Perplexity is preparing to introduce a new feature called Projects, which has started surfacing in beta form on iOS, possibly unintentionally. It appears alongside existing modes like Search and Research, hinting at its core functionality: allowing users to create structured documents or even deployable applications. This aligns closely with earlier statements by Perplexity’s CEO, who indicated ambitions for a mode where the AI would not only conduct research but also write code and produce functioning tools or sites as a result.
BREAKING 🚨: Users will be able to build shareable apps via Perplexity Projects.
— TestingCatalog News 🗞 (@testingcatalog) May 13, 2025
Looks like it will be similar to Deep Research, where Perplexity will use web search and write code in order to complete the task.
h/t @vishyfishy2 https://t.co/gWh83L8MI3 pic.twitter.com/MNNQPfUvIu
This new mode is already leaking traces of its infrastructure. A few public-facing “Projects” have been indexed by search engines, revealing that they can be browsed and interacted with much like published mini-sites or apps. Internally, the new layout includes tabs like Assets and App, with Assets offering direct downloads of bundled outputs like code files, images, or documents in a zip archive. The App tab serves as a rendered view of a generated application, composed using the AI’s coding abilities and designed to look like a complete page.
Functionally, these projects execute a broader task pipeline than Perplexity’s typical research mode, implying the use of a more capable model, though it’s not confirmed if this includes their in-house system or external LLMs. Some of the outputs also appear to be deployable to AWS as static pages, which marks a notable shift from AI merely generating answers to now building and publishing interactive outputs.
If there was a feature that worked like Deep Research but did headless browsing and helped you create mini web apps, interactive widgets, illustrative charts/diagrams that are inline, what would you call it? Some ideas: "Studio", "Create", "Project", "Agent".
— Aravind Srinivas (@AravSrinivas) May 6, 2025
From a product perspective, this feature seems designed to compete with emerging tools like Manus AI, which similarly merge code generation with contextual search to construct applications. The addition of a Projects mode positions Perplexity as more than just a research assistant, turning it into a lightweight autonomous builder. Access to this feature appears restricted to Pro subscribers, though questions remain about usage limits or possible integrations.
If launched as-is, Perplexity Projects would benefit developers, technical writers, and even startups looking to rapidly prototype interfaces, dashboards, or document pipelines—all without leaving the Perplexity ecosystem.
