This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here.
Perplexity has become my primary tool for search. I rely on it for concise summaries of complex topics. I like the way it synthesizes information and provides reliable citations for me to explore further.
I prefer Perplexity’s well-organized responses to Google’s laundry list of links, though I still use Google to find specific sites & addresses and for other “micro-searches.”
Perplexity’s not perfect. I’ve rarely seen it hallucinate, but it can pick dubious sources or misinterpret your question. As with any tool that uses AI, the wording of your query impacts your result. Write detailed queries and specify preferred sources when you can. Double-check critical data or facts.
Google’s new AI Mode is a strong new competitor, and ChatGPT, Claude and others now offer AI-powered search, but I still rely on Perplexity for reasons detailed below. This post updates my previous post with new features, examples, and tips.
My favorite new features
- Labs. Create slides, reports, dashboards, and Web apps by writing a detailed query and specifying the format of the results you want. Check out the Project Gallery for 20 examples.
- Voice Mode. I ask historical questions about books, curiosities about nature and science, and things I should already know about movies & music. The transcript shows up afterwards.
- Templates for Spaces. A large new collection of templates makes it easier to get started with custom instructions for various kinds of research, for sales/marketing, education, finance, or other subjects.
- Transcription. Upload & transcribe files up to 25mb. Ask for insights & ideas.
- Topical landing pages for finance, travel, shopping, and academics provide useful examples and new practical ways to use Perplexity.
When to use Perplexity
- Get up to speed on a topic: Need to research North Korea-China relations? Ask Perplexity for a summary and sources. See the result.
- Research hyper-specific information: Ask for a list of organizations that crowdsource info about natural disasters. See the result.
- Explore personal curiosities: I was curious about Mozart’s development as a violinist, so I asked for key dates and details. See the result.
The best things about Perplexity
- Sources. Perplexity provides links to its sources, so you can follow-up on anything you want to learn more about. Tip: specify sources to prioritize.
- Summaries. Instead of long articles or lists of links, get straight-to-the-point answers that save time. Tip: specify when you want a summary table.
- Follow-ups. Ask follow-up questions to dive deeper into a topic, just like a conversation. For visual topics, Perplexity can surface relevant images and videos. Tip: customize your own follow-up query if defaults aren’t relevant.
- Deep Research. Get fuller results for queries where you need more info. Tip: Use Claude or ChatGPT to help you draft clearer, more thorough search prompts.
- Spaces. Group related searches into collections so they’re easy to return to later. I created one for Atlanta before a trip. You can keep a collection private, invite others to edit it, or share a public link. Tip: create a team space.
- Pages. Share search results by creating public pages you can customize. Watch a 1-minute video demo. Examples: Beginners Guide to Drumming, a Barcelona itinerary, and forest hotels in Sweden.
- Labs. This brand new feature is meant for generating interactives, data tables, and visuals. Results vary widely in my testing.
Use Perplexity More Effectively
- You can use Perplexity on the Web, Mac, Windows, iOS and Android.
- Start with Perplexity’s own introductory guide, check the how it works FAQ, then use the Get Started template to use Perplexity itself to learn more.
- Write detailed queries Include two or more sentences specifying what you’re looking for and why. Your result will be better than if you just use keywords.
- Refine your settings Specify one or more preferred source types: Web, academic sources, social (i.e. Reddit), or financial (SEC filings).
- Pick your model. Advanced users can specify the AI flavor Perplexity uses. I’d recommend maintaining Perplexity’s default or the o3 option for research that requires complex reasoning. You can also use Grok, Gemini or Claude.
- Specify domains to search. Mention specific domains or kinds of sites you’re interested in for more targeted results. Use a domain limiter to narrow your search to a particular site or domain type, e.g. “domain:.gov” to focus only on government sites. Or just use natural language to limit Perplexity to certain kinds of sites, as in this example scouring CUNY sites for AI policies.
- Personalize your account. Add a brief summary of your interests, focus areas, and information preferences in your profile to customize the way Perplexity provides you with answers.
- Quick searches are fine when you’re just looking for a simple fact, like when was CUNY founded. Pro searches are best for more intricate, multi-part queries. On the free plan you get 3 pro searches a day.
Examples: Perplexity in action
- Check public opinion: “Is there a Pew survey about discovering news through social media platforms?” See the result.
- Explore historical archives: “List literacy and education programs in high-growth African countries in the last decade.” See the result.
- Discover patterns: “Compare residential rent to residential real estate trends in California.” See the results.
Pricing
- Free for unlimited quick searches, 3 pro searches and 3 file uploads per day.
- $20/month for unlimited file and image uploads for analysis; access to Labs; and 10x as many citations. See the 2025 feature comparison.
Privacy
To protect your privacy when using Perplexity, capitalize on the following:
- Turn “data retention” off in your settings. (Screenshot).
- Turn on the Incognito setting if you’re signed in to anonymize a search.
- Search in an incognito browser tab without logging into Perplexity.
Bonus features
- The free Chrome Extension lets you summon a Perplexity search from any page. The “summarize” button hasn’t always worked for me.
- The Perplexity Encyclopedia has a collection of tool comparisons
- An experimental beta Tasks feature lets you schedule customized searches
- Listen to an AI audio chat about Perplexity I generated w/ NotebookLM.
Caveats
- Accuracy and confabulation: While Perplexity uses retrieval augmented generation to reduce errors, it’s not flawless. Check the sources it references.
- Document analysis limitations: The file size limit for uploads is 25MB. Covert larger files to text or use Adobe’s free compressor or SmallPDF.
- Deep Research, though fast, is not nearly as thorough as what is provided by ChatGPT’s Deep Research or Gemini’s.
Alternatives to Perplexity
- Google AI Mode: Google’s much-improved new AI search option provides summary responses like Perplexity. Here’s an example of a comparison table it created for me and its take on 10 Perplexity features. Try it in labs. Free.
- Consensus: Superb for academic queries. Search 200 million peer-reviewed research papers and get a summary and links to publications. Useful for scientific or other research questions, e.g. active vs. passive learning or how cash transfers impact poverty. Pricing: Free for unlimited searches and limited premium use; $9/month billed annually for full AI capabilities.
- ChatGPT Web Search. Turn on the “Search the Web” option under the tools menu when using ChatGPT to enable Web searching. Search chats include inline links with sources. For example, here’s a ChatGPT Web search query about Perplexity vs. other AI search tools. It includes a helpful ChatGPT-generated chart. As differentiators I like Perplexity’s summaries, suggested follow-up queries, Labs, and the handy Voice Mode for quick questions.
This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here.