#1Direct connection blocked in mainland China
Official sites, APIs, and apps are all blocked from mainland China. You need an airport/VPN with an overseas node — IPLC lines (e.g. YunTu) via HK/SG/JP are most reliable.
A VPN is required to access this tool — Try YunTu VPN →
Overview
Perplexity AI is a conversational search engine founded in 2022 by former researchers from Google, OpenAI, and Meta. Instead of serving list of hyperlinks, it reads web pages in real-time, compiles key findings, and writes structured answers with footnoted source links.
Core Features
Synthesized Answers
Reads and summarizes multiple web sources directly to save time
Inline Citations
Numbered footnotes pointing to original web sources for easy verification
Guided Search
Interactive Copilot that asks clarifying questions to detail your queries
Pages Creator
Generate standalone public articles from your research queries instantly
Model Switching
Pro users can swap between models like Claude 3.5 Sonnet and GPT-4o
File Upload Analysis
Upload document files and ask questions using real-time search context
How to Use
Open Portal
Go to perplexity.ai. A VPN is required if accessing from China.
Ask Question
Type in your question in natural language and press the search arrow.
Verify Sources
Check the top grid or click inline footnotes to visit source websites.
Ask Follow-up
Use the bottom dialog bar to ask follow-up questions in the same thread.
Founding Story
Perplexity AI was founded in August 2022 by Aravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski. Aravind previously worked at OpenAI, while Denis Yarats was a research scientist at Meta. Designed to combat the ad-heavy and link-stuffed environment of modern search engines, Perplexity gained early investments from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and NVIDIA. By early 2024, the company was valued at over $3 billion, standing out as the chief pioneer of AI-driven search.
3 Common Pitfalls Using Perplexity AI
The three most-reported gotchas from the community. Read these before you sign up to skip the trial-and-error.
#2Chinese Visa/Master cards all fail
Domestic Visa/Master 100% fails on AI subscriptions. Use virtual cards (WildCard, Depay) or overseas Apple ID via App Store in-app purchase.
#3+86 phone / QQ mail rejected at signup
OpenAI/Anthropic/Google throttle +86 phones and QQ mail. Use Gmail/Outlook + overseas SMS providers (SMS-Activate) for reliable signup.
#4Frequent node-switching triggers bans
AI platforms are strict on risk: 3+ IP switches in 10 min flags your account. Stick to one node for 24+ hours per session.
FAQ
Yes, in mainland China, Perplexity servers are unreachable without a VPN.
Yes, the basic quick search is free. Perplexity Pro (using advanced models) is $20/month.
Related Topics
Recommended Airports for Perplexity AI
All airports below pass our three-way test (stability, streaming unlock, client compatibility) with score ≥ 9.2.
⭐ 9.9
Nexitally
Since 2017 · Gigabit Bandwidth · Full Native Streaming
Nexitally is a veteran tier-1 airport since 2017 with proprietary panel and Weiyun premium lines, 1000Mbps+ at peak, full native-IP unlock for Netflix/Disney+.
⭐ 9.7
WgetCloud
AWS Global Accelerator · 60+ Countries, 300+ Nodes
WgetCloud (formerly GaCloud) runs AWS Global Accelerator with 60+ countries and 300+ nodes, measured 800Mbps+ at peak — business-grade stability.
⭐ 9.6
HuanYuYun VPN
BGP Multi-Carrier Optimized · Full IEPL GZ-HK
HuanYuYun runs BGP-optimized multi-carrier dedicated lines with full-bandwidth IEPL Guangzhou-HK links up to 2.5Gbps — no throttling during peak.
Related Tools
ChatGPT
The World's Leading AI Conversation Assistant
A large language model chat tool developed by OpenAI, useful for writing, coding, analysis, translation and virtually any text-based task.
Claude
The Safest, Smartest AI Assistant
An AI assistant by Anthropic renowned for its ultra-long context, safety, and high-quality writing — a powerful ChatGPT alternative.
Midjourney
The Leading AI Image & Art Generation Service
An AI image generator hosted entirely on Discord, widely praised for its high artistic value, complex lighting details, and painterly styling.