Perplexity mobile vs web: features, differences, and performance in 2025

Perplexity delivers the same intelligence on all platforms, but the interface and tools vary widely.

Perplexity has expanded well beyond its original browser-based interface, offering iOS, Android, Mac, and web experiences that connect to its custom-built PPLX models and live web sources. The core capabilities—real-time search, source-grounded answers, and Deep Research—are consistent across devices, but features like voice mode, file uploads, and background execution create significant differences in how users interact with the assistant on mobile versus desktop.

The same models and live search backend run across both mobile and web

Perplexity is powered by its proprietary PPLX online models, including pplx-7b-online and pplx-70b-online, trained for real-time answers with live citations. These models are accessible across all platforms: web browser, mobile apps, and the dedicated Mac app. Responses, context handling, and source linking behave consistently regardless of platform, ensuring users get the same model behavior and up-to-date information whether they’re on a laptop or a phone.

Voice mode is fully integrated on mobile, offering true hands-free access

The iOS and Android apps include a dedicated voice assistant, allowing users to speak queries and receive spoken replies. The voice mode supports background operation, making it easy to continue conversations while navigating other apps or screens. On Android, Perplexity’s assistant integrates more deeply into the system, while iOS users experience a smoother voice interaction but without system-level handoff like Siri. The web version does not currently support native voice mode, making this feature exclusive to mobile environments.

Camera-based input and image capture workflows are optimized for mobile

On mobile, users can tap the “+” button to either take a photo or select an image from their gallery. Supported formats include JPEG, HEIC, PNG, and PDF, with a maximum size of 40 MB per file. This allows users to quickly feed visual data to the assistant—ideal for analyzing receipts, documents, or screenshots. While file upload exists on the web, the image capture workflow is more intuitive and faster on smartphones.

File uploads work across platforms, but drag-and-drop is smoother on desktop

Both the mobile and web versions support file uploads, with the same 40 MB file size limit for documents and images. The mobile app allows selection from device storage or cloud apps, while the web and Mac versions support classic drag-and-drop, which is better suited for bulk uploads or multi-window file handling. Perplexity automatically reformats files for readability before summarizing them, maintaining consistent parsing across devices.

Deep Research is more powerful on desktop, but available on all platforms

Deep Research is Perplexity’s advanced mode for multi-step, source-rich investigations. It allows users to initiate complex queries that involve hundreds of documents, then returns structured, cited responses. Originally launched on the web, it is now fully rolled out to iOS, Android, and Mac, although web and desktop still offer the most usable interface due to screen size and better management of long citations. Free users receive a limited quota (≈5 per day), while Pro users can run dozens to hundreds of Deep Research sessions daily.

Spaces and Library management are more efficient on desktop

Perplexity includes tools for organizing output: Spaces (project-like collections of chats and files) and a Library of past interactions. These features work across platforms, but are easier to manage on desktop or Mac due to layout and file visibility. Mobile users can add items to Spaces or browse them, but drag-and-drop organization and multitasking flows are far more efficient in the web interface.

Notifications and push alerts enhance mobile responsiveness

The mobile app supports push notifications for task completion, such as when a Deep Research session is done or when results are ready. These alerts help users stay productive while switching between apps. The web app lacks system-level notifications, relying on in-tab alerts instead. This gives mobile a natural advantage for background execution and real-time feedback.

Web is better for long reads, multi-tab research, and structured analysis

Desktop users benefit from a larger canvas for reviewing long answers, checking source links in tabs, and running multiple sessions in parallel. The Mac app includes voice input, a full browser-like experience, and support for Pro Search and multi-turn threads. Mobile can view all of these results, but long-form research is generally more comfortable on desktop due to better layout and screen space.

No offline mode is available on either platform

Perplexity requires an active internet connection to function. There is no offline mode, and all queries are routed to its online search infrastructure to retrieve fresh, cited results. This is a core part of the platform’s design, which emphasizes real-time accuracy over static model inference.

Each platform supports a different rhythm of use depending on the user’s goals

The mobile app is optimized for quick queries, voice input, background usage, and on-the-go capture of images and prompts. It’s perfect for day-to-day questions, voice-driven tasks, or sending in files for rapid answers. The web version, along with the Mac desktop app, is better suited to in-depth research, multi-document review, project management in Spaces, and professional-level reading or writing tasks. Perplexity’s synced design makes it easy to start on one device and finish on another—but each platform clearly plays a distinct role in how the assistant fits into daily workflows.

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