I tried replacing Google Search with Perplexity. It didn’t go well

It’s no secret that Google Search is in a bizarre place proper now. The common search expertise has seen higher days, with advertisements and unhelpful outcomes making the search engine really feel far much less useful than it was a couple of years in the past. In the meantime, synthetic intelligence options like AI Overviews and AI Mode aren’t the place they must be.

Regardless of its imperfections, Google Search has remained my go-to search engine. However why ought to it when there are such a lot of different choices on the market? Pondering it could be time for a change, I just lately ditched Google Search and switched to one in all its greatest rivals: Perplexity.

I put in the Perplexity app on my Pixel 9a, set it because the default search engine on my Mac mini, and began utilizing Perplexity for all of the issues I’d usually use Google Seek for. There are issues about Perplexity I fairly like, however after spending every week with it, I’m prepared to return to Google.

I’ll clarify my return to Google Search in a second, however first, I wish to discuss two facets of Perplexity that actually stood out to me — the primary being follow-up questions.

Perplexity is an AI-powered “reply engine,” that means it really works in the identical basic style as ChatGPT or Gemini. Along with with the ability to ask extra sophisticated questions with extra pure language, you can too ask follow-up questions based mostly on earlier searches.

Sooner or later, for instance, I searched “iOS 26 developer beta” to seek out details about its availability. I then needed to know when the general public beta could be launched, so I typed, “when will the general public beta be prepared” as a follow-up. Perplexity understood I used to be referring to iOS 26 based mostly on my first search, and identical to that, I obtained the reply I used to be on the lookout for.

I search a whole lot of questions like this on any given day, and in these conditions, Perplexity is immensely useful. Now, may I’ve carried out two separate Google Searches for these items simply as simply? Positive. Nevertheless it’s nice to have each solutions on the identical web page, relatively than being scattered throughout two Google Search tabs. Plus, you realize, clear, direct solutions that aren’t plagued by sponsored hyperlinks and 1,000,000 information articles all telling me the identical factor.

My second favourite factor about Perplexity got here as a little bit of a shock. Subsequent to the principle search web page is a Uncover tab, and identical to Google Uncover, it’s a vertically-scrolling record of aggregated information tales. Nevertheless, Perplexity’s model is so a lot better.

Google Uncover has a fairly good understanding of the varieties of articles I’m all for (years of knowledge will do this), however the service itself is extraordinarily barebones. It can save you articles and like/dislike them, however that’s about it.

Perplexity Uncover, in the meantime, makes Google Uncover look antiquated by comparability. Reasonably than a single record for your whole information articles, Perplexity breaks issues up into a couple of totally different tabs: For You, High Tales, Tech & Science, Finance, Arts & Tradition, Sports activities, and Leisure. It can save you tales for later, choose favourite matters, and even take heed to audio variations of articles (you probably have Perplexity Professional).

The articles in Perplexity Uncover are AI-generated, however they’re adequately full of ample supply hyperlinks if you wish to dig deeper into a subject. The consumer interface can also be significantly slick, particularly on the Android app (although the desktop model appears to be like nice, too). I may do with much more filters and choice choices, however in contrast facet by facet to Google Uncover, there’s much more to love.

Comply with-up questions and the Uncover feed are good options, however what concerning the meat and potatoes a part of a search engine: typing in a few key phrases and anticipating a transparent, glanceable end result? These are the varieties of searches I conduct a number of instances per day, and, sadly, it’s the place Perplexity stumbles.

Let’s use an instance of looking for a film. Whereas choosing a film to look at one evening final week, I typed in “Earlier than Midnight film” on Perplexity, anticipating to get a quick overview of its runtime, solid, streaming providers it was out there on, and so on. However that’s … not what I obtained.

As an alternative, Perplexity confirmed me two prolonged paragraphs describing the movie’s plot and demanding response. Is it well-written? Positive, however I don’t discover it significantly helpful. Google Search, in the meantime, displayed a quick overview of the film, plus its runtime, launch date, funds, Rotten Tomatoes rating, streaming service availability, and extra. It’s so far more useful. The place Perplexity’s outcomes typically really feel like fluff, Google Search offers me concrete, actionable outcomes.

One other search that very same day additional strengthened this level. I needed to position a to-go order at an area restaurant, so, like I might on Google, I searched “Meals Road” (my favourite native gyro joint) on Perplexity. As soon as once more, I obtained a whole lot of fluff. Even with entry to my location, Perplexity didn’t fairly appear to know what Meals Road I used to be looking for. It included an outline for the one in Portage, MI (the one I used to be on the lookout for), however it additionally included eating places of the identical title from New Jersey and Ohio.

Additional, Perplexity didn’t present me with any precise useful information for the right Meals Road — no hours, on-line ordering hyperlinks, or something of the type. Google, in the meantime, knew precisely which Meals Road I used to be looking for, whereas additionally offering the hours, menu, opinions, and choices for order pickup and supply. There’s no contest right here about which result’s extra useful.

My different subject with Perplexity is that it’s objectively dangerous for trying up particular web sites or articles. A good portion of my job entails looking for related Android Authority pages to incorporate as backlinks in articles I write. I additionally typically lookup articles from our rivals to see what they’re publishing.

For instance, I wanted to lookup if we had revealed an article about T-Cellular options. Perplexity aggregated a few Android Authority articles to present me an honest reply to my “android authority t-mobile options” search, however that wasn’t what I used to be on the lookout for. Google, however, confirmed the record of hyperlinks I wanted.

That is clearly very particular to my job, however there are many different conditions the place you could want an inventory of internet sites/webpages, relatively than an AI-generated reply. And with these varieties of searches, Perplexity isn’t a sensible choice.

After my week with Perplexity, it’s turn into apparent that, for the way in which I exploit serps, Perplexity isn’t the fitting match for me. I perceive why some people prefer using Plexity over Google Search, and though I attempted to see the sunshine, Perplexity simply isn’t my cup of tea.

Whereas the potential for classy searches with a number of follow-up questions is nice, that’s finally not my major concern. All I need is to sort in a handful of phrases to get all the info I want, and as imperfect as it could be, Google Search continues to be higher at that.

I can see myself utilizing Perplexity right here and there for particular varieties of searches (particularly now that I have a free year of Perplexity Pro), however in the case of my every day go-to search engine, I’m heading again to Google Search as quickly as I end this text.