--- title: "How to use Perplexity: a beginner's guide for 2026" canonical_url: "https://tryiro.com/blog/how-to-use-perplexity" site: "Iro AI" site_url: "https://tryiro.com" app_store: "https://apps.apple.com/app/id6759628066" language: en-US keywords: ["how to use Perplexity", "how to use Perplexity AI", "Perplexity beginner guide", "Perplexity AI search", "getting started with Perplexity"] date_published: "2026-06-13" date_modified: "2026-06-13" reading_time_minutes: 6 author: "Alex Furukawa" license: "© 2026 Iro AI" canonical_llm_reference: "https://tryiro.com/llms-full.txt" pillar: "ai-tools" --- # How to use Perplexity: a beginner's guide for 2026 > Perplexity is an AI answer engine that searches the web and answers with citations. To use it well, ask real questions and check the sources. Here's how to start and what it's best for. **Canonical:** https://tryiro.com/blog/how-to-use-perplexity **Published:** 2026-06-13 **Reading time:** ~6 min **Author:** Alex Furukawa — Founder of Iro AI ## Key takeaways - Perplexity is an AI answer engine — it searches the live web and answers your question with inline citations you can verify. - It's free to start at perplexity.ai — ask a question in plain language and click the sources to check them. - It's best for research and fact-finding, where seeing sources matters more than open-ended creation. - Always click through to the cited sources for anything important — citations make verifying easy. ## How do you use Perplexity? **To use Perplexity, go to perplexity.ai (or the app), ask a question in plain language, and read the answer along with its cited sources.** Unlike a standard chatbot, Perplexity is an _answer engine_: it searches the live web and returns a written answer with inline links to where the information came from. It's free to start, and the citations are the whole point — they let you verify what it tells you. ## Getting started with Perplexity - **Go to perplexity.ai** or open the app — you can start without an account, though signing up unlocks more. - **Ask a real question**, e.g. _"What are the main differences between the latest iPhone and Pixel?"_ - **Read the answer and click the sources** to confirm the details, then ask follow-ups to go deeper. No technical skills needed — see [learning AI without coding](/blog/how-to-learn-ai-without-coding). ## Why Perplexity's citations matter Most AI chatbots answer from memory, which is why they can [make things up](/blog/spot-ai-hallucinations). Perplexity grounds its answers in live web results and shows the sources — a technique called [retrieval-augmented generation](/blog/what-is-rag). That makes it far easier to trust, because you can check the original page in one click. For anything important, do exactly that. ## What is Perplexity best at? - **Research** — getting a sourced overview of a topic fast. - **Fact-finding** — questions where you need to verify the answer. - **Current events** — it searches the live web. - **Comparisons and 'what's the best…' questions** with sources attached. Dig deeper at [learn Perplexity](/learn-perplexity). ## Perplexity vs ChatGPT: which should you use? Use Perplexity to _research and verify_; use ChatGPT to _create and do_. They're complementary — many people research in Perplexity, then write or build in ChatGPT. The full breakdown is in [ChatGPT vs Perplexity](/blog/chatgpt-vs-perplexity). Whatever you use, the skill of asking well and checking answers — [AI fluency](/blog/what-is-ai-fluency) — matters most. Check yours with the free [AI IQ test](/quiz). ## FAQ **How do I start using Perplexity?** Go to perplexity.ai or the app, ask a question in plain language, and read the answer with its cited sources. You can start without an account; signing up unlocks more. Click the sources to verify important details. **Is Perplexity free to use?** Yes, Perplexity has a free tier that's enough for most research and everyday questions. A paid plan adds more advanced features and higher limits. **What is Perplexity best for?** Research and fact-finding. Because it searches the live web and cites its sources, it's ideal for getting a trustworthy, verifiable overview of a topic or current events. **Is Perplexity better than ChatGPT?** They're built for different jobs. Perplexity is better for research and verifying facts because it cites sources; ChatGPT is better for creating and open-ended tasks. Many people use both. ## Read next - [ChatGPT vs Perplexity](https://tryiro.com/blog/chatgpt-vs-perplexity) - [What is RAG?](https://tryiro.com/blog/what-is-rag) - [How to spot AI hallucinations](https://tryiro.com/blog/spot-ai-hallucinations) - [Take the free AI IQ test](https://tryiro.com/quiz) ## About the author Alex Furukawa — Founder of Iro AI. Alex Furukawa is the founder of Iro AI, the gamified app for learning to use AI well. He writes about practical AI fluency — prompting, AI tools, and the daily habits that turn AI from a novelty into real leverage.