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Elicit vs Perplexity

Features, pricing, ratings, and pros and cons, side by side.

Verdict

Elicit is listed under Education & Research and Perplexity under AI Assistants. Perplexity scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.7 vs 8.3 out of 10). Both have a free plan or trial. Only Perplexity is available on iOS and Android.

Best overall

Perplexity

  • Researchers
  • Students
  • Analysts
  • Journalists

Choose Elicit if

  • You want a tool built for literature reviews.
  • Free plan with unlimited search across 138M+ papers.
  • Sentence-level citations for AI-generated claims.

Choose Perplexity if

  • You want a tool built for answering factual and current-events questions with checkable sources, and running multi-step web research.
  • Every answer links to numbered sources, so claims are easy to check.
  • Free plan includes search with citations.
Best for beginners
Perplexity
Best for business
Elicit

Features

17 features compared.

  • Research Agent
    Elicit
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Research Reports
    Elicit
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Systematic Literature Review
    Elicit
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Data extraction tables
    Elicit
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Library
    Elicit
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Routines
    Elicit
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Chat with papers
    Elicit
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Zotero import
    Elicit
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • API and MCP server
    Elicit
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Cited answers
    Elicit
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • Pro Search
    Elicit
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • Research
    Elicit
    Limited
    Perplexity
    Available
  • Model selection
    Elicit
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • File uploads
    Elicit
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • Perplexity Computer
    Elicit
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • Comet browser
    Elicit
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • Perplexity API
    Elicit
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available

Limited means partial support or a paid add-on.

Pricing

Plans as listed by each vendor. Check their sites for current prices.

  • Pricing model
    Elicit
    Freemium
    Perplexity
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    Elicit
    Yes
    Perplexity
    Yes
  • Starting price
    Elicit
    $0
    Perplexity
    $0
  • Plans
    Elicit
    4 plans
    Perplexity
    5 plans

Elicit plans

  • Basic

    $0

    Free plan with limited Research Agent and Reports usage

    • Unlimited search across 138M+ papers
    • Unlimited summaries
    • Unlimited chat with papers
    • View sources for answers
    • Zotero import

  • Pro

    Most popular

    $75/user/mo

    Billed monthly ($49 per user per month billed annually); standard usage for systematic reviews

    • Systematic review workflow screening up to 5,000 papers
    • 20 table columns
    • Reports from up to 135 data sources
    • Routines
    • Custom extractions from uploaded papers
    • API access

  • Scale

    $279/user/mo

    Billed monthly ($169 per user per month billed annually); 5x usage with collaboration

    • 5x Pro usage
    • Figure extraction
    • Live collaboration
    • Reports from up to 200 data sources
    • 30 table columns
    • Admin panel with usage tracking

  • Enterprise

    Custom/custom

    For companies and schools

    • Custom usage
    • Screen 40,000 papers with 40 columns
    • SSO and SAML
    • No training on your data by default
    • Custom data sources and templates
    • Unlimited API access

Perplexity plans

  • Free

    $0

    Basic search with citations and limited daily usage.

    • Search with citations
    • 3 Pro Searches per day
    • 1 Research query per month
    • Limited file uploads

  • Pro

    Most popular

    $20/month

    Higher limits, advanced models and Perplexity Computer for individuals.

    • Extended Pro Search
    • Extended Research
    • Advanced AI models
    • Image generation
    • Create files and apps
    • Comet Assistant
    • Weekly Computer usage

  • Max

    $200/month

    Highest consumer limits, with monthly credits and priority support.

    • Everything in Pro
    • 10,000 monthly credits
    • Highest Comet Assistant limits
    • Brain (research preview)
    • Extended Create files and apps
    • Priority support

  • Enterprise Pro

    $40/user/mo

    Team plan with admin controls and organizational features.

    • 400 Pro Searches per week
    • 50 Research queries per month
    • 80 Comet Assistant queries per month
    • 500 monthly credits
    • File uploads and sharing

  • Enterprise Max

    $325/user/mo

    Highest enterprise limits with SCIM, audit logs and priority support.

    • 4,000 Pro Searches per week
    • 500 Research queries per month
    • 15,000 monthly credits
    • 15 videos per month
    • SCIM and audit logs
    • Priority support

Our ratings

Scored out of 10 by the Finder Atlas editorial team. Last reviewed October 2026.

Elicit
8.3overall
Perplexity
8.7overall

  • Academic Paper Search

    Elicit
    8.8
    Perplexity
    Not rated

  • Structured Data Extraction

    Elicit
    8.7
    Perplexity
    Not rated

  • Citation Transparency

    Elicit
    8.6
    Perplexity
    Not rated

  • Systematic Review Support

    Elicit
    8.5
    Perplexity
    Not rated

  • Pricing Clarity

    Elicit
    7.0
    Perplexity
    Not rated

  • Live Web Search & Citations

    Elicit
    Not rated
    Perplexity
    9.2

  • Real-time Factuality & News

    Elicit
    Not rated
    Perplexity
    8.6

  • Source Transparency

    Elicit
    Not rated
    Perplexity
    9.0

  • Document & Research Analysis

    Elicit
    Not rated
    Perplexity
    8.3

  • Search Speed & Responsiveness

    Elicit
    Not rated
    Perplexity
    8.5

Scores weigh documented features, plan value, platform coverage, integrations and user feedback. A missing score means we have not rated that area yet.

Pros and cons

Elicit

Pros

  • Free plan with unlimited search across 138M+ papers
  • Sentence-level citations for AI-generated claims
  • Structured extraction of paper details into tables
  • Dedicated systematic review workflow and Routines for tracking new research
  • API and MCP server for use with other tools

Cons

  • Research Agent and Reports usage is limited on the free plan
  • Systematic reviews, Routines and API access need Pro at $75 per user per month ($49 billed annually)
  • Pricing page shows only annual-billing rates for Pro and Scale
  • Focused on research; not a general-purpose assistant
  • No mobile app

Perplexity

Pros

  • Every answer links to numbered sources, so claims are easy to check
  • Free plan includes search with citations
  • Paid plans offer a choice of advanced models from several providers
  • Available on web, iOS, Android and through a developer API
  • Separate Comet browser integrates the assistant into browsing

Cons

  • Free plan is limited to 3 Pro Searches per day and 1 Research query per month
  • Pro and Max limits are described as weekly or monthly allowances rather than fixed numbers
  • Max costs $200 per month, and Enterprise Max costs $325
  • Answers can still contain errors, so the cited sources need checking

Platforms

  • Web
    Elicit
    Supported
    Perplexity
    Supported
  • Windows
    Elicit
    Not supported
    Perplexity
    Not supported
  • macOS
    Elicit
    Not supported
    Perplexity
    Not supported
  • iOS
    Elicit
    Not supported
    Perplexity
    Supported
  • Android
    Elicit
    Not supported
    Perplexity
    Supported
  • API
    Elicit
    Supported
    Perplexity
    Supported
  • Browser Extension
    Elicit
    Not supported
    Perplexity
    Not supported

Integrations

Elicit

4 integrations
  • Zotero
  • PubMed
  • ClinicalTrials.gov
  • MCP

Perplexity

No integrations listed.

Company

  • Company
    Elicit
    Elicit
    Perplexity
    Perplexity AI, Inc.
  • Founded
    Elicit
    Not listed
    Perplexity
    2022
  • Headquarters
    Elicit
    Oakland, CA
    Perplexity
    San Francisco, CA
  • Monthly users
    Elicit
    5M+ researchers
    Perplexity
    Not listed
  • Listing
    Elicit
    Claimed
    Perplexity
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Elicit better than Perplexity?

It depends on your workflow. Elicit is built for literature reviews. Perplexity is built for answering factual and current-events questions with checkable sources, and running multi-step web research.

What are the key feature differences between Elicit and Perplexity?

Elicit: AI research assistant for literature search, systematic reviews and evidence reports. Perplexity: AI answer engine that searches the live web and cites its sources.

Does Elicit or Perplexity have a free plan?

Yes, both do. Elicit is freemium and Perplexity is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.

Which is cheaper, Elicit or Perplexity?

Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.