Tools / Research

Perplexity

Free plan

AI answer engine that searches the web and cites its sources

Perplexity answers questions by searching the web and showing the sources it used. Paid plans add more advanced searches, Deep Research reports and file analysis. It is a fast way to get up to speed on a topic with links you can check.

What freelancers use it for

  • →Researching a new client's industry before a discovery call
  • →Finding sources and statistics for a blog post you are writing
  • →Comparing tools or vendors for a client recommendation
  • →Checking recent news about a prospect's company

Key features

  • •Answers with inline source citations
  • •Pro Search for more thorough queries
  • •Deep Research reports
  • •File uploads for analysis
  • •Spaces to group research by project

Pros

  • +Every answer links to sources you can verify
  • +Fast for current events and recent data
  • +Useful free tier

Cons

  • −Cited sources are not always high quality
  • −Less suited to long creative writing

Prompts to try with Perplexity

Perplexity alternatives