Compare consumer Google Gemini—not Gemini Notebook—with Perplexity for source-backed research by checking source links, research controls, file handling, report handoff, and personal-account data settings. This guidance is based on company pages linked from the profiles below.
Research should combine Google Search with selected files, Gmail, Drive, or other connected Google material, then export to Docs.
Look elsewhere if: You need source links on every ordinary answer, fully local processing, or research without the required Google account settings.
Related company sources: Deep Research (opens in a new tab) · Connect Google Workspace (opens in a new tab) · View related sources (opens in a new tab)Your first need is current web research with visible links back to the original sources.
Look elsewhere if: Research must stay inside a closed, self-hosted environment, or every long uploaded file must be analyzed in full; uploads are capped at 40 MB, and Perplexity extracts what it considers important from long files without publishing the cutoff.
Related company sources: Perplexity overview (opens in a new tab) · File uploads (opens in a new tab)Scroll sideways or focus the table and use the left and right arrow keys to see every tool.
| Detail | Google GeminiGoogle | PerplexityPerplexity AI |
|---|---|---|
| Made for | General assistant | Research assistant |
| US price | Free; Plus from $4.99/mo; Pro $19.99/mo (opens in a new tab) Pricing page collected . Full Google Gemini plan detailsFree plan. Gemini's US subscription page lists Google AI Plus with 400 GB at $4.99 monthly, Pro with 5 TB at $19.99 monthly, and Ultra at $99.99 monthly for 5× AI Pro usage limits or $199.99 monthly for 20×. Confirm the checkout price and included bundle. | Free; Pro $20/mo; Max $200/mo (opens in a new tab) Pricing page collected . Full Perplexity plan detailsCore search is free. Pro is listed at $20 monthly or $200 yearly. Max is $200 monthly or $2,000 yearly; annual Max billing is available only on the web. |
| Ways to use it | Web, macOS, iOS, Android | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Access | Cloud service in a web app and macOS, iOS, and Android apps. This profile covers personal Google accounts, not work, school, Enterprise, or API use. | Web, native desktop apps for macOS and Windows, and mobile apps for iOS and Android. |
| Where it runs | Online service from Google. | Online service from Perplexity AI. |
| Profile evidence | Capabilities · Access · Limits · oldest source collected | Capabilities · Access · Limits · oldest source collected |
Perplexity says every answer carries inline citations to web sources. Its separate Research mode performs repeated searches and document reading before producing a report. Google says ordinary Gemini responses do not always include related sources. Gemini Deep Research instead lets you choose sources, edit a research plan, and create a report. These are documented product behaviors, not proof that every claim is cited or that each citation supports it. Use the same representative question in the exact modes you would use, then open every decision-changing source.
Company sources: Deep Research (opens in a new tab) · View related sources (opens in a new tab) · Perplexity overview (opens in a new tab) · Research mode (opens in a new tab)Gemini Deep Research uses Google Search by default, but you can deselect it and use selected Gmail, Drive, uploaded files, or NotebookLM notebooks instead. Gmail and Drive require Gemini's consumer Google Workspace connection. A Perplexity Project can combine searches, files, connected tools, and web links or domains that the owner adds to prioritize. The linked Perplexity guide does not document a hard exclusion of the rest of the web. If the source boundary is strict, treat that control as unknown and test it on the exact account before relying on it.
Company sources: Deep Research (opens in a new tab) · Connect Google Workspace (opens in a new tab) · Perplexity projects (opens in a new tab)Gemini documents a research plan that you can edit before the run starts. Its personal guide does not document equivalent mid-run follow-up, interrupt, or source-access controls, so those controls are unknown rather than absent. For broad queries, Perplexity Advanced Deep Research can ask clarifying questions before it starts; it also accepts follow-up questions while it runs and shows the sources being read and findings as they emerge. Its linked guides do not document an equivalent user-editable pre-run plan or an interrupt that changes source access. Choose the control point your work needs, then verify it in the current product.
Company sources: Deep Research (opens in a new tab) · Perplexity Advanced Deep Research (opens in a new tab) · Research mode (opens in a new tab)Gemini accepts up to 10 files per prompt, subject to availability, and caps each non-video file at 100 MB. Google lists context windows of 32,000 tokens without an AI plan, 128,000 on Plus, and 1 million on Pro or Ultra, and warns that content beyond the window can be missed. Perplexity caps session uploads at 40 MB each. It says short files can be analyzed in full, while long files are reduced to the parts it considers most important without a published cutoff. Perplexity's plan page says Pro supports up to 50 file uploads per Project; the linked sources do not publish a separate per-Project total-size limit, so that limit remains unknown. Capacity is not proof of complete coverage; test known facts near the beginning, middle, and end of a representative long file.
Company sources: Upload and analyze files (opens in a new tab) · Gemini Apps limits (opens in a new tab) · File uploads (opens in a new tab) · Perplexity plan comparison (opens in a new tab) · Perplexity projects (opens in a new tab)A finished Gemini Deep Research report can be shared as a Canvas, exported to Google Docs, or copied as text. Perplexity Research can export a final report as a PDF or document or convert it to a Perplexity Page. Advanced Deep Research streams the report into an editable, refinable, shareable file. Choose the handoff your collaborators need, then test whether the exported result preserves the citations you intend to audit.
Company sources: Deep Research (opens in a new tab) · Research mode (opens in a new tab) · Perplexity Advanced Deep Research (opens in a new tab)For personal Gemini accounts, connecting Gmail, Docs, or Drive requires Keep Activity. Google says saved activity may be used to improve services, including training generative AI models, and a subset of chats is reviewed by people; turning Keep Activity off blocks that Workspace connection. Google documents daily and concurrent Deep Research limits and higher report limits on paid plans, but does not publish the counts. Perplexity lists 1 Research query per month on Free, while its linked pages give no numeric Pro Research allowance. For Free, Pro, and Max, AI Data Retention is on by default; turning it off applies only to data collected afterward, and previously collected training data cannot be removed. Set the relevant control before adding private material and confirm the current allowance before subscribing.
Company sources: Deep Research (opens in a new tab) · Gemini Apps limits (opens in a new tab) · Connect Google Workspace (opens in a new tab) · Gemini Apps Privacy Hub (opens in a new tab) · Perplexity plan comparison (opens in a new tab) · Research mode (opens in a new tab) · Perplexity data collection (opens in a new tab)
