💬 Chatbots and assistants · 📝 Study and homework tools
Perplexity
By Perplexity AI, Inc.. Visit Perplexity
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
Perplexity is an AI answer engine: type a question and it searches the web and writes an answer with linked sources. It also offers an Academic mode for students, a Health mode, and the Comet web browser with an AI assistant built in. Teens use it for research and homework. There are no parent or school controls for teen accounts, and its terms require a parent to accept them for anyone under the age of majority.
Our take: Better for parents and adult learners than for teens on their own; if a teen uses it, check the sources together.
| Ages it suits | 13+ |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | You must be 13 or older. Users from 13 up to the age of majority may use it only if a parent or guardian accepts the terms for them first. Under 13 not allowed. (terms) |
| Price | Free, with paid extras. Free; Pro $17 a month billed yearly; Max $167 a month billed yearly (Oct 2026) |
| Works on | Web, iPhone and iPad, Android |
| Account | The child's own account |
| Ads | Not stated |
| In-app purchases | Yes |
| The AI in it | Large language models search the web and write cited answers; Comet's assistant can act on web pages for you. |
What's good
- Shows sources for every answer
- Rejected false premises in testing
- Useful for research practice with an adult
Watch for
- No parent or school controls
- Common Sense rates it unacceptable for kids
- Does homework for students
- Citations include unvetted sites
Data and privacy
Perplexity shares data with advertising partners to measure its own ads and may let them target ads; Comet can record browsing history depending on settings. The privacy notice has no separate protections described for teens. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
Common Sense Media (Sept 2026) gave Perplexity its lowest rating, unacceptable risk: it treated a 15-year-old test account like an adult, allowed romantic roleplay, completed most homework in Academic mode, and over a quarter of audited citations came from user-generated sites.
In the Big Index
Alternatives to Perplexity
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Claude
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DIY.org (ChatDino, game builder)
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Where these facts come from
- https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/legal/terms-of-service
- https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/legal/privacy-notice
- https://www.perplexity.ai/pro
- https://institute.commonsensemedia.org/risk-assessments/perplexity
- Reviews on G2: https://www.g2.com/products/perplexity/reviews
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.