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CHEAT SHEET
Perplexity
The researcher. Every answer comes with receipts.
What Makes It Different from ChatGPT
- •Every answer includes numbered citations with clickable source links
- •Searches the web in real-time -- always has current information
- •Pro Search asks follow-up questions to understand what you really need
- •Focus modes: Web, Academic, YouTube, Reddit, Writing
- •Spaces -- save and organize research on specific topics
- •Cannot hallucinate facts as easily because answers are grounded in sources
Power Features
- •Focus modes -- switch between Web, Academic, YouTube, Reddit for different source types
- •Collections -- save searches and organize by topic
- •Share -- generate shareable links to your research
- •Upload files -- ask questions about PDFs and documents
- •Copilot (Pro) -- asks clarifying questions before searching for deeper results
- •Multi-model -- Pro users can choose between different AI models
Best Prompts (Copy & Use)
Quick Research
[Question]? Cite recent sources and include publication dates.
Compare Products
Compare [product A] vs [product B] for [use case]. Include pricing, pros/cons, and which is better for [specific need]. Use recent reviews.
Fact Check
Is it true that [claim]? Find sources that support or contradict this. Include the most recent data available.
Market Research
What is the current state of [industry/market]? Key players, trends, market size, and growth projections. Use recent data.
Technical Lookup
How do I [specific technical task] in [technology]? Show the current best practice with code examples. Use official docs.
Pro Tips
Use Focus Modes
Switch to Academic for research papers, Reddit for community opinions, YouTube for video content. This dramatically changes the quality of sources.
Ask Follow-Up Questions
Don't start a new search. Keep asking follow-ups in the same thread. Perplexity builds context and gives better answers with each question.
Use It Instead of Google
For any factual question, Perplexity gives you the answer + the source in one step, versus Google giving you 10 blue links to click through.
Academic Research
Switch to Academic focus and ask about specific research topics. It searches through scientific papers and cites them properly.
Best For
- + Research with sources
- + Fact-checking
- + Current events
- + Academic research
- + Replacing Google for questions
Not Ideal For
- - Creative writing
- - Image generation
- - Coding assistance
- - Long conversations
Pricing
Free: Unlimited basic searches + limited Pro searches/day. Pro ($20/mo): Unlimited Pro Search + file upload + model selection.