What is Perplexity Shopping?
Perplexity Shopping is the product research and checkout feature of the Perplexity AI answer engine. You ask a shopping question, get product cards with prices and review summaries, and, in the US, buy supported items without leaving the chat through Instant Buy powered by PayPal. It is free for US users.
Online shopping research usually means a dozen tabs of reviews, retailer pages and price checks. Perplexity Shopping folds that into a conversation: it answers with product cards, prices and cited reviews, and you can refine with follow-up questions. With Instant Buy, launched with PayPal in November 2025, the order goes straight to the merchant, so the search and the purchase happen in one place.
Main Features
- Shopping questions return product cards with prices, specs and review summaries.
- Follow-up questions narrow recommendations by budget, use case or features.
- Instant Buy lets US users check out inside Perplexity with PayPal.
- Your address and payment details are saved after the first purchase for faster checkout.
- Orders and payments go directly to the merchant, who handles fulfillment.
- Participating merchants include Wayfair, Abercrombie & Fitch and stores on BigCommerce, Shopware and Wix.
How to Get Started with Perplexity Shopping
- Open perplexity.ai or the Perplexity app and ask a shopping question.
- Compare the product cards and ask follow-ups to narrow the choice.
- Tap Instant Buy on an eligible product and confirm with PayPal.
Perplexity Shopping Pricing
Shopping search and Instant Buy are free for US users; Perplexity also sells a Pro subscription for heavier use of its answer engine.
Who Should Use It?
- Shoppers researching electronics, home goods or apparel
- People who want review summaries instead of reading dozens of pages
- US PayPal users who want quick in-chat checkout
- Gift buyers comparing options against a budget
- Merchants watching AI search as a sales channel
Perplexity Shopping Alternatives
- Octane AI: for merchants building product quizzes on their own store
- Aidaptive AI: on-site personalization for sellers, not shoppers
- Tidio: a store chat widget rather than a search engine
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Perplexity Shopping free?
Yes. US users can search Perplexity Shopping for products and use Instant Buy at no cost. You pay only for the items you order, and a separate Perplexity Pro subscription is optional.
How does Instant Buy work?
You tap Instant Buy on an eligible product card, enter your address and PayPal payment once, and the order is sent to the merchant. Later purchases are prefilled.
Who fulfills orders placed through Perplexity?
The merchant does. Perplexity passes the order and payment to the retailer, such as Wayfair or a BigCommerce, Shopware or Wix store, which handles shipping and returns.