By Alex Hughes
Skip to main content
Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Search Tom’s Guide
View Profile
Newsletters
Best Picks
Entertainment
Prime Day Deals
Switch 2 Restock
Walmart 4th of July Sale
Galaxy Z Fold 7
Best Mattress
Best laptops
Wordle Today
Recommended reading
Anthropic launches its best version of Claude yet — but it will cost you $200 a month
I’ve subscribed to every AI tool — only one was worth the money
Google AI Ultra: Everything in the $250/month subscription — and why it might be worth it
I test AI chatbots for a living and these are the best ChatGPT alternatives
Google leak shows two new plans coming to Gemini AI – here’s everything you need to know
These five lesser-known AI tools are a must for boosting productivity
This epic ChatGPT discount is too good to resist if you run a small team — save 96%
The rise of $200/pm AI plans — why Perplexity, ChatGPT and Gemini are all going up
Alex Hughes
4 July 2025
Inflation in the AI world
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
AI systems aren’t cheap to run. Between the huge amount of training, the servers to keep them going, and the teams made up of the best brains in computing, the money has to come from somewhere.
Originally, that cash seemed to be coming from investing, as the push for AI development received rounds and rounds of funding. Now, the costs are turning to you, the user of the tools.
Along with their lower-priced base models, ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini have all revealed top-of-the-line plans, costing hundreds of dollars a month. Now, Perplexity has joined in too, revealing its Perplexity Max plan with a monthly price tag of $200.
You may like
Anthropic launches its best version of Claude yet — but it will cost you $200 a month
I’ve subscribed to every AI tool — only one was worth the money
Google AI Ultra: Everything in the $250/month subscription — and why it might be worth it
What is Perplexity Max?
(Image credit: Perplexity)
Seemingly designed for the power users of Perplexity, this offers an unlimited version of the plan. Most notably, users get unrestricted access to Labs.
This is Perplexity’s latest selling point. Labs is a tool described as similar to having a whole team complete tasks for you. It can code, write, research, and assemble its findings in one place.
Where Labs stands out compared to other similar tools is the time it puts in. Perplexity states that it can take 10 minutes, which feels like a lifetime in today’s AI world. However, that time allows the tool to complete incredibly detailed research, providing full reports, graphs, and apps for you to look through.
The Max plan also gets you early access to any new tools or features from Perplexity and advanced model options. You also get priority support if anything goes wrong.
Sign up to get the BEST of Tom’s Guide direct to your inbox.
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Why are AI plans getting so expensive?
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Perplexity Max, like its expensive competitors, has a clear demographic. It’s the people with money to burn and no time to wait for long load times and more credits to come back in.
For the average person, you just don’t need to spend $200 a month on any AI plan. Sure, it’s nice having the latest features as they come out and not having to worry about the number of credits you have left, but unless you’re using these tools all day every day, it seems excessive.
For the average person, you just don’t need to spend $200 a month on any AI plan.
This, however, does seem to be becoming the norm. When OpenAI launched its $200 ChatGPT Pro plan, the response from many was along the lines of “Who on Earth is going to pay that?”… seemingly a lot of people.
While it seemed excessive at first, other companies quickly followed suit. In fact, along with pretty much every chatbot you’ve used having a plan around this price, image and video generators, AI research tools, and even AI tools have quickly added similar plans.
Right now, you’re not missing out on much by not going for one of these plans. However, like most industries, AI is quickly falling behind a paywall. Yes, free plans still exist, but to make these top-of-the-line plans more tempting, they need to stand out.
Free versions, and even the lower-end paid subscriptions, are seeing more restrictions put in place. Less credits and slower load times become more common, and, with the best plans offering the most energy-consuming features, those willing to pay $200 a month or more getting priority in a queue will slow the process for those paying less.
More from Tom’s Guide
OpenAI has started a new podcast — 6 things it reveals about ChatGPT’s future
Freepik is now offering unlimited AI image generations — here’s why that makes it so good
Ready to talk to Ernie? DeepSeek’s latest rival from Baidu is here
Back to Laptops
AMD Ryzen 7
Intel Core i3
Intel Core i5
Intel Core i7
Storage Size
Screen Size
Refurbished
Screen Type
Storage Type
Showing 10 of 125 deals
Apple 13″ MacBook Air M4 (2025)
(256GB Blue)
$849Preorder
Apple 15″ MacBook Air M4 (2025)
(15-inch 1TB)
$1,599View
Dell XPS 13 (2016)
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x (Gen 9)
(512GB OLED)
$858.11View
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i ChromeBook Plus
(14-inch 2TB)
$499.98View
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)
(14-inch 1TB)
$1,579.95View
Apple 13″ MacBook Air M4 (2025)
Apple 15″ MacBook Air M4 (2025)
(16GB RAM SSD)
$1,035View
Dell XPS 13 Plus
(13.4-inch)
$1,099.99View
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x (Gen 9)
$939.99View
Alex Hughes
Social Links Navigation
Alex is the AI editor at TomsGuide. Dialed into all things artificial intelligence in the world right now, he knows the best chatbots, the weirdest AI image generators, and the ins and outs of one of tech’s biggest topics.
Before joining the Tom’s Guide team, Alex worked for the brands TechRadar and BBC Science Focus.
He was highly commended in the Specialist Writer category at the BSME’s 2023 and was part of a team to win best podcast at the BSME’s 2025.
In his time as a journalist, he has covered the latest in AI and robotics, broadband deals, the potential for alien life, the science of being slapped, and just about everything in between.
When he’s not trying to wrap his head around the latest AI whitepaper, Alex pretends to be a capable runner, cook, and climber.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
Anthropic launches its best version of Claude yet — but it will cost you $200 a month
I’ve subscribed to every AI tool — only one was worth the money
Google AI Ultra: Everything in the $250/month subscription — and why it might be worth it
I test AI chatbots for a living and these are the best ChatGPT alternatives
Google leak shows two new plans coming to Gemini AI – here’s everything you need to know
These five lesser-known AI tools are a must for boosting productivity
Latest in AI
Freepik is now offering unlimited AI image generations — here’s why that makes it so good
Ready to talk to Ernie? DeepSeek’s latest rival from Baidu is here
DeepSeek faces yet another country-wide ban — here’s what that means for you
This viral ChatGPT prompt can teach you anything — and I’m officially hooked
X is letting AI bots write fact-checks — here’s why it could backfire
Gemini could get a major upgrade thanks to RCS support — what that means for you
Latest in News
Google Pixel Buds 2a leak tells us new color options — and a surprise option for the Pro 2
Apple’s entire Mac lineup until 2026 revealed in leak — here’s every MacBook, Mac Pro and more to expect
Google Pixel 10 could offer even better macro photos — here’s how
How to watch British Grand Prix 2025 online: live stream F1 race for from anywhere
Prime Video top 10 shows — here’s the 3 worth watching now
How to watch Sabalenka vs Raducanu: live stream Wimbledon 2025 tennis online for FREE from anywhere
LATEST ARTICLES
Google Pixel Buds 2a leak tells us new color options — and a surprise option for the Pro 2
8 top new movies and shows to stream 4th of July weekend on Netflix, Prime Video and more (July 4-6)
Sick of charging your smartwatch? The Garmin Instinct 3 Solar has the best battery life on the market and is reduced ahead of Prime Day
Apple’s entire Mac lineup until 2026 revealed in leak — here’s every MacBook, Mac Pro and more to expect
The AirPods Max have a great deal on at the moment — but here’s what you should buy instead
Tom’s Guide is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
Terms and conditions
Contact Future’s experts
Privacy policy
Cookies policy
Accessibility Statement
Advertise with us
Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street,
Please login or signup to comment
Please wait…