Litmaps vs Perplexity
Perplexity uniquely has 15 features · Litmaps uniquely has 6 features.
| Litmaps | Perplexity | |
|---|---|---|
| Company | ||
| Founded | 2020 | 2022 |
| HQ | Dunedin, New Zealand | San Francisco |
| AI model | Proprietary | Sonar 2, GPT-5.6 Terra, Claude Sonnet 5, Gemini 3.1 Pro, Grok 4.5 |
| User base | 350,000+ | 15 million MAU |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Languages | English only | 50+ |
| Pricing | ||
| Pricing model | Freemium | — |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | No | No (free tier available instead) |
| Starting price | $12.50/mo | $20/mo |
| Enterprise | Custom — contact sales | $40/user/mo |
| All plans | FreeFreePro$12.5/moTeamCustomEnterpriseCustom | Perplexity Pro$17/moPerplexity Max$167/moEnterprise Pro$34/seat/moEnterprise Max$271/seat/moEducation Pro$9/mo |
| Positioning | ||
| Best for | Academic researchers tracking and visualizing scientific literature | Researchers, students, professionals, and knowledge workers needing fast cited answers |
| Differentiator | Visual literature mapping (Litmaps) with 270M+ article database and Zotero two-way sync | Perplexity combines real-time web search with AI synthesis and inline citations, delivering concise research answers with transparent source verification in a single interface. |
| Competitors | ResearchRabbit, Connected Papers, Semantic Scholar, Elicit, Scite | ChatGPT, Google Gemini, You.com, Bing Copilot |
| Features | ||
| Advanced Search (Pro) | ✓ | — |
| Bibtex/Ris Import | ✓ | — |
| Chrome Extension | ✓ | — |
| Deep Research | — | ✓ |
| File Uploads & Analysis | — | ✓ |
| Image Generation | — | ✓ |
| Literature Alerts | ✓ | — |
| Perplexity Computer | — | ✓ |
| Pro Search | — | ✓ |
| Video Generation | — | ✓ |
| Visual Litmaps | ✓ | — |
| Zotero Two Way Sync | ✓ | — |
| Academic Search | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI Summarization | — | ✓ |
| API Access | — | ✓ |
| Browser Extension | — | ✓ |
| Citation Generation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Data Privacy | ✓ | ✓ |
| Document Upload | ✓ | ✓ |
| Export Formats | BibTeX | Markdown, copy to clipboard, shareable link |
| Fact Checking | ✕ | ✓ |
| Follow Up Questions | ✕ | ✓ |
| Mobile App | ✕ | ✓ |
| Multi Source Synthesis | ✓ | ✓ |
| Team Collaboration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web Search | ✕ | ✓ |
| Integrations | ||
| API Access | — | ✓ |
| Browser Extension | — | ✓ |
| Google Docs Export | ✕ | ✕ |
| Key Integrations | BibTeX export for reference managers | Perplexity API, Chrome Extension, iOS Shortcuts, Android integration, Spaces sharing |
| Notion Integration | ✕ | — |
| Zotero Integration | — | ✕ |