Perplexity free tier: quotas, limits and gotchas
Perplexity Free Tier
Last verified: 2026-09-08
Models and quotas
| Model | Quota | Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonar (System Auto Select) | Basic search is unlimited | — | The free version cannot select models by itself and does not support top-level models like GPT/Claude. |
What you get for free
| Feature | Free tier | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Search | Unlimited times | |
| Pro Search (more in-depth) | About 3 times a day | This is the biggest limitation of the free version |
| Deep Research | About 5 times a day | |
| Choose your own model | No | Requires Pro plan |
Limits at a glance
- Quota reset: Resets daily
- Commercial use: Allowed
- Conditions: Registration is required
Watch out for this
The most misleading aspect of the free version is the "infinite search" feature - while basic search is indeed unlimited, the truly useful Pro search is limited to 3 times per day, which can be used up quickly.
When the free quota is insufficient, how much does it cost to pay for it?
| Plan | pricing | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pro | US$20 / mo | Annual payment of US$200 (approximately US$16.67-17/month); as of 2026-07-26, the official website confirmed a promotion of +US$40 free Computer quota through direct reading of agency information, with no specified end date. |
| Max | US$200 / mo | Annual payment of US$2,000 (approximately US$167/month, only available for web version); as of 2026-08-08, after re-checking perplexity.ai/pro twice without cache (x-no-cache), it is confirmed that the promotional banner displays "+US$450 free Computer credits" (LIMITED TIME) and the plan includes "35,000 bonus credits", both are listed simultaneously and not mutually exclusive. Previously, it was incorrectly recorded that they were the same number and the US$450 was excluded, this has been corrected; the deadline is not stated on the official website. |
| Education Pro | US$10 / mo | Limited to verified student identities, no expiration date indicated; from third-party sources, not directly confirmed on the official website |
| Enterprise Pro | US$40 / user / mo（5 user ≈ US$200/mo） | per seat, from third-party sources, not directly confirmed on the official website; educational/non-profit organizations have a discounted price of around US$30/seat/month (no expiration date specified, also from third-party sources) |
| Enterprise Max | US$325 / user / mo（5 user ≈ US$1625/mo） | per seat (annual payment of US$3,250); as evidenced by an official Help Center article, direct fetch still encounters a 403 error |
Checked 2026-09-08
Information for Taiwanese users
- Payment method:Payable, often with telecom or credit card partnership offers
- Chinese support: full
- Available platforms:web
Related
- Perplexity full review: pricing and features
- Perplexity alternatives
- All AI tools free tier comparison
Sources: Perplexity pricing summary 2026 (official website blocks automatic queries, this is from a secondary source) · Perplexity Pricing Complete Guide
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