Perplexity

Where knowledge begins.

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4.9 / 5.0 Rating

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Pros

Cites every source
Access to GPT-4 and Claude
Clean, ad-free interface

Cons

Can still hallucinate rarely
Not for creative writing

First Impressions

I stopped using Google. Serously. When I need an answer, Perplexity gives it to me with footnotes. It aggregates 10 websites into one coherent paragraph. It is the fastest way to learn a new topic.

Best Feature: Focus Mode

I can tell it to only search 'Academic Papers' or 'Reddit'. Searching Reddit through Perplexity is the best way to find honest product reviews without the SEO spam.

The Verdict

The Google killer. It is efficient, accurate, and cites its sources. It's the first tool I open every morning.

The Real Talk

What it actually solves

"Google search results are SEO spam. Perplexity gives you the answer immediately with trusted citations."

Who it's NOT for

People looking for specific website navigation (e.g., 'Facebook login')—it's an answer engine, not a phone book.

💸

Pricing Reality

Free version limits 'Pro' searches (deep research) to 5/4 hours. $20/mo unlocks unlimited Pro + access to GPT-4/Claude 3 Opus models.

When it breaks

Source Bias: If the top 5 search results are wrong, Perplexity's answer will be wrong.
Stale Data: Occasionally cites news from 2023 as 'current' if you don't flag 'Last 24h'.

If this isn't for you, try:

Chatgpt Gemini

The First 60 Minutes

Action Plan

0-5m

Setup

Make it your default search engine in Chrome/Arc settings. The friction of 'opening a new tab' kills the habit.

5-15m

Focus Mode

Click 'All' in the search bar. Select 'Academic' or 'Reddit'. Try searching for 'Best office chair' restricted to Reddit to avoid SEO spam.

15-30m

Collections

Create a Collection named 'Tech News'. Add a prompt instruction: 'Summarize as bullet points'. Now every search in this bucket follows that rule.

30-60m

Deep Dive

Turn on 'Pro Search' and ask a multi-step question like 'Compare the pricing models of Stripe vs Adyen for a marketplace'.

The Hero Prompt

The Market Researcher

Find 5 competitors to [Product Idea]. For each, list their: 1. Core Value Prop 2. Pricing Tier 3. G2 Rating Format as a markdown table.

Perplexity excels at structured data gathering. Asking for a table forces it to be concise and comparable.

Avoid This

Asking it to write creative fiction (It's a research engine).
Ignoring the footnotes (Hallucinations happen; verify the source).

⌘ Power Shortcuts

Focus Search BarCmd+/

Toggle ProCmd+Shift+P

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