EVIDENCE RECORD / ACCESS TEST
Perplexity
free access.
SHORT VERSION
The free plan exists, but this anonymous test could not reach an answer.
Perplexity’s official plan guide describes a Standard (Free) plan with basic searches and limited Pro Search access. In NanyuTech’s live test, submitting a research query without an account opened the registration prompt. Enabling the site’s own incognito mode allowed the query to submit, but the answer area returned only “Sign up and repeat your request.” No answer, source list, or citation quality could be assessed.
Repeatable task
Compare the current free plans of Notion, ClickUp, and Coda for a two-person team, using only official pricing and help pages. Return a table with monthly price, key limits, source links, and the verification date; mark anything that cannot be verified.
- Input
- One fixed English-language research prompt
- Mode
- Standard Search, then Perplexity incognito mode
- Stop condition
- No account creation or personal information submitted
Observed result
- The public home page displayed a search composer and a separate Log in button.
- Submitting the prompt in the normal anonymous state opened a “Log in or sign up for free” dialog.
- After closing it and enabling Perplexity’s incognito mode, the same prompt submitted to a result page.
- The result contained the original question and the message “Sign up and repeat your request.” It contained no substantive answer or citations.
This records one session on one date. It does not establish that every anonymous visitor, region, device, or future version will behave the same way.
Official claims checked
- Perplexity plan guide ↗Lists Standard (Free), describes basic-search access, and was shown as updated 18 August 2026 when checked.
- How Perplexity works ↗Says answers include numbered source citations and that free users receive limited Pro Search access.
Those are vendor claims. Because the anonymous task returned no answer, NanyuTech did not independently validate answer quality, citation accuracy, speed, or usage limits.
NANYUTECH DECISION
No score. No recommendation yet.
A signed-in test is required before evaluating Perplexity’s actual search output. This record is useful only for one decision: expect to create or use an account before assessing the free product.