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Perplexity AIIT & software development

Perplexity for IT & software development

US AI search engine that delivers answers with source citations via its own Sonar models and external frontier models, with separate Enterprise agreements on data use.

Not specifically recommended

Perplexity isn't on our list for IT & software development. It's usable for general work, but first look at the options we recommend for IT & software development.

GDPR profileOur summary of what the provider itself publishes about your data: EU hosting possible, no training on your data for business use, and self-hosting available. Caution applies to a model with a documented problem, such as an investigation by a regulator. How we measure
GDPR: Unknown
QualityQuality from blind duels on LMArena: users choose between two anonymous answers. A difference of about 20 points is noticeable, a few points is noise. How we measure
–Elo, independent
Editorial scoreOur own assessment on 10 of suitability for professional work, price and privacy. This is a judgement, not a measurement; that is why it always sits alongside the Elo. How we measure
8,0
Entry price
Free
Full GDPR check

What Perplexity does in IT & software development

Core tasks in IT & software development
  • Generating, completing and debugging code with AI assistance
  • Automatically reviewing pull requests and detecting security vulnerabilities
  • Automatically creating technical documentation and API specifications
  • Streamlining project planning, issue management and sprint workflows
Where Perplexity is strong
  • Answers with source citations based on live web information
  • Access to multiple frontier models within one subscription
  • Deep Research and Labs for in-depth reports
  • Enterprise: SOC 2 Type II, no training on business data

Perplexity's maker publishes little about data protection. Ask about this before you put confidential IT & software development data into it.

Confidentiality and GDPR

GDPR: Unknown

Source code is trade secret and intellectual property. Check whether AI coding assistants store your code or use it for model training (an opt-out or business plan is required). Use on-premises or privacy-compliant variants for sensitive projects. AI-generated code sometimes contains security vulnerabilities or errors, so always have a developer review it, especially production code.

Enterprise plans and the Sonar API are not trained on customer data (SOC 2 Type II; API with zero data retention). For consumer accounts, data use for model improvement can be switched off in the settings.

Rule of thumb Use the business variant with a data processing agreement, and keep a human in the loop for decisions that matter.

Prices

FreeFreeBasic searches with a limited number of Pro searches
Pro$20 / month$200 per year; Deep Research and model choice
Max$200 / month$2,000 per year; maximum capacity and storage
Enterprise Pro$40 / seat / monthSSO, management and data agreements; Enterprise Max $325 per seat

Other models for IT & software development

Claude for IT & software developmentAnthropic · editorial 9.01506Gemini for IT & software developmentGoogle · editorial 8.61527ChatGPT for IT & software developmentOpenAI · edition 8.91485Copilot for IT & software developmentMicrosoft · editorial 8.31485
All options for IT & software development
Professional tools on Perplexity

We don't know of a professional tool for IT & software development that runs publicly on Perplexity.

Questions about Perplexity for IT & software development

Is Perplexity suitable for IT & software development?
Not specifically. Perplexity isn't on our list for IT & software development; it's broadly applicable, but first look at the options we recommend for IT & software development. Keep a professional in the loop for every use.
May I put confidential data into Perplexity?
Source code is a trade secret and intellectual property. Check whether AI coding assistants store your code or use it for model training (an opt-out or business plan is required). Use on-premises or privacy-compliant variants for sensitive projects. AI-generated code sometimes contains security vulnerabilities or errors, so always have a developer review it, especially for production code. Enterprise plans and the Sonar API are not trained on customer data (SOC 2 Type II; API with zero data retention). For consumer accounts, data use for model improvement can be switched off in the settings.
What does Perplexity cost?
There is Free (Free), Pro ($20 / month), Max ($200 / month), Enterprise Pro ($40 / seat / month). Check current prices on the official site.
Next stepAll 36 options for IT & software developmentProfessional tools and general assistants side by side, on GDPR profile, price and quality.

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