Perplexity is an AI assistant app used for answering questions and searching the web. It's a research and information app that launched in 2022, and you can download it on both Google Play and the App Store. It has millions of installs, and the core app is completely free to download and use. You don't need to register an account to start asking questions, which makes it super easy to just install and go. There are no disruptive ads in the main interface, and while there is a premium subscription called Perplexity Pro that offers more advanced features, the free version is incredibly powerful on its own for everyday use. I use it all the time when I'm curious about something, need a quick fact-check, or want a summary of a complex topic without digging through ten different websites.

Using the app is straightforward. After you install it, you just type your question into the big search bar, just like you would with Google. But instead of getting a list of links, Perplexity's AI reads the web for you and writes a direct answer, complete with citations to its sources. A real user tip is to ask follow-up questions right in the same thread; the app remembers the context of your conversation, so you can dive deeper without starting over. For example, I might ask "What's the best way to grow tomatoes?" and then follow up with "How often should I water them?" It feels like having a helpful expert right in your pocket. I also use the "focus" feature to tailor searches—selecting "Academic" for research papers or "Writing" for help with emails makes the results much more relevant.

Compared to other similar apps, like just using a standard search engine in your browser, Perplexity saves so much time. The biggest difference is the conversational, summarized answers. With Google, you have to click links, judge which site is trustworthy, and piece information together yourself. Perplexity does that legwork for you. When stacked against other AI chatbots, Perplexity's strong focus on providing source citations gives me more confidence in the answers. It's not just generating text; it's showing its work. That's the main reason I chose this app over others. For quick, reliable info on the go, it's become my first stop before I even open a traditional browser.

• 🔍 Conversational Q&A with Sources: Unlike a basic chatbot, every answer includes citations. You can tap on the little numbers in the response to see exactly which website the information came from, which is great for verifying facts.
• 🔍 Multiple Search Focus Modes: You can change the "focus" of your search to get better answers. Choosing "Academic" pulls from scholarly papers, "Writing" helps with composition, and "YouTube" searches video transcripts. It's more targeted than a one-size-fits-all AI.
• 🔍 Proactive Related Questions: After an answer, the app suggests smart follow-up questions you might not have thought to ask, helping you explore a topic more thoroughly without extra typing.
• 🔍 File Upload for Context: You can upload PDFs, images, or documents and ask questions about their content. Compared to ChatGPT, which requires a paid plan for this, Perplexity offers this powerful context-aware analysis for free.

• 👍 Incredible for Fast Research: It synthesizes information from the live web into concise paragraphs faster than any similar app I've used. Perfect for getting up to speed on news or complex topics.
• 👍 Source Transparency is Key: The built-in citations are a major advantage over other AI assistants that don't show where info comes from, making it much more trustworthy for factual queries.
• 👍 Truly Free Core Experience: The free version is remarkably capable, unlike some competitors that severely limit access. You get robust AI search and conversation without a subscription.

• 🤔 Limited Memory in Free Version: The AI's context window (how much it remembers from earlier in a chat) is smaller than some premium competitors, so very long, complex conversations can get fragmented.
• 🤔 Can Be Too Concise: Sometimes, for deeply technical topics, the summarized answer might oversimplify compared to reading a dedicated article from a specialized app or site.