What Perplexity AI Is and Why It Matters

Launched in 2022, Perplexity AI is a search engine built on a simple but powerful idea: instead of giving users a list of blue links, it generates a direct answer and cites the sources in real time. The technology behind this is called retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) — the system first retrieves relevant web pages, then synthesizes them into a coherent response with inline citations.

In May 2025, the company announced it had processed 780 million queries in a single month, with month-over-month growth exceeding 20%. On day one in 2022, that number was just 3,000. CEO Aravind Srinivas says that if the trajectory holds, Perplexity could hit a billion queries per week within a year.

TechCrunch — Perplexity received 780 million queries last month

Pricing: Free, Pro, and Max Plans in Euros

Perplexity offers several tiers. For European users, the relevant options are:

• Free: Basic search with citations, no credit card required. Limited queries and older models only.
• Pro: €19 per month. Unlimited Pro searches, advanced models (GPT-4, Claude), analytics tools, and spreadsheet generation via Labs.
• Max: €189 per month. Designed for professionals and enterprises — priority access to frontier models, unlimited Labs, early features, and the new agentic tool Perplexity Computer.
• Enterprise Pro: €38 per user per month. For teams, with admin controls, security policies, and usage analytics.

In 2024, Perplexity generated approximately $34 million in revenue while burning around $65 million in cash, mostly on cloud servers and API access to OpenAI and Anthropic models. By January 2025, the company reported $80 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR).

TechCrunch — Perplexity launches a $200 monthly subscription plan

European Availability, Languages, and GDPR

Perplexity is fully available across the EU. The web app and mobile apps (iOS and Android) support dozens of languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Czech, and others. You can ask questions in your native language and receive synthesized answers, though citations may point to English-language sources for highly technical topics.

There is no local EU pricing — subscriptions are billed in US dollars, so the final cost in euros depends on the daily exchange rate and your bank's conversion fees. The free tier is more than sufficient for everyday fact-checking and general research.

Like all AI services available in the European Union, Perplexity must comply with GDPR. The company states it does not use personal data to train its models without explicit consent. However, users should be aware that advanced features such as Comet Assistant and Perplexity Computer require granting access to emails, calendars, and other accounts — a data practice that carries inherent privacy risks.

Perplexity vs. Google vs. ChatGPT: A Side-by-Side Look

Google has responded to Perplexity's rise by launching its own AI Mode, which closely mirrors Perplexity's citation-rich format. That the world's largest search engine is reshaping its interface to match a startup with tens of millions of users is perhaps the strongest evidence that Perplexity found a genuine gap in the market.

Comet, Computer, and the Push Into Agents

In mid-2025, Perplexity unveiled Comet, its own AI-powered web browser. Rather than relying on Google Chrome, the company wants users inside its own ecosystem. Comet includes a built-in Comet Assistant — an AI agent that can summarize emails, manage tabs, navigate web pages, and answer questions based on whatever you are currently viewing.

In February 2026, the company introduced Perplexity Computer, an agentic tool available on the Max plan. It claims to execute complex workflows autonomously, using 19 different AI models and spawning sub-agents for specific subtasks. It also offers a feature called Model Council, allowing users to query multiple models simultaneously and compare outputs.

TechCrunch — Perplexity's new Computer is another bet that users need many AI models

Copyright Battles: Why Publishers Are Suing

Perplexity's growth has not been without legal friction. In December 2025, the New York Times filed a lawsuit accusing the company of copyright infringement. The suit alleges that Perplexity "repackages" Times content into its answers — sometimes verbatim or near-verbatim — without permission or payment, effectively allowing users to bypass paywalls.

Other plaintiffs include the Chicago Tribune, News Corp (which owns The Wall Street Journal), Reddit, Encyclopedia Britannica, and Japanese publisher Nikkei. Perplexity has defended itself by launching a Publishers' Program that shares ad revenue with partners such as Gannett, TIME, and the Los Angeles Times. In October 2025, it also signed a multi-year licensing deal with Getty Images.

TechCrunch — The New York Times is suing Perplexity for copyright infringement

Business Expansion: From Snapchat to Firefox

Perplexity is expanding through partnerships as well. In November 2025, it signed a deal with Snap to integrate its search engine into Snapchat's My AI chatbot, paying $400 million in cash and equity for access to 940 million users.

In October 2025, Mozilla Firefox added Perplexity as a default search option. The company has even reportedly offered billions of dollars to acquire Google Chrome — a largely symbolic move, but one that signals Perplexity's ambition to become the central interface for internet access.

TechCrunch — Perplexity to pay Snap $400M to power search in Snapchat

What It Means for European Users

For European students, journalists, lawyers, and business professionals, Perplexity offers a faster path to verified facts with clear attribution — something traditional chatbots still struggle with. The free tier is an ideal starting point. The Pro plan at roughly €19 per month makes sense for anyone who needs advanced models, analytics, or frequent deep research.

The Max plan at €189 per month is aimed at enterprises and institutions requiring autonomous workflows and the latest frontier models. The main risks remain legal uncertainty around copyright and data privacy — granting an AI agent access to your inbox and calendar is not a decision to take lightly. And despite the hype, hallucinations still occur, particularly on complex multi-step tasks.