Perplexity AI Review (2026): Why I Finally Cancelled My Google Subscription
The “Ten Blue Links” era is dead. I spent 30 days using Perplexity Pro exclusively for search. Here is why I’m never going back to traditional SEO-spam results.
📑 Review Navigation
🏆 Bottom Line Up Front
Perplexity is not just a search engine; it is a Knowledge Engine. If you are tired of scrolling through ads, SEO recipes, and marketing fluff to find a simple answer, Perplexity is the cure.
The Killer Feature: The $20/mo Pro Plan actually gives you free access to Claude 3 Opus AND GPT-5 inside the search interface. You are essentially getting 3 subscriptions for the price of one.
*Limited time offer via official link.
- Zero Ads (Clean UI)
- Cites every single source (Trustworthy)
- Access to GPT-5 & Claude 3 Models
❌ The Downsides
- Not good for “shopping” (e.g., buying shoes)
- Local maps are weaker than Google Maps
The “10 Blue Links” Problem
We’ve all been there. You search for “best running shoes for flat feet 2026,” and what do you get?
- 3 Sponsored Ad results at the top.
- A Reddit thread from 4 years ago.
- A generic “Top 10” blog post written by AI that didn’t actually test the shoes.
Perplexity changes this workflow completely. Instead of giving you a list of links to click, it reads the links for you, synthesizes the answer, and presents a concise report with citations. It’s what Google should have become.
Feature 1: Pro Search (The “Agent” Experience)
Standard search engines (like Google) are “one-shot” — you ask, they list links. Pro Search is different. It acts like a human research assistant who asks clarifying questions before answering.
Feature 2: Deep Research (The Thesis Writer)
This is a new feature in late 2025. If “Pro Search” is for quick answers, “Deep Research” is for writing papers.
What it does
- Reads 50+ PDF files and academic papers in one go.
- Writes a 2,000+ word report.
- Provides inline citations (footnotes) for every claim.
Why it beats ChatGPT
ChatGPT often hallucinates sources. Perplexity anchors every sentence to a URL. If the link doesn’t exist, it won’t say it. This “Trust Metric” makes it essential for academic or corporate work.
Feature 3: Pages (Turn Search into Content)
This is the most underrated feature. With one click, you can turn any search result into a shareable, beautifully formatted article.
From “Query” to “Blog Post” in 10 Seconds
I searched for “History of Espresso Machines.” Perplexity generated a full article with headers, images, and a “Curated” layout that looked better than most WordPress themes.
✨ Try it: Search -> Click “Convert to Page”
The Reality Check: Is It The “Everything App”?
Perplexity is an amazing Search Engine, but marketing hype claims it can replace everything. In my testing, that is simply not true. Here is where it fails against specialized tools.
| Task | Perplexity Pro | Better Alternative? |
|---|---|---|
| General Search | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ExcellentBest for “What happened today?” | None. It beats Google hands down. |
| Academic Papers | ⭐⭐⭐ GoodFinds sources, but lacks deep analysis. | 👉 SciSpace is Better Designed specifically for decoding PDFs. |
| Writing Blog Posts | ⭐⭐ FairToo factual/dry. Reads like a wiki. | 👉 Koala Writer is Better SEO-optimized & human-like tone. |
Pricing: The Truth About the $20 Plan
Here is my honest take: Most people do NOT need to pay for Perplexity.
The Free Plan
$0 / month
It uses a standard AI model (like GPT-3.5 level) and gives you unlimited “Standard Searches.”
- ✅ Enough for: “Weather”, “News”, “Quick Facts”
- ✅ No Ads
- ❌ Can’t upload files
The Pro Plan
$20 / month
Unlocks the “Smart” models (Claude 3, GPT-5 Preview) and file uploads.
- ✅ Necessary for: Coding, Complex Logic, Uploading PDFs
- ✅ Access to “Pro Search” (Multi-step reasoning)
Final Thoughts: Should You Switch?
Yes, you should switch your default search engine to Perplexity immediately. The free version is superior to Google in every way for information retrieval.
However, don’t expect it to do everything. If you are writing a Ph.D. thesis, stick with SciSpace. If you are growing a blog, stick with Koala Writer. Use Perplexity for what it’s best at: Finding Answers Fast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Perplexity really free?
Yes. The core search functionality is completely free and ad-free. The $20 Pro plan is optional for power users who need advanced AI models.
Does it cite sources?
Yes, every sentence in a Perplexity answer includes a clickable footnote number linking directly to the original source.
Can I use it for academic writing?
It is a great starting point, but for deep academic literature review, we recommend specialized tools like SciSpace which are designed for citation analysis.