Perplexity starts at $17/mo billed yearly, Grok at $8/mo. Both have a free plan. Every plan from both vendors, the limits each one actually publishes, and what changed recently, with a source on every line.
Pick Grok if you want the lowest monthly bill. Beyond price and free access, the deciding factor is which models and features you need; we track the money, not the model quality.
| Fact | Perplexity | Grok |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free tier | Free tier |
| Cheapest plan | Pro · $17/mo billed yearly | Plus · $8/mo |
| Top plan | Max · $167/mo billed yearly | Ultra · $200/mo |
| Plans tracked | 4 | 4 |
| Yearly discount | Yearly prices only | None shown |
| Allowance periods | WeeklyMonthly | Not stated |
| Latest change | None logged | plan restructure |
| Last checked |
One vendor only publishes billed-yearly prices, so this page compares per-month prices billed yearly where offered.
| Tool | Plan | Price | Limits as stated & source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perplexity | Pro | $17/mo billed yearly | Pro Searches, Research queries, Comet assistant and file/app creation all 'weekly/monthly limits (average use)'; numbers not published. Limited-time +$40 Computer credits. Source: perplexity.ai · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Perplexity | Max | $167/mo billed yearly | 'Unlimited usage'; 10,000 monthly credits; limits '(advanced use)' not quantified. Limited-time +$450 Computer credits. Source: perplexity.ai · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Perplexity | Education Pro | $10/mo | Everything in Pro for verified students/educators (SheerID). Source: perplexity.ai · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Perplexity | Enterprise Pro | $40/mo | 400 Pro Searches/week; 50 Research/month; 80 Comet queries/month; 100 file-upload sessions/week. Source: perplexity.ai · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Grok | Plus | $8/mo | Base shared AI usage pool across Grok, Cursor and X; Grok Chat, Voice, Imagine, Build; Grok API. Source: grok.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Grok | Premium | $30/mo | 4x Plus usage; latest Grok models; image & video generation; cloud agents. Promo: 50% off first month ($15). Source: grok.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Grok | Super | $100/mo | 15x Plus usage; 1080p video; priority access at peak times. Promo: $50 first month. Source: grok.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Grok | Ultra | $200/mo | 50x Plus usage; most powerful Chat models; earliest access. Promo: $100 first month. Source: grok.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Tool | Free? | What you get for $0 & source |
|---|---|---|
| Perplexity | Free tier | Free (Standard): 'practically unlimited basic searches'; Pro Searches 3/day; Research queries 1/month; no advanced models or image generation; limited file uploads. Source: perplexity.ai · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Grok | Free tier | 'Free to try on the web and in the apps'; free tier has limited Chat, Imagine and Build usage. Limits not published. Source: x.ai · checked 2026-10-16 |
xAI announced one subscription for Grok, Cursor and X Premium; Premium bundles the benefits of SuperGrok, Cursor Pro and X Premium+ ('previously $90/month combined'). Existing SuperGrok plans continue.
Grok is cheaper to start: Grok Plus costs $8/mo, against $17/mo billed yearly for Perplexity Pro. At the top end, Perplexity Max is $167/mo billed yearly and Grok Ultra is $200/mo.
Perplexity: Yes. Free (Standard): 'practically unlimited basic searches'; Pro Searches 3/day; Research queries 1/month; no advanced models or image generation; limited file uploads. Grok: Yes. 'Free to try on the web and in the apps'; free tier has limited Chat, Imagine and Build usage. Limits not published.
Perplexity Max ($167/mo billed yearly): 'Unlimited usage'; 10,000 monthly credits; limits '(advanced use)' not quantified. Limited-time +$450 Computer credits. Grok Ultra ($200/mo): 50x Plus usage; most powerful Chat models; earliest access. Promo: $100 first month.
12 Oct 2026, Grok: SuperGrok folded into The X Subscription (Plus $8, Premium $30, Super $100, Ultra $200).