Perplexity prepares $200 subscription to target Labs power users

Perplexity is preparing a premium subscription tier called Perplexity Max, aiming to join the growing list of AI tools offering higher-priced plans for power users. Priced at $200/month, the new plan mirrors offerings like ChatGPT Pro, signaling that Perplexity wants to be seen as part of the top-tier AI ecosystem rather than just a consumer search assistant. Traces of the plan have already appeared on both the official website and the App Store, suggesting that the internal rollout is already underway, although there is no public announcement yet.

Perplexity Max is expected to include:

1. Unlimited access to Labs
2. Early access to new Perplexity features
3. Priority support
4. More advanced models via its Research Mode

That last point raises questions about what additional capabilities will be unlocked compared to the standard experience, especially since Perplexity has traditionally been model-agnostic on the front end, hiding details about which backend models are used.

This move reflects Perplexity’s broader ambition to evolve beyond a question-answering engine. It’s already signaling ambitions in the business intelligence space, positioning Perplexity Labs as a viable alternative to tools like Bloomberg Terminal for generating interactive data reports. For heavy users producing multiple research outputs daily, this $200 tier may offer meaningful value, especially if it allows better automation, deeper memory, or model customization.

It’s still unknown when Perplexity Max will launch or whether it will remain invite-only at first. Meanwhile, other flagship projects like the Comet browser are still in closed beta. While Comet isn’t explicitly gated behind Max yet, Perplexity could eventually start reserving some of its upcoming tools for Max subscribers to differentiate the offering further.