In short
How they differ.
Worked out from the makers' own pages, read Oct 20, 2026. Prices change; check before you pay.
- Both have a free plan.
- Perplexity's cheapest paid plan is cheaper: $10 a month against $11.
- Elicit also has a web.
- Perplexity shipped an update more recently (Oct 19, 2026).
Side by side
The details.
| Elicit | Perplexity | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Elicit · United States | Perplexity AI · United States |
| What it says it is | “The AI Research Assistant” | “Perplexity Pro unlocks more ways to learn and get work done.” |
| Free plan | YesBasic (free): limited Research Agent and Research Reports; unlimited search across more than 138 million papers. | YesFree (Standard): Pro Searches "3/day", Research Queries "1/month", "Practically unlimited basic searches". |
| Plans | Basic: freePlus: $11 a monthPro: $49 a monthScale: $169 a monthEnterprise: not in US$ | Standard (Free): freePro: not in US$Max: $200 a monthEducation Pro: $10 a monthEnterprise Pro: $40 a month |
| Runs on | web | Not stated |
| Latest update | Routines and more flexible research with the Agent, Sep 30, 2026 | Ultrafast Computer models, Decisions API, and connector controls, Oct 19, 2026 |
| Its terms | “PDFs you upload are encrypted and remain private to your account only, until you choose to delete them.”What it does with your data · Elicit Help: Privacy for uploaded papers | “Some data may be used to train AI models and improve search quality, unless you opt out through Account Settings”What it does with your data · Perplexity Help Center: Data Collection at Perplexity |
| Disputes | None on file | None on file |
| Sources | Prices, Oct 20, 2026 · Description · company-reported | Prices, Oct 20, 2026 · Description · company-reported |
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