Perplexity vs Grok in 2026: cited web research or chat with X search and media
Pick Perplexity for cited web research and Grok for a chat assistant with X search, images, video and voice. Perplexity has a free plan with numbered citations, a $200/month Max tier and $40 per seat Enterprise Pro. Grok is free to try and its API costs $2.00 input and $6.00 output per 1M tokens, but its SuperGrok prices and privacy terms are unconfirmed.
We based this comparison on our Perplexity profile verified 2026-09-30 and our Grok profile verified 2026-10-01, both built from official vendor pages; it uses no third-party benchmarks and no vendor paid for placement.
Ist Perplexity besser als Grok? Die kurze Antwort
Perplexity is the better pick when you need answers you can check: every answer carries numbered citations, the free plan allows practically unlimited basic searches, and its plans, API prices and privacy terms are documented in detail. Grok is the better pick when you want one chat assistant that also generates images, video and voice, searches the web and X, and shares its models with a per-token API. The catch is that we could not see Grok's SuperGrok prices or privacy terms, and Perplexity's consumer Pro price was also unconfirmed, so the two cannot be compared on subscription cost.
Based on our Perplexity profile verified 2026-09-30 and Grok profile verified 2026-10-01, both from official vendor pages. Perplexity's pricing page blocked automated checks, Grok's privacy page returned 404, and no benchmark was run.
Perplexity oder Grok: Was für welche Aufgabe passt
Wenn Sie nur die Antwort wollen, ist das die Tabelle. Alles darunter sind die Belege aus den beiden dokumentierten Profilen.
Direktvergleich
Sie möchten
Verwenden
Warum
Fact-check a claim with original sources
Perplexity
Perplexity puts numbered citations on every answer; Grok documents no citation format
Produce a long research report
Perplexity
Perplexity Research mode reads hundreds of sources and writes an editable report
Follow breaking news and posts on X
Grok
Grok has a server-side X Search tool alongside Web Search
Generate images or short video
Grok
Grok Imagine makes images up to 2K and video up to 15 seconds
Talk to an assistant by voice
Grok
Grok lists speech-to-speech and text-to-speech; Perplexity's profile lists no voice mode
Ask questions about your own PDFs and files
Perplexity
Perplexity accepts text, code, PDF, images, audio and video up to 50 MB; Grok lists image input only
Compare models from several AI labs
Perplexity
Perplexity Pro lets you pick GPT, Claude, Gemini or Nemotron models per query
Search across company files with admin controls
Perplexity
Perplexity Enterprise has Spaces with file connectors, SSO and SCIM; Grok's business plan details are unknown
Build an app on a model API
Either
Perplexity offers a Search API and Agent API; Grok offers grok-4.7 with tool calling
Use an assistant free before paying
Either
Both have a free plan; Perplexity documents its limits, Grok does not
Wer was wählen sollte
Pick Perplexity for cited research and free basic search, Grok for chat with X search, images, video and voice
Wählen Sie Perplexity, wenn
You need citations on every answer so you can verify claims against the original sources
You want a free plan with practically unlimited basic searches
You want models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and NVIDIA in one paid subscription
Your company needs Enterprise terms: no training on data, 7-day file retention, SSO and SCIM
Wählen Sie Grok, wenn
You want image and video generation and voice conversation in the same chat as search
You want live web and X search tools to pull in current events
You are a developer who wants the same Grok models through a per-token API ($2.00 input, $6.00 output per 1M tokens for grok-4.7)
You want to try an assistant free on web, iOS and Android before paying
Was Perplexity besser kann und was Grok besser kann
Perplexity
Numbered citations on every answer
Research mode that writes full reports
Models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and NVIDIA in one subscription
Enterprise privacy: no training, 7-day file retention, SSO and SCIM
Grok
Image and video generation inside the chat
Voice conversations and a Voice API
X Search tool for current events
Grok models with a 500k-token context through the API
Perplexity vs. Grok Preise: Tarife und kostenlose Stufen
Direktvergleich
Tarif
Tool
Preis
Limits
Perplexity Free
Perplexity
$0
Practically unlimited basic searches; very limited Pro Search; limited Research
Perplexity Pro
Perplexity
Not confirmed (US price)
Extended Pro Search; 50 files per Space; no monthly Computer credits
Perplexity Education Pro
Perplexity
$10/mo
Verified students and faculty only
Perplexity Max
Perplexity
$200/mo ($2,000/year)
10,000 Computer credits per month; 500 files per Space
Perplexity Enterprise Pro
Perplexity
$40/seat/mo
Files retained 7 days; 500 Computer credits per month
Perplexity Enterprise Max
Perplexity
$325/seat/mo
15,000 Computer credits per month; SCIM and audit logs
Perplexity Search API
Perplexity
$5 per 1,000 requests ($1 for Fast Search)
50 query units per second
Grok Free
Grok
$0
Limits not stated
SuperGrok
Grok
Not confirmed
Chats 5x longer than Lite; Expert mode on the best model
Free: practically unlimited basic searches, very limited Pro Search; Search API 50 query units per second
Free limits not stated; SuperGrok chats are 5x longer than Lite
Context / file size
Files up to 50 MB; 50 files per Space on Pro, 500 on Max
500k-token context on grok-4.7; images up to 20MiB each
Seats / team
Enterprise Pro $40 per seat per month; Enterprise Max $325 per seat per month
Business plan details not stated
Funktionsvergleich
Direktvergleich
Funktion
Perplexity
Grok
Image generation
Yes (Pro and above)
Yes (up to 2K)
Voice
Not stated
Yes
File upload
Yes (up to 50 MB)
Image input only (jpg or png)
Web search
Yes, with citations
Yes (Web Search and X Search)
Reasoning mode
Yes (Pro Search and Research)
Yes (configurable reasoning in the API)
Agents / tools
Computer, paid per task in credits
Agentic tool calling in the API
API
Yes, billed separately
Yes, billed per token with credits
Mobile apps
Not stated
Yes (iOS and Android)
Datenschutz und Datentraining
Direktvergleich
Perplexity
Grok
Training on your data
Consumer plans may be used unless you opt out; Enterprise never
Not stated
Retention
Threads kept until you delete them; thread files 90 days, 7 days on Enterprise
Not stated
Business controls
SSO, SCIM, audit logs, SOC 2 Type II report
Enterprise terms, DPA and BAA linked from the site
Entnommen aus den veröffentlichten Richtlinienseiten des jeweiligen Anbieters zum Zeitpunkt unserer Prüfung. Richtlinien ändern sich; die Quellenlinks stehen unten.
Wechsel zwischen Perplexity und Grok: was mitgenommen wird
Perplexity → GrokWird übernommen
Research questions and prompts
Web-grounded API ideas, since both have a web search tool
Sie verlieren
Numbered citations on every answer
Research mode reports and Spaces
Model choice across several AI labs
Grok → PerplexityWird übernommen
Current-events and general questions
Prompts for search-based answers
Sie verlieren
Voice conversations
Chat-based video generation up to 15 seconds
The X Search tool
Vor- und Nachteile
Perplexity
Every answer links to its sources
Free plan with practically unlimited basic searches
Answers export to PDF, Markdown and DOCX
Consumer data used for training unless you opt out
Free Pro Search and Research are very limited
Refund window is 24 hours monthly, 48 hours annual in most regions
Grok
Text, image, video and voice in one thread
Built-in web and X search tools
Public developer API with documentation
Consumer plan prices not shown in the viewed locale
Need to check claims against original sources: choose Perplexity
Want one chat that makes images, video and speech: choose Grok
Follow what people post on X right now: choose Grok
Need Enterprise controls with no training on data: choose Perplexity
Building a search feature into your product: Perplexity's Search API fits
Need privacy terms you can read today: choose Perplexity, since Grok's privacy page returned 404
Häufig gestellte Fragen
Is Perplexity or Grok better for research
Perplexity, if you need to verify what you read. It attaches numbered citations to every answer and offers a Research mode that reads hundreds of sources and writes a report. Grok has Web Search and X Search tools that bring in current events, but we found no documented citation format or report mode.
Is Grok free to use
Yes, with limits. Grok is free to try on web, iOS and Android, but its free usage limits are not stated on the pages we checked. SuperGrok raises limits and unlocks the best model, and its price was not visible in the locale we viewed.
How much do Perplexity and Grok cost
Perplexity has a free plan, Education Pro at $10/month, Max at $200/month and Enterprise Pro at $40 per seat per month; the consumer Pro price is unconfirmed. Grok has a free plan, but SuperGrok and SuperGrok Heavy prices are unconfirmed. Only API prices are published for Grok: $2.00 input and $6.00 output per 1M tokens for grok-4.7.
Do Perplexity or Grok use my chats for training
Perplexity consumer accounts (Free, Pro, Max) may be used for training unless you switch off the AI data retention toggle, and the opt-out applies only to future data. Enterprise data is never used for training. Grok's training and retention terms are not stated, because its privacy page returned 404.
Which one generates images and video
Grok. It generates and edits images up to 2K and video up to 15 seconds in chat, with Imagine API prices from $0.02 per image and $0.05 per second of video. Perplexity lists image and video generation on Pro and above, but we did not verify output sizes.