Perplexity AI Hits #1 on India’s App Store
On July 17, 2025, Perplexity’s mobile app soared to the top of India’s App Store’s free charts—overtaking ChatGPT and Google Gemini—a milestone confirmed by CEO Aravind Srinivas on X (formerly Twitter). This surge was directly tied to Airtel’s year-long Perplexity Pro subscription offer, gifted to its over 360 million customers through the Airtel Thanks app—a move estimated at ₹17,000 in value per user and valid until January 17, 2026 India has since become one of Perplexity’s top-three global markets, thanks to this strategic bundling
Source: Social Media
About Perplexity AI
Perplexity AI is an AI-powered answer engine and search platform designed to deliver real-time, fact-based, and source-cited answers to user queries. Unlike traditional chatbots or search engines, Perplexity emphasizes accuracy, transparency, and verifiability, making it especially popular among researchers, professionals, and curious users who want trustworthy information fast.
📌 Key Highlights:
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Launched: August 2022
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Founders: Aravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, Andy Konwinski
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Headquarters: San Francisco, California
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Valuation: $18 billion+ (as of mid-2025)
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Backers: NVIDIA, Jeff Bezos (via Bezos Expeditions), NEA, IVP, and others
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Latest Product: Comet – AI-powered web browser
🔍 What Makes It Unique?
✅ Real-Time Answers with Citations
Perplexity AI fetches answers from live internet sources and clearly cites references, unlike typical chatbots that generate text without source transparency.
✅ Ask Anything, Get Reliable Results
Whether it's coding help, medical research, product comparisons, or historical facts, Perplexity uses large language models combined with web search to provide up-to-date, cited results.
✅ No Hallucination by Design
By sourcing its answers from trusted websites, it drastically reduces the risk of AI “hallucinations” (false information often generated by LLMs).
📱 Mobile App & Global Expansion
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Launched across iOS and Android, Perplexity’s mobile app has seen explosive growth—especially in India, where it became the #1 downloaded app in July 2025.
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This growth was boosted by a strategic partnership with Airtel, offering a free 1-year subscription to over 360 million users.
💻 Products & Features
1. Perplexity Pro
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Access to advanced models (e.g., GPT-4, Claude, Mistral)
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Unlimited queries
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Faster, more detailed answers
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Priority access to new features
2. Perplexity Pages
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A tool that allows users to create and publish AI-researched content with citations and rich visuals
3. Comet Browser (Beta)
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An experimental AI-native web browser
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Features an embedded assistant
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Offers summarization, autofill, smart browsing, and context-aware search
🌐 Use Cases
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Academic & professional research
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Competitive analysis & market reports
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Tech tutorials and code generation
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Healthcare and medical fact-finding
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Personal learning and curiosity
🔐 Privacy & Monetization
Perplexity follows a privacy-focused approach, although its new products (like the browser) have stirred discussions around data tracking for personalization and ads. It monetizes through:
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Subscriptions (Perplexity Pro)
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Contextual ads
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Enterprise APIs
🏆 Recognition
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Ranked #1 in LinkedIn’s 2024 Top Startups List
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One of the fastest-growing AI startups globally
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Frequently featured as a top ChatGPT alternative in tech media
🚀 In Summary
Perplexity AI is reshaping the search engine landscape by blending the power of large language models with verifiable sources. Its rise to #1 in India and rapid global expansion mark a turning point in how people discover information—faster, smarter, and with trust.
Disclaimer : This blog is AI generated. newsandblogs cannot be responsible held for any errors or omissions.