Read this article if...
you’re curious if Perplexity is actually worth all the buzz. Seriously, I’ve been using Perplexity for days and I’ve got the inside scoop you’ll want to hear.
 
This Perplexity review is packed! I’ll spill the 3 things it absolutely nails, plus the 5 big mistakes that honestly surprised me.
 
I bet you also want to know what Perplexity costs. Don’t worry, I’ll break down every pricing detail for you.
 
I also dug up some solid alternatives you might want to check out. And of course, I’ll answer the question: Is Perplexity legit?
 
If you skip this blog, you’ll totally miss the real talk. I’ve tested Perplexity daily, read endless reviews, and put together everything you actually need to know.
 
So make yourself comfy, because you don’t want to miss this Perplexity review!
 
And just to make life easier, here are quick links to what’s inside this blog:
 
Man asking if everyone is ready

Perplexity Review Summary

 
Infographic showing the pros and cons of perplexity at a glance.
 
If you're in a rush, here's a quick 2-minute summary of this blog:
 

3 Things Perplexity Does Well

 
  • Fast AI Models: With this tool, you get quick answers because it uses fast AI models for simple queries. That means less time waiting for results.
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  • Search with Sources: Perplexity shows you exactly where its information comes from, letting you review the original articles or reports yourself if you want to verify or read further.
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  • Multiple AI Models: You aren’t limited to one type of AI here—Perplexity offers different models, including the latest and open-source options, giving you a variety of answer styles.
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  • More on the standout features of Perplexity below.
 

5 Big Mistakes Perplexity Makes

 
  • Horrible Customer Service & Refund Headaches: If you ever need help, get ready for a long wait and some pretty useless replies. It's almost impossible to talk to a real person, and asking for a refund feels like yelling into a black hole.
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  • Wasted Money from Vanishing Credits: You pay a lot for the pro plan, but if you don’t use all your credits every month, they just disappear. So, you’re basically throwing away money because nothing carries over to the next month.
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  • Broken or Super Slow Features: Features you pay for just don’t work half the time, and even when they do, it takes forever to get results. It’s honestly annoying when you’re in a hurry and nothing loads properly.
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  • Useless Code Generator: If you need working code, don’t trust Perplexity’s code tool. It spits out broken, incomplete code full of silly errors, so you end up fixing everything yourself anyway. It’s just not helpful at all.
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  • Random Billing and Account Issues: Watch out for weird stuff like being charged twice, getting the wrong plan, or losing your paid features out of nowhere. And with support being so bad, good luck getting it fixed anytime soon.
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  • See more of what goes wrong with Perplexity below.
 

What Does Perplexity Cost?

 
2 different Perplexity plans - Enterprise Pro and Enterprise Max.
 
  • Enterprise Pro – This plan is $40 a month for each person, or $400 for the whole year if you want to pay at once. You get more business-focused tools, but honestly, it’s kinda pricey if you’re just trying it out on your own. I noticed it’s mainly meant for work teams, not for casual use.
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  • Enterprise Max – Now, this is on the really expensive side. It’s $325 a month per seat, or you can pay $3,250 for the year. You probably only want this if you know you need a ton of features and can’t live without priority support or all the extras. For most people, that price is pretty high and not practical for everyday stuff.
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  • So, should you buy Perplexity? I’d say no, unless you’re part of a company with a big budget and need those extra business tools, because these plans are super pricey for regular folks.
That’s the quick pricing rundown. If you want to know more about what Perplexity can do for you, keep reading below.
 

Perplexity Review – What Does it Get Right?

 
Infographic showing the top 3 Perplexity pros.
 
Here are 3 big things people say they like about Perplexity:
 
  1. Fast AI models:
    • Perplexity uses quick AI models for simple stuff, giving you answers in just a few seconds.
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    • Users say their replies pop up almost instantly when doing things like rephrasing or asking easy questions.
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    • If you care about saving time, you notice this makes basic tasks feel a bit more snappy.
  2.  
  3. Search with sources:
    • Whenever you get an answer, you also see where the info comes from—like news sites or research papers.
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    • Users say it’s handy to check the actual article or report to see if the info fits what you need.
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    • If you like seeing proof and not just taking the AI’s word for it, this comes in handy.
  4.  
  5. Multiple AI models:
    • You get to pick from different AI models—some are the latest, some are open-source, so you get choices.
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    • Users mention it's useful to try another model if one isn’t working, especially for tricky or long questions.
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    • If you want flexibility, you’re not stuck with only one way for the AI to answer you.
 
 
“Perplexity is what AI should be. Perplexity is cheaper than an OpenAI subscription, and yet they provide you with access to the most modern models as well as several open-source ones. When I do lightweight things, such as rephrasing text, it opts for the super-fast models, so essentially my answer is there in an instant. I feel like what they are doing is the future of AI.” ― Richard HU

Perplexity Review - What Does it Get Seriously Wrong?

 
Infographic showing the worst 5 Perplexity AI cons.
 
Alright, let’s talk about the worst 5 things that drive people crazy with Perplexity:
 
  • Horrible Customer Service & Refund Headaches
    • If you ever need help, get ready to wait ages just for a reply—sometimes weeks go by with nothing but those annoying auto messages.
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    • Even when someone finally answers back, it honestly feels like they didn’t even bother to read what you wrote, and you just get a copy-paste response.
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    • Asking for a refund? Good luck. The window is way too short, and you’re almost always told you don’t qualify, even if you never used the service.
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  • Wasted Money from Vanishing Credits
    • You pay for the Pro plan, but any extra credits you buy just disappear if you don’t use them before the month ends—no rollover whatsoever.
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    • It feels super unfair when you fork over your cash, and then Perplexity takes away your unused credits like you never paid at all.
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    • I always get frustrated when I realize I have to pay again next month even though last month’s credits just vanished into thin air.
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    Here's a review by James Steel GB talking about his experience with customer service:
     
    “Terrible customer service. I was charged for a renewal with Perplexity Pro, even though I no longer use the account (I now have access through my employer). I contacted support shortly after the charge, but was told that my request was “outside the refund policy window” — despite there being no usage or benefit from the renewed subscription. I asked several times for escalation to a human member of the billing team, but only received automated replies from an AI support bot (“Sam”) stating that I would lose my place in the queue if I replied again. It has now been over two weeks with no human response. The experience has been shocking for a company that claims to be at the forefront of AI. Their refund window is unreasonably short, there is no clear way to speak to a real person, and customer care appears to be entirely automated. I’ve since cancelled my subscription and would not recommend Perplexity due to their poor handling of billing issues and lack of accessible customer support.” ― James Steel (GB)
     
  • Broken or Super Slow Features
    • So many premium features are buggy: uploads fail, requests time out, or you just get no answers at all—which totally messes with your workflow.
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    • Even “simple” questions can take ages to load, which is the last thing you want when you’re in a hurry and actually paid for speed.
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    • I’ve lost count of how many times I sat staring at a loading screen or watched a feature crash. It’s honestly exhausting for anyone who relies on this stuff.
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  • Useless Code Generator
    • If you ask Perplexity for code, expect a mess—it spits out broken or half-finished code, filled with mistakes that just waste your time.
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    • From my own use, it's never given me complete, working code. I always end up fixing or rewriting everything by hand anyway.
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    • People say it feels like a joke when it claims to help professionals, but can’t even handle basic coding tasks without messing up.
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  • Random Billing and Account Issues
    • I’ve seen a ton of folks get charged twice, lose Pro features after paying, or randomly get downgraded—with no warning at all.
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    • The annoying part is support never helps with billing mess-ups, so your money and access get stuck in limbo for weeks.
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    • Trying to fix these account problems feels useless because almost every support message is just an auto-response that gets you nowhere.
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    Here's a review by Alexey Gomarov MA talking about the product's issues:
     
    “Nothing but empty vessels masquerading as a smart tool. The slow speeds and technical issues aren't even the worst part; it's the fundamental brokenness of the very features we pay for. The file upload feature to S3 has become restricted with ridiculous limits and fails most of the time, turning a tool that's supposed to be for serious work into a child's toy. The most insulting to one's intelligence is their "code generator." You can't expect it to produce complete or even correct code, but rather mere code fragments full of errors and devoid of logic. It generates code that is utterly useless and ineffective, akin to a programming farce that forces you to rewrite everything from scratch. The claim of "intelligence" in this case is pure mockery. A professional user pays a steep price for the promise of a product that helps them get work done. But what they get in return is a suite of dysfunctional features, code that's unfit for use, and the squandering of their precious time. This isn't a passing technical crisis; it is a complete collapse of the product's value.” ― Alexey Gomarov MA
By the way, if you prefer a service where you’re not tied to a subscription and your credits never expire, consider checking out AIDetectPlus. You can also test it out for free on up to 1000 words right here.
 
That wraps up this in-depth review. Interested in exploring more options besides Perplexity? Let’s first discuss the pricing details.

What Does Perplexity Cost?

 
Comparison of 3 Perplexity pricing plans.
 
Perplexity looks pretty fancy, but once you see the prices, you'll realize it's not as friendly on your wallet as you hoped. Let me walk you through what you actually get, because honestly, I've used this tool and I wasn't too happy about how the whole 'pay every single month whether you use it or not' thing works.
 
Enterprise Pro ($40/month per seat or $400/year)
 
  • First up, they charge you $40 every single month for each user (or “seat”—fancy word for user), or $400 if you pay for the whole year in advance (that saves you just 16%). Just so you know, if you stop paying, you don’t keep any credits or features you paid for before.
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  • With this, you get unlimited short searches and pro queries (that means you can ask as many simple or multi-step questions as you want), but you have a lot of limits on the deep research stuff—just 500 long research queries a day. Trust me, for a team that does a lot of digging, you'll burn through those fast.
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  • You also get 50 Perplexity Labs queries per month and only 5 videos with no audio a month. If you ever need more, tough luck—you’ll have to upgrade.
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  • Collaborating? You can have unlimited friends in your workspace, which is cool, but if one person hits the cap on research or Labs queries, everyone has to wait for the next day or next month.
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  • You get tighter file limits too—up to 500 files per workspace, 500 files in an organization’s repository, and 5,000 per user. That sounds like a lot, but once your team starts uploading, you'll be surprised how fast it fills up.
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  • Be aware: you’re paying $40 per month per person, and if some folks barely log in or don’t use all their credits, that money is gone forever. It’s like paying rent on a bike, even on the days you don’t ride it. That’s what bugged me most when my team tried it.
 
Enterprise Max ($325/month per seat or $3,250/year)
 
  • This plan is wild—it’s $325 per month for each user, or $3,250 each year if you pay up front. That’s honestly more than some folks pay for rent every month!
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  • You do get unlimited everything—unlimited research queries, unlimited Labs queries, and up to 15 fancy videos (with audio) every month, but again, only while you keep your subscription active. Miss a payment and it all goes away.
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  • Need huge storage? You get up to 5,000 files per space, 500 in org repo, and a whopping 10,000 per user, but honestly, you’re paying so much for something most regular teams never use up. And unused “credits” don’t roll over to the next month.
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  • It’s got advanced AI models, data sync with Google Drive, Sharepoint, OneDrive, Box, Dropbox, and fancier dashboards for tracking, plus more control over security. But unless you have a giant enterprise and unlimited budget, I can't see this being worth it.
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  • If you multiply the price by how many team members you have, you’ll probably regret it. Again, any unused features or queries just vanish every month. You keep paying and paying—forever. And from my experience, most teams won't need anywhere near this much horsepower.
 
Pro Plan ($20/month or $200/year)
 
  • There's also the Pro plan—$20 every single month or $200 for a whole year (a tiny 16% discount). You get unlimited concise and pro queries, but here’s where they limit you: only 20 deep research queries per day, 50 Labs queries a month, and just 5 silent videos per month.
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  • This plan is supposed to be for “serious” users, but if you go a day or two without using your credits, it’s wasted. You can’t stack them for later. It definitely annoyed me—I always felt like I was rushing to use credits before they disappeared.
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  • You can add up to 5 friends to a workspace and upload up to 50 files there. If you're thinking about doing bigger projects or growing your team, you'll outgrow this fast… or you’ll have to pay even more.
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  • This isn’t cheap. For $20 a month, you’re locked into this monthly cycle forever and can’t roll over what you didn’t use. If you just want access once in a while, you still pay again and again.
 
So here's the thing…
 
  • Perplexity’s plans are expensive, and you’re always paying every month for the same credits and features, even if you’re busy or take time off. In my experience, most folks end up losing money, because what you didn't use just vanishes, no matter how much you paid.
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  • I honestly recommend you check out AIDetectPlus if you want more bang for your buck. Here’s why I like it better:
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  • It’s way more affordable—you can start for just $9 one time (yes, not monthly!). Your credits never expire, so you can use them anytime instead of being forced to use or lose them every month. Source: AIDetectPlus Pricing
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  • You get AI Chat powered by GPT-4, Claude, Gemini—all in one spot, plus an awesome AI detector, humanizer, essay writer, plagiarism checker, and more, all included.
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  • Want to try it? Your words and credits stay with you forever. You only pay if you need more—no annoying monthly bills and no pressure to hurry and use up your credits.
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  • For details on how AIDetectPlus compares to Perplexity, scroll to the comparison section below.

What are some Perplexity alternatives?

 
Top 3 Perplexity alternatives.
 
Alright, you’ve seen what Perplexity can (and can’t) do. But before you decide, let’s check out some other options. Here are my top 3 picks:
 

#1 - Perplexity vs AIDetectPlus

  • Both tools use AI to answer your questions, but they’re built for different things:
    • Perplexity is mainly a fast AI search tool. It gives you quick answers and shows where it found the info, but that’s pretty much it.
    • AIDetectPlus is like an all-in-one homework helper. You get AI chat (with ChatGPT-4, Gemini, Claude, and more), plus you can write essays, generate citations, check for plagiarism, and even humanize your writing—all in one place.
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  • Where is AIDetectPlus Better?
    • Way more than just search: You can write essays, fix plagiarism, generate citations, and chat with top AI models—all without switching apps.
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    • No monthly bills or wasted credits: Just buy credits once (starting at $5) and use them whenever you want—they never expire. No more losing unused credits every month like with Perplexity.
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    • Super helpful support: If you get stuck, you can actually talk to a real person and get help fast. No more waiting forever for a reply.
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    • Perfect for students and writers: If you need to write, check, or fix stuff for school or work, AIDetectPlus has all the tools built in. No need to jump between different websites.
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    • One tool for everything: Instead of paying for a bunch of different apps, you get everything you need in one spot. It just makes life easier.
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  • Where is Perplexity Better?
    • Quick search with sources: If you just want fast answers and links to where the info came from, Perplexity is simple and does that well.
 

#2 - Perplexity vs Deep AI

  • Both tools let you chat with AI, but they’re kinda meant for different things:
    • Perplexity is all about fast, detailed answers to your questions—plus it tells you where it got the info so you can double-check if you want. It uses different AI models, including the latest big ones, so you get a mix of answer styles.
    • DeepAI Chat is more of a creative playground. Besides chatting, you can use it to make images, videos, music, and stories, plus it does voice chats and other cool AI stuff all in one place.
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  • Where is DeepAI Chat Better?
    • Creative multimodal AI toolbox: DeepAI lets you do way more than chat—it has tools for making music, pictures, stories, talking with your voice, and a bunch more, all without having to leave the site.
    • Super easy to try: You don’t even need an account to try out a lot of stuff, and it’s free to mess around with basic features.
    • Flexible prices: You can pay as you use it or grab a cheap Pro plan (just $4.99/month) that gives you a lot to play with each month.
    • Everything in one spot: You don’t need to jump between apps or tabs—chat, make stuff, and use AI tools all in one place.
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  • Where is Perplexity Better?
    • Shows info sources: If you want to know where the answer came from, Perplexity actually gives you links to the source. Kinda handy for research or school stuff.
    • Fast answers for simple stuff: It’s pretty quick at answering questions and pulling in real info, especially when you just want a straight answer.
    • Pick your AI model: You can switch between different AI brains—so if you like trying out the newest and coolest AIs, that’s right up your alley.
 

#3 - Perplexity vs Duck AI

  • Both Perplexity and Duck AI let you chat with different AI models, but there’s a big difference in how they work and who they’re for:
    • Perplexity gives you quick answers, pulls up sources you can check, and lets you pick from a bunch of AI models—including the latest ones. It’s fast and gives detailed info, but it’s built more for folks or businesses with deeper pockets.
    • Duck.ai (from DuckDuckGo) is all about your privacy. You can use it totally anonymously—no login, no tracking, no weird data stuff. It also gives you access to several AI models and lets you flip between them, all for free.
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  • Where is Duck AI Better?
    • Private and anonymous: No accounts, no logs, no snooping on what you type. Everything stays on your device, which is great if you care about privacy.
    • Bunch of models, one chat: You get to pick GPT‑4o mini, Claude 3 Haiku, Llama 3.3, Mistral Small—and you can switch between them as you chat. Try them all if you want, no extra cost.
    • Actually free, no strings attached: No paywall, no sign up. Daily limits are generous and you don’t need to whip out your credit card ever.
    • Easy to use & personal: Want a silly tone, a longer answer, or a special role in your conversation? You can tweak all that straight away—zero learning curve.
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  • Where is Perplexity Better?
    • Super fast answers with sources: You ask a question, it answers instantly and even shows you where it got the info.
    • Offers a mix of the newest and best AIs: You’re not stuck with just one robot—it swaps between powerful models and open-source ones so you get a good mix of styles.

Is Perplexity Legit?

Black man saying No
 
Short answer - Well, NOT QUITE!
 
Here's why:
  • Reason #1: Nightmare Customer Service: If you ever run into a problem, good luck getting help. The support team takes ages to reply, and honestly, it feels like you're chatting with a robot that doesn't care. Refunds? It's like yelling into a black hole. I've had questions go ignored for days!
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  • Reason #2: Throwing Away Your Own Money: The pro plan is pricey, and your credits just disappear if you don't use them by the end of the month. There’s no rollover, so you end up losing money without getting what you paid for. Even on months I was too busy to use it, I had nothing to show for my purchase.
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  • Reason #3: Features That Barely Work: Tools and features either break all the time or run so slowly it’s painful. And don’t even get me started on the code generator—it spews out broken code almost every time. I had to fix more than it helped.
Here's a review by Dan Rosenberg talking about their experiences:
 
“I was double billed and downgraded from a paid Max plan, denied refunds, and ignored by automated support. The $2 promo wasn’t honored and real support never responded, just queue warnings from their AI agent. My workflow and business suffered. I strongly recommend caution to anyone considering Perplexity AI—this company leaves paying customers stranded.” ― Dan Rosenberg (TH)
 
So, what’s the better choice?
 
Honestly, AIDetectPlus fixes all of Perplexity's biggest headaches. Let me tell you how:
 
AIDetectPlus dashboard.
 
First off, there’s an actual free trial—you get 1000 words to try out, no strings attached. But there’s a lot more I love:
 
  • #1 Fast, Accurate AI Chat with Top Models: AIDetectPlus packs GPT‑4, Claude, Gemini, and loads more into one cool chat tool. I can ask it anything and get sharp, quick answers—great for schoolwork, projects, and even random questions, all without needing to use five different sites.
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  • #2 Credits NEVER EXPIRE: Unlike Perplexity, AIDetectPlus lets you keep your credits forever. Use them whenever you need—there’s no “use it or lose it” trap.
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  • #3 Support That Actually Cares: This is big for me. The AIDetectPlus team answers super fast, like within 12 hours most days. No bots, just real people who want to help and actually fix things—it’s a breath of fresh air compared to Perplexity.
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  • #4 Built-in AI Chat as Part of an All-in-One Suite: With AIDetectPlus, you don’t just get chat. You get AI detection, text humanization, plagiarism checks, essay writing, paraphrasing, and even PDF summarization—all on the same platform. Whether you're a student, marketer, or researcher, everything’s in one spot. Check out all the tools in the menu above.
 
Alright, that’s my honest take! I hope this made Perplexity’s problems clear and gave you a solid idea for an alternative. If you want to give AIDetectPlus a spin, just hit up our website or jump straight into your 1000-word free trial. No credit card or phone number needed — just plug in your email and go!