Statistics · Updated October 2026
Perplexity statistics: revenue, users and citations
Perplexity stats from primary sources: revenue, users, queries and growth, plus LLMReach measurement of how Perplexity cites websites.
Short answer
How big is Perplexity in 2026?
Perplexity's annualized revenue passed $750 million in August 2026, up from under $250 million at the start of the year (Reuters, 24 August 2026). It holds 5.85% of AI chatbot referrals (StatCounter, September 2026).
Key figures
Perplexity at a glance
- Perplexity's annualized revenue in August 2026, up from under $250 million at the start of the year
- $750 million+
- Perplexity's annualized revenue in August 2026, up from under $250 million at the start of the year
- Reuters, 24 August 2026
- Perplexity active users in the second half of 2025
- 45 million
- Perplexity active users in the second half of 2025
- Business of Apps, July 2026
- queries answered by Perplexity in 2025
- 10 billion+
- queries answered by Perplexity in 2025
- Business of Apps, July 2026
- Perplexity share of AI chatbot referrals to websites worldwide
- 5.85%
- Perplexity share of AI chatbot referrals to websites worldwide
- StatCounter, September 2026
- websites cited per Perplexity answer, the most of the three assistants
- 8.0
- websites cited per Perplexity answer, the most of the three assistants
- LLMReach measurement, October 2026
- of Perplexity answers to buyer questions cited at least one website
- 100%
- of Perplexity answers to buyer questions cited at least one website
- LLMReach measurement, October 2026
- of the websites Perplexity cites rank in Google's top 10, the highest of the three
- 14.4%
- of the websites Perplexity cites rank in Google's top 10, the highest of the three
- LLMReach measurement, October 2026
- of brands Perplexity named were named by neither ChatGPT nor Gemini for the same question
- 58.5%
- of brands Perplexity named were named by neither ChatGPT nor Gemini for the same question
- LLMReach measurement, October 2026
All figures
Every Perplexity figure in one table
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Valuation discussed for a new funding round | $30 billion+ | Reuters, 24 August 2026 |
| Last reported valuation | $20 billion | CNBC, 3 June 2026 |
| Share of AI referral traffic, third after ChatGPT and Gemini | 7.23% | SE Ranking, 2026 |
| Revenue in 2025, a 300% increase on 2024 | $200 million | Business of Apps, July 2026 |
| App downloads in 2025 | 67 million | Business of Apps, July 2026 |
| Year Perplexity plans to go public, per its CEO | 2028 | Reuters, 24 August 2026 |
| Brands named per Perplexity answer (ChatGPT 6.4, Gemini 5.5) | 5.8 | LLMReach measurement, October 2026 |
| Answers citing Expertise.com, its most-cited site, out of 250 | 29 | LLMReach measurement, October 2026 |
What it means
What this means for your brand
Perplexity cites widely
LLMReach measured 8.0 websites cited per Perplexity answer, versus 4.2 for ChatGPT and 2.5 for Gemini. More citation slots mean more ways for your brand to appear.
Google rank is not enough
Only 14.4% of Perplexity's cited sites rank in Google's top 10 (LLMReach measurement). Strong organic rankings alone will not secure a citation.
Its audience is small but growing
Perplexity holds 5.85% of AI referrals (StatCounter, September 2026) while revenue passed $750 million annualized (Reuters). Worth optimizing for now, not as your only channel.
Citations
Perplexity cites the most websites
View the data as a table
| ChatGPT | Gemini | Perplexity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Websites cited per answer | 4.2websites | 2.5websites | 8websites |
Our data
How Perplexity answers compare.
Perplexity next to ChatGPT and Gemini, on the same 250 buyer questions.
Per assistant, % of answers or names
- ChatGPT
- Gemini
- Perplexity
Source: LLMReach measurement, 750 answers to 250 buyer questions in 25 sectors, 5 to 7 October 2026View as table
| Brand | ChatGPT | Gemini | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cite a website | 100% | 92.8% | 100% |
| Brands no other AI named | 59% | 58.3% | 58.5% |
| Sources in Google top 10 | 10.7% | 13.4% | 14.4% |
Our data
The sites Perplexity cites most.
Websites Perplexity cited in its 250 answers to buyer questions, ranked by how many answers cite them.
- 01expertise.com13 Best Dallas, TX Tax Services | Expertise.comcited in 29 of 250 answers
- Perplexity
- 02forbes.com10 Best HR Software Of 2026cited in 28 of 250 answers
- Perplexity
- 03cited in 18 of 250 answers
- Perplexity
Perplexity
- 04cited in 17 of 250 answers
- Perplexity
- 05cited in 13 of 250 answers
- Perplexity
- 06=linkedin.comFrank West | LinkedIncited in 10 of 250 answers
- Perplexity
- 06=rework.comDecision Frameworkcited in 10 of 250 answers
- Perplexity
- 06=cited in 10 of 250 answers
- Perplexity
- 09=cited in 9 of 250 answers
- Perplexity
- 09=cited in 9 of 250 answers
- Perplexity
- 09=cited in 9 of 250 answers
- Perplexity
- 09=healthline.comWe Spent $388 on Natural Deodorant to Find What Workscited in 9 of 250 answers
- Perplexity
LLMReach measurement, Perplexity (sonar), 5 to 7 October 2026.
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<a href="https://www.llmreach.ai/ai-search-statistics/perplexity-statistics">
<img src="https://www.llmreach.ai/charts/ai-search-statistics/perplexity-statistics.svg" alt="The sites Perplexity cites most" width="800" loading="lazy" />
</a>
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.llmreach.ai/ai-search-statistics/perplexity-statistics">Perplexity statistics by LLMReach</a></p>Free to use with the credit link.
Methodology
How these figures were measured.
| Assistant | Model | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | gpt-5-6 | 250 |
| Gemini | 3.5 Flash-Lite | 250 |
| Perplexity | sonar | 250 |
10 example buyer questions, from the 250 asked to each assistant
- 01best digital marketing agency in Chicago for B2B companies
- 02best Toyota dealership in Houston
- 03what is the best CRM for a 10-person sales team?
- 04best natural deodorant that actually works
- 05best endpoint detection and response platform for a mid-size company
- 06who is the best family dentist in Houston that takes new patients?
- 07best running shoes for flat feet
- 08best online MBA program for working professionals
- 09which vendors should we evaluate for enterprise data security?
- 10best fee-only financial advisor for tech executives with stock options
- Third-party figures come from primary sources we read: Reuters, CNBC, StatCounter, SE Ranking and Business of Apps.
- Our own figures come from 750 answers to 250 buyer questions across 25 sectors, compared with Google's top 10 for the same questions.
- Dates are shown on every figure, so you can judge how current each number is.
- Different methods explain different numbers. StatCounter and SE Ranking measure referral traffic differently, so their Perplexity shares differ.
Cite this page
Cite this page
<p>
Source: <a href="https://www.llmreach.ai/ai-search-statistics/perplexity-statistics">Perplexity statistics: revenue, users and citations</a>,
LLMReach, updated October 2026.
</p>Writers are welcome to cite these figures and link back to this page.
FAQ
Perplexity statistics: common questions
What is Perplexity revenue in 2026?
Perplexity's annualized revenue rose to more than $750 million in August 2026, from less than $250 million at the start of the year (Reuters, 24 August 2026). Business of Apps reports $200 million in revenue for 2025, a 300% increase on 2024.
How many Perplexity users are there?
Business of Apps (July 2026) reports 45 million active users in the second half of 2025, 67 million app downloads in 2025, and more than 10 billion queries answered in 2025.
What is the Perplexity market share?
StatCounter (September 2026) puts Perplexity at 5.85% of AI chatbot referrals to websites worldwide, behind ChatGPT at 80.48% and Gemini at 10.91%. SE Ranking (2026) reports 7.23% of AI referral traffic, also third.
How fast is Perplexity growth?
Reuters (24 August 2026) reports annualized revenue above $750 million, up from under $250 million at the start of the year. Nvidia discussed an investment at a valuation of $30 billion or more, versus $20 billion reported by CNBC in June 2026.
How many sources does Perplexity cite per answer?
In LLMReach's October 2026 measurement of 750 answers, Perplexity cited 8.0 websites per answer, against 4.2 for ChatGPT and 2.5 for Gemini. Every one of its 250 answers cited at least one website.
What did LLMReach measure for Perplexity?
LLMReach asked ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity 250 buyer questions across 25 sectors on 5 to 7 October 2026, giving 750 answers. We compared cited sites with Google's top 10 and found 14.4% of Perplexity's citations ranked there.
Free AI Audit
See your brand's AI visibility on Perplexity
You leave knowing where the gap is, what is causing it, and which changes would matter first, whether we work together or not.
What to expect
Audit
Before the call, we run your buyers' questions through ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini.
Map
On the call, we show you where competitors are cited and you are not, and what's causing it.
Decide
An honest read on whether the Citation Stack fits. If it doesn't, you'll hear it on the call.
Don't see a time that works? Email Karim directly: contact@llmreach.ai