Perplexity ditches ads to focus on subscriptions and enterprise sales
Perplexity, the AI search startup, is dropping ads to focus on paid subscriptions and selling to businesses. The company said revenue grew 4.7x last year.
Perplexity said it will not put ads inside its chatbot answers.
User trust is a big concern for Perplexity
The company says user trust drove this move—leaders worry that ads could make people question if AI answers are really unbiased.
Now Perplexity joins Anthropic in staying ad-free, while OpenAI's ChatGPT is starting to test ads.
Targeting professionals with enterprise sales push
Perplexity is now targeting professionals like finance experts and doctors with its enterprise sales push.
The results? Their yearly recurring revenue grew to $200 million by October 2025.
A growing divide in the AI landscape
This shift highlights how AI companies are picking sides: some chase ad dollars, others focus on trust and subscriptions.
Perplexity's bet could change the game if subscription models prove more profitable than advertising for AI search tools.