Back to discovery
Your decision, made clearer
Compare AI tools
Compare the details that matter to your task. Unknown information is shown openly; always verify current pricing and access with the provider.
Tip: on a small screen, swipe the table sideways. Copy this page’s URL to share your comparison.
| What matters | 🔮 Perplexity | 🔎 You.com |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | AI search and research assistant that returns source-linked answers, with free and paid research options. | Web-search APIs and tools for supplying live information and source-backed retrieval to AI applications. |
| Best for | Source-linked web research and questions | Developers retrieving current web information for AI apps |
| Pricing model | Free plan + paid | Free plan + paid |
| Free-plan limits | Standard (free): 3 Pro Searches per day, 1 research query per month, practically unlimited basic searches, limited file uploads; no advanced AI models, file/app creation, image generation or Comet Assistant queries. API is pay-as-you-go with no complimentary credits. | The free route allows 100 Web Search API queries/day via MCP with no API key, account or card. New users also get $100 in free credit (stated as about 20,000 Web Search queries). Pay as you go: Web Search $5, Contents $1, Answer $5 per 1,000 calls. |
| Platforms | Web | Web, API |
| Key capabilities | Source-linked answers Web search Research tools Model choice on eligible plans | Web Search API Live news results AI-ready retrieval MCP access |
| Strengths | Source-linked answers make the verification trail easier to inspect. | Connect the appropriate search endpoint or MCP tool, then review retrieved sources before generating an answer. |
| Limitations | Standard is free with basic access and limited advanced usage. Paid plans increase research and model allowances; API usage is billed separately. Citations are starting points: a real URL can still support a different claim. | The public MCP route allows 100 Web Search queries/day without an API key, account, or card. Production API access uses separate usage-based pricing. |
| No signup required | Not verified | Yes |
| No credit card required | Not verified | Yes |
| Open source | Not verified | Not verified |
| Free trial | Not verified | Not verified |
| Access details reviewed | 2026-10-06 | 2026-10-06 |
| Official pricing / source | Check pricingAccess source | Check pricingAccess source |
| Next step | Explore Perplexity | Explore You.com |