Perplexity AI Adds Pro Search and Finance Mode

Pro Search

Perplexity's Pro Search mode runs multiple clarifying sub-queries, browses 15-30 sources, and synthesises longer, more detailed responses with expanded citation lists. Where standard search browses 3-5 sources, Pro Search spends 15-30 seconds on research. The quality difference is noticeable for research-heavy tasks: competitive landscape queries return named competitors, market share figures, recent strategic moves, and direct quotes from sources.

Finance Mode

Finance Mode launched as a dedicated search context for financial queries. When activated, Perplexity integrates real-time data including stock prices, company filings, earnings transcripts, and financial news. Queries about public companies return current stock prices, P/E ratios, recent news, analyst ratings, and year-to-date performance. Coverage expanded through Q1 2025 to include NSE and BSE listed companies via Bombay Stock Exchange data feeds.

The Model Stack

Perplexity routes Pro Search queries through Claude 3.5 Sonnet and GPT-4o depending on query type, while standard search uses smaller, faster models. The company was developing its own Perplexity Sonar models fine-tuned specifically for cited, search-grounded responses.

Growth and Competition

Perplexity reported 10 million daily active users by early 2025, up from 2 million a year prior. These updates came as Google integrated AI Overviews into Search and Microsoft's Copilot improved its Bing-grounded research. Perplexity's citation-first positioning differentiated it from both for professional users who need to verify information rather than simply consume it.

What This Means for Indian Businesses