- Researchers who want cited answers rather than open-ended chat
- Users who mostly run Ask searches, which use no credits
- Organizations that need a no-training plan (Enterprise Pro)
Skip it if you…
- You want to use outputs commercially on a consumer plan
- You need more than a day to decide whether to keep a monthly plan
- You dislike tracking several credit buckets with different expiry rules
The fine print, graded
Five questions, graded A (best for you) to E from Perplexity AI's own pages. How grades work.
Pricing clarity · Are prices public and free of traps?
The pricing page shows Pro at $17 and Max at $167 'per month or equivalent, billed annually', and does not show what either costs month to month. It also says the plans are for personal use only. Education Pro is $10 a month with SheerID verification, and Enterprise Pro starts at $40 per seat per month or $400 per seat per year. Limited-time promotions such as bonus Computer credits are displayed next to the prices, which makes the real price harder to compare.
SourceCancel & refunds · Can you leave, and get money back?
Outside regions with statutory rights, monthly plans can be refunded only within 24 hours of purchase, and annual plans get a full refund within 72 hours, with 'no exceptions' after that. EU, UK and Turkey customers get 14 days, and South Korea and Brazil 7 days. Perplexity will not process a second refund after granting one. The same policy applies to Enterprise plans, and removing a seat mid-period does not create a credit.
SourceLimits & credits · What is capped, and do credits expire?
Consumer limits are described as 'weekly limits (average use)' rather than numbers. Computer runs on credits, priced at 100 credits to $1. The welcome bonus credits expire in about 30 days, and Max's monthly credits do not roll over. Purchased credits can be used only while you have an active paid plan and expire after a year without Computer use. Pro's included weekly Computer usage resets weekly and does not roll over. Max accounts have a default monthly credit spending cap of $200.
SourceYour data · Is your content used to train models?
For Free, Pro and Max users, the AI Data Retention setting is on by default, so some of your data may be used to train AI models until you switch it off under Preferences. The opt-out only covers data collected after you opt out, and Perplexity says data already collected for training cannot be deleted. Enterprise data is never used for training, and Perplexity says its contracts bar third-party model providers from training on its data.
SourceOutput rights · Can you use what you make commercially?
The terms say Perplexity claims no ownership of 'Your Content' but keeps ownership of the technology that generates output. They do not clearly assign the output to you. Consumer use is limited to personal, non-commercial purposes, and you may not publish output without clearly citing Perplexity. The terms also give Perplexity a broad, irrevocable license to use your content to operate, improve and promote the service.
SourceWhat users say about Perplexity
User reviews · What do paying users report?
Most platforms are positive (4.9 from 98 Product Hunt reviews, 4.8 from about 523,000 App Store ratings, 4.6 on Google Play, 4.4 on G2, 4.2 on Capterra), while Trustpilot is harsh at 1.4 from 852 reviews. The most repeated complaints are charges after cancelling or on promo deals, credits that run out fast, and slow, automated support. The most repeated praise is fast, cited answers that beat a classic search.
| Platform | Rating | Reviews | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot | 1.4/5 | 852 | November 5, 2026 |
| G2 · figure from the search listing | 4.4/5 | 364 | November 5, 2026 |
| Capterra · figure from the search listing | 4.2/5 | 35 | November 5, 2026 |
| Product Hunt | 4.9/5 | 98 | November 5, 2026 |
| Apple App Store | 4.8/5 | 522,787 | November 5, 2026 |
| Google Play · figure from the search listing | 4.6/5 | 2,200,000 | November 5, 2026 |
Recurring complaints
- Charged after cancelling, on a free plan, or when a promo discount was not applied
- Cancelling is hard to find, or has to go through support or the app store
- Credits run out fast and paid tiers push extra credit purchases, even for corrections
- Support is mostly automated, with slow follow-up and refunds promised but not paid
- Answers can still be wrong or invented, so users double-check them
What users like
- Fast, direct answers with sources, and less clutter than a classic search engine
- Access to several leading AI models for one subscription
- Easy to use for research, according to G2 and Capterra reviewers
Ratings are the platforms' own figures on the date shown. Review sites attract unhappy customers and some vendors invite happy ones, so we average platforms instead of trusting one. How the user grade works.
Perplexity plans and prices
| Plan | Price | Billing | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (Free) | $0 | free | Practically unlimited basic searches, 3 Pro Searches a day, 1 Research query a month, limited uploads |
| Education Pro | $10/month | monthly | Everything in Pro plus Learn Mode, for students and educators verified through SheerID |
| Pro | $17/month, billed yearly | annual (monthly price not shown on the pricing page) | Extended Pro Search and Research, advanced models, image and video generation, weekly included Computer usage, 4,000 one-time bonus credits |
| Max | $167/month, billed yearly | annual (monthly price not shown on the pricing page) | Highest limits, 10,000 credits a month, 35,000 one-time bonus credits, early access, priority support |
| Enterprise Pro | $40/seat/month or $400/seat/year | monthly or annual | Pro features, data never used for training, seat management, 500 credits a month |
| Enterprise Max | Not published | contact sales | Highest limits, 15,000 credits a month, SCIM, audit logs, configurable retention |
Prices as shown on Perplexity AI's pricing page on November 4, 2026. Taxes may apply.
Pros
- Ask searches never consume credits, on any plan
- Refund windows are written down precisely, with no vague 'discretion'
- Enterprise plans are excluded from training, and Perplexity bars third-party providers from training on its data
- Auto-refill for credits is off by default
- Max accounts have a default $200 monthly cap on credit spending
Cons
- Refunds for monthly plans close 24 hours after purchase in the US
- The pricing page does not show the monthly-billing price of Pro or Max
- AI Data Retention is on by default, and past training data cannot be removed
- Consumer terms restrict use to personal, non-commercial purposes and require citing Perplexity
- Three credit buckets with different expiry rules
What Perplexity sells
Perplexity started as an answer engine that cites its sources. It now has a second product inside the subscription: Computer, an agent that does multi-step tasks such as building reports, dashboards or small apps. The two are billed differently. Searches come with the plan, and Computer runs on credits. We did not test either one. This review is based on Perplexity's pricing page, its help center and its terms of service, read on November 4, 2026.
The free tier is useful in itself: practically unlimited basic searches, three Pro Searches a day and one Research query a month. Pro and Max add better models, higher limits and Computer access, and the plan comparison table describes their limits only as "average use" or "advanced use".
The price you see versus the price you pay
The pricing page lists Pro at $17 and Max at $167, both labeled per month or equivalent when billed annually. We could not find the month-to-month price on that page, so you only see what monthly billing costs at checkout. The same page carries limited-time offers of bonus Computer credits and a line saying plans are for personal use only.
Education Pro is a clear exception at $10 a month for verified students and educators. Enterprise Pro is priced per seat at $40 a month or $400 a year. Enterprise Max has no published price.
A refund clock measured in hours
The refunds article is precise, which we appreciate. It is also tight. In the US and most other countries:
- monthly plans: you can request a refund up to 24 hours after purchase;
- annual plans: full refund within 72 hours of the original purchase, with "no exceptions" after that;
- only one refund per account, ever. Perplexity won't process a second request once one has been granted.
EU, UK and Turkey customers get 14 days, and South Korea and Brazil 7 days. App store purchases follow the store's process. If your account is terminated for breaking the terms, any prepaid service or credit is lost.
Credits: three buckets, three expiry rules
Credits only matter if you use Computer. Ask searches, and Comet's Search mode, don't consume them. One hundred credits cost $1. The help center's examples range from 15 to 70 credits for a quick definition to 15,000 or more for building an entire app. Each bucket expires differently:
- Bonus credits (4,000 on Pro and 35,000 on Max for new subscribers) expire in about 30 days.
- Monthly plan credits (10,000 on Max) refresh each cycle and don't roll over.
- Purchased credits are used last. They work only while you hold a paid plan and expire after a year without Computer use.
Pro also includes a weekly Computer allowance that resets each week and does not carry over. Auto-refill is off by default. Max has a default spending cap of $200 a month, which you can raise to $5,000. Credits are not refunded automatically when a task's result disappoints you.
Training, retention and what you may do with answers
Perplexity says that for Free, Pro and Max users, AI Data Retention is enabled by default. To opt out, go to Account settings, then Preferences, and switch it off. The opt-out works only going forward, and the help center states that data already collected for training cannot be deleted. Enterprise data is never used for training, and uploaded files on Enterprise are kept for only 7 days.
The terms are the weakest part. Consumer plans are licensed for personal, non-commercial use. You may not publish output without clearly citing Perplexity, and the terms never clearly assign the output to you. If you plan to put Perplexity answers into client work, either read the commercial terms or choose a tool whose contract says plainly that you own the output.
Head-to-head
FAQ
How long do I have to get a refund on Perplexity Pro?
In the US, 24 hours after purchase for a monthly plan and 72 hours for an annual plan. EU, UK and Turkey customers get 14 days; South Korea and Brazil, 7 days.
Do Perplexity searches use credits?
No. Ask searches don't consume credits. Only Computer tasks, including Comet Assistant in Work mode, use them.
Do Perplexity credits expire?
Bonus credits expire in about 30 days and monthly Max credits don't roll over. Purchased credits need an active paid plan and expire after a year without Computer use.
Does Perplexity train on my searches?
AI Data Retention is on by default for Free, Pro and Max. You can switch it off in Preferences, but data already collected can't be removed; Enterprise data is never used for training.
Can I use Perplexity answers commercially?
The terms limit consumer use to personal, non-commercial purposes and require you to clearly cite Perplexity when publishing output.
Sources
- Perplexity Pro pricing page (Pro and Max, yearly-billing equivalents) (read November 4, 2026)
- Perplexity Help Center: Which Perplexity subscription plan is right for you? (read November 4, 2026)
- Perplexity Help Center: Refunds (read November 4, 2026)
- Perplexity Help Center: How credits work on Perplexity (read November 4, 2026)
- Perplexity Help Center: Data collection at Perplexity (read November 4, 2026)
- Perplexity Help Center: Are third-party model providers training on my data? (read November 4, 2026)
- Perplexity Terms of Service (last updated January 23, 2026) (read November 4, 2026)
- Apple App Store, Perplexity: AI Agent & Search (read November 5, 2026)
- Trustpilot, Perplexity (perplexity.ai) recent reviews (read November 5, 2026)
We have no affiliate deal with Perplexity AI. Links go to its own site. Disclosure.