# Tavily vs Perplexity Excerpts or an answer? We sent one travel question to Tavily and Perplexity. Tavily returned excerpts. Perplexity returned ranked results and, in a separate call, a written answer. One question, one call per tool on 5 November 2026. Perplexity’s direct pricing was checked from its documentation. Provider in the worked example: Tavily and Perplexity. Price shown for this route: 0.2¢ per question. ## Compare Tavily and Perplexity. TaskFuel includes Tavily and Perplexity, tested below on one question. Each provider’s own pricing is included for reference. We publish this comparison and sell access through TaskFuel. Pricing as of 5 November 2026. | Option | Price and billing | Strength | Good to know | Available through TaskFuel | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Tavily (Direct provider account) | $0.008 / credit. Provider credits; pay-as-you-go or a monthly plan. Basic search: 1 credit. Advanced: 2 credits. | Tavily’s own SDKs and credit plans, billed by the credit. | A separate Tavily account and API key to run. Its direct basic search is cheaper than the TaskFuel price shown here. | No | | Perplexity (Direct provider account) | $5 / 1,000 searches. Direct provider billing. Search API. Fast Search is $1 per 1,000 requests, and there are no token charges. | Perplexity’s own account, with its Search API billed per request. | Another account and API key to run, this time for Perplexity. | No | | Tavily (Through TaskFuel) | $0.09 / search. Per request from your TaskFuel balance. Basic depth, five results. | An excerpt and a relevance score on each result. Billed to your TaskFuel balance instead of a Tavily account. | Nine cents a search on TaskFuel today. A YouTube video was one of the five results. | Yes | | Perplexity Search (Through TaskFuel) | $0.00575 / search. Per request from your TaskFuel balance. Five ranked results with snippets and dates. | Ranked results with snippets and dates for under a cent. Paid from the same balance. | Three of five results had no date. The direct Search API is slightly cheaper. | Yes | | Perplexity answer (Through TaskFuel) | $0.002 / question. Per request from your TaskFuel balance. A written answer with source citations. | A written answer in one call, naming spring and autumn with winter and summer options. | It returns an answer only, with no pages to open. | Yes | - [Tavily: provider reference](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-credits). Checked 2026-11-05. - [Perplexity: provider reference](https://docs.perplexity.ai/docs/getting-started/pricing). Checked 2026-11-05. - [Tavily: provider reference](https://docs.tavily.com/documentation/api-reference/endpoint/search). Checked 2026-11-05. - [Perplexity Search: provider reference](https://docs.perplexity.ai/docs/getting-started/pricing). Checked 2026-11-05. - [Perplexity answer: provider reference](https://getanyapi.com/api/perplexity/search). Checked 2026-11-05. ## What it can do ### Tavily search Search results with excerpts and relevance scores. Our test returned five results with scores from 0.91 to 0.95. Price: $0.09 / search. ### Perplexity Search Ranked results with titles, URLs, snippets and dates. Our test returned five results, two of them dated. Price: $0.00575 / search. ### Perplexity answer A written answer to the question. Our test returned 129 words. Price: $0.002 / question. ## A real example Tested on 2026-11-05 through Tavily and Perplexity. We asked when the best time to visit Japan is and sent the question to three tools. Tavily and Perplexity Search returned five results each, and Perplexity also wrote an answer. No site appeared in more than one response. Your agent asked: Find out when the best time to visit Japan is Returned in this test: - Tavily: Five results with excerpts and scores from 0.91 to 0.95, one of them a YouTube video - Perplexity Search: Five ranked results with snippets, led by a month-by-month guide. Two carried a date - Perplexity answer: A 129-word answer naming spring and autumn, with winter and summer options - Per call: Tavily $0.09, Perplexity Search $0.00575, Perplexity answer $0.002 Charged in this test: $0.09775. One question, one call per tool. ## Try the API request Use your TaskFuel API key as TASKFUEL_API_KEY in your terminal or server. Keep it out of browser code. ### 1. Check the price This request checks the price without paying. This is the exact Perplexity Search request. The Tavily call sent the same question with search_depth basic, and the answer call sent it as a prompt. ```sh curl --fail-with-body https://app.taskfuel.ai/v1/call \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $TASKFUEL_API_KEY" \ -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \ --data-binary @- <<'TASKFUEL_REQUEST' { "url": "https://perplexity.mpp.paywithlocus.com/perplexity/search", "method": "POST", "body": { "query": "What is the best time of year to visit Japan?", "max_results": 5 }, "dryRun": true } TASKFUEL_REQUEST ``` ### 2. Run the request Review amount_usd in the quote. To pay and run, change dryRun to false and add maxAmountUsd with that approved amount inside the same JSON object. Keep the inputs unchanged; this limit applies to one call. ### 3. Read the result Read data.results: each item has title, url, snippet, date and last_updated. [Setup and API reference](https://taskfuel.ai/docs/) · [Job polling and timeout recovery](https://app.taskfuel.ai/using.md) ## Connect your agent Read the [setup guide](https://taskfuel.ai/docs/setup/) and choose the connection your agent supports. Use one TaskFuel account and prepaid balance. Inspect the provider and request quote before a paid call, then review the returned response and recorded charge. ## When to use it ### Read a passage from each result. Your agent asks Tavily and reads the passage and score attached to each result. ### Read snippets and dates. Your agent asks Perplexity Search and reads the snippet, and the date where the page has one. ### Read a written answer. Your agent asks Perplexity for an answer and reads the text. ## Questions ### Do I need a Tavily or Perplexity account? No. Your agent pays from your TaskFuel balance, so there is nothing else to sign up for. ### How do Tavily and Perplexity differ? Tavily returns results with excerpts and relevance scores. Perplexity returns ranked results with snippets and dates, and can also write an answer. ### What does Tavily vs Perplexity cost on TaskFuel? Our Tavily search cost $0.09, a Perplexity search $0.00575 and a Perplexity answer $0.002 on 5 November 2026. Your agent shows the price for your own request before it pays. ### Is Perplexity cheaper than Tavily? Per search, yes in our test. Perplexity’s direct Search API lists $5 per 1,000 requests, and Tavily’s direct basic search is $0.008 a credit. ### Did the tools find the same sites? No. Across the three responses, no site appeared more than once. ## Related tool guides - [Compare Tavily alternatives for source excerpts](https://taskfuel.ai/tools/tavily-alternative/) - [Compare Exa and Tavily on one question](https://taskfuel.ai/tools/exa-vs-tavily/) - [See every search API in one guide](https://taskfuel.ai/tools/web-search-api-for-llm/) - [Read the full page after choosing a result](https://taskfuel.ai/tools/extract-webpage/) ## Reference - [Read this guide on the website](https://taskfuel.ai/tools/tavily-vs-perplexity/). - [Browse providers and capabilities](https://taskfuel.ai/catalog/). - [Pricing](https://taskfuel.ai/pricing/). - [Agent instructions](https://taskfuel.ai/llms.txt).