Lumen vs Perplexity — a $20 AI answer engine that also does the work
Perplexity made AI answers with citations popular. Lumen does that too — and adds a real agentic mode that plans and runs connectors to actually do the work for you.
| Capability | Lumen | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|
| Cited answers | Yes | Yes |
| Agent mode (plans, acts, observes) | Yes — an adaptive step-by-step loop | Limited / assistant-style |
| Acts in your own browser | Yes — browser extension | Limited |
| Works on files on your machine | Yes — opt-in Local Agent | No |
| Connectors | Google, GitHub and the shared connector catalogue | A handful |
| Choose your own model | Yes — the full roster, or let the router choose | Some, on higher tiers |
| Image generation | Yes | Yes |
| Price | See plans — free tier, no card | ~$20/mo Pro |
| Top tier | Lumen Power — $179/mo | Perplexity Max — $200/mo (perplexity.ai/help-center) |
Competitor details above describe Perplexity as publicly documented at the time of writing. Vendors change their plans; check theirs before you decide.
Why people switch
People move to Lumen for the genuine agentic mode — an adaptive ReAct loop that observes, reasons and acts step by step — plus opt-in local file access, browser automation, 700+ connectors and a clear $20 price. The free tier already includes a taste of the agent, so you can judge it yourself.
Try it yourself
The free tier already includes agent mode, so you can judge the difference on your own question rather than ours.