Perplexity AI Free Plans: Free Tier Limits, Subscription Plans, Trial Access, And Feature Availability

Perplexity AI offers a structured set of free and paid plans that vary by daily usage limits, access to advanced models and features, file upload and retention rules, and organizational controls. Understanding these plan tiers, quotas, and capabilities helps users match their needs to the right subscription level.

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The Free Tier Includes A Daily Pro Search Limit And Basic Feature Set.

Perplexity AI’s free plan allows users to run a limited number of daily Pro Searches, giving a taste of Perplexity’s core question‑answering and search‑augmented generation capabilities without a subscription. Free users can upload files in Threads with the same per‑file size caps as other plans but will quickly hit the daily Pro Search cap if they rely on advanced model answers.

On the free tier, access to advanced models and image generation is restricted, and some features such as Perplexity Labs are not available. This makes the free experience suitable for occasional use and simple queries, but constrained for extended analysis or creative workflows.

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Perplexity AI Free Tier Feature Summary

Feature	Free Plan Behavior
Daily Pro Searches	Limited quota available
Advanced AI models	Not available
Image generation	No
File uploads in Threads	Supported with standard size caps
Persistent workspaces	Not included

Free tier is best for basic use and moderate exploration.

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Subscription Plans Expand Daily Usage And Unlock Advanced Capabilities.

Perplexity AI’s subscription plans, including Pro, Education Pro, Max, Enterprise Pro, and Enterprise Max, offer progressively higher daily Pro Search quotas, access to advanced models, image generation, and persistent workspace features like Spaces and Repositories.

Paid plans also remove the strict daily caps found on the free tier, with higher tiers approaching unlimited search capacity and larger quotas. Education Pro provides an entry point with enhanced limits at a lower price, while Max plans offer the highest usage allowances and priority access to new features.

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Perplexity AI Subscription Plan Comparison

Plan	Daily Pro Searches	Advanced Models	Image Generation
Free	Low quota	No	No
Pro	High quota	Yes	Yes
Education Pro	High quota	Yes	Yes
Max	Unlimited	Yes	Yes
Enterprise Pro	High quota + org tools	Yes	Yes
Enterprise Max	Unlimited + org tools	Yes	Yes

Paid plans scale up both access and capacity.

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Feature Availability Varies By Plan With Labs, Models, And Upload Limits.

Certain capabilities in Perplexity AI are reserved for paid subscribers. Perplexity Labs, which allows running code and more advanced workflows, is typically available for Pro users and above, enabling deeper data analysis and automation. Spaces provide persistent file storage and project contexts, with larger file counts and collaboration features on higher plans.

File upload behavior is governed by per-file size limits and plan‑based retention rules. Spaces allow more files per workspace with higher plan tiers, and Enterprise plans support organizational repositories and connectors that extend persistent storage and access.

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Perplexity AI Feature Availability By Plan

Capability	Free	Pro	Max	Enterprise
Perplexity Labs	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Spaces and Repositories	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Persistent file uploads	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Advanced model access	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Organizational controls	No	No	No	Yes

Paid tiers unlock analytic and enterprise features.

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File Upload Rules And Retention Policies Affect All Users.

Perplexity AI supports uploading files including documents, images, audio, and video across its surfaces. Files attached in Threads are subject to per‑file size limits and a cap on how many can be uploaded at once. These uploads are retained for a defined period after upload depending on plan and context, with free users generally experiencing standard retention windows and paid users accessing longer or workspace‑bound storage.

Spaces and repositories, available to paid subscribers, retain uploaded files until the user deletes them, enabling long‑term access and integration across queries and projects. Enterprise plans provide broader retention and organizational governance for internal compliance.

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File Upload And Retention Overview

Upload Surface	Per‑File Limit	Retention
Thread uploads	Standard size cap	Kept for defined window
Spaces	Same per‑file cap, more files	Persistent until deleted
Enterprise repositories	Same per‑file cap	Organizational retention rules

Plan level determines how long data persists and how many files can be stored.

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Trial Access And Promotional Offers Are Available Outside Standard Free Limits.

Perplexity AI does not provide a universal in‑app trial for premium features as a fixed, time‑limited offer. Instead, promotional “free Pro” access has been offered through third‑party partners, telecom bundles, and eligibility programs. These offers provide temporary access to Pro‑level features without ongoing subscription cost, but they are not standardized across all users.

Official plan pages focus on the baseline free tier and paid subscriptions, while external promotions can extend paid access for a set period with defined eligibility requirements.

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Trial Access And Promotion Notes

Access Type	Availability	Duration
Standard trial	Not universally published	N/A
Partner promotions	Yes	Varies by offer
Free Pro offers	Reported in third‑party bundles	Typically fixed term

Promotions provide optional temporary access to paid features.

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Perplexity AI Offers A Scalable Path From Free Exploration To Paid, High‑Capacity Use.

Perplexity AI’s plan structure balances a lightweight free tier for casual use with powerful paid subscriptions that unlock advanced models, extended search quotas, persistent storage, and enterprise governance. Users can test core capabilities on the free plan, upgrade for expanded access, or leverage promotions to experience premium features without immediate subscription cost.