Venmo and PayPal Users Gain Early Access to Perplexity’s $200 Pro Plan
What PayPal Is Offering With Perplexity
PayPal is linking its new subscriptions hub with Perplexity AI, offering users in the U.S. and select other markets a free 12-month trial of Perplexity Pro, valued at $200. The deal allows PayPal and Venmo customers to bypass the waitlist for Comet, Perplexity’s AI-first browser launched in July.
The partnership makes Perplexity Pro one of the first products integrated into PayPal’s in-app hub for managing recurring payments. The hub, designed as a one-stop dashboard, allows users to monitor and control subscription charges while opening the door for PayPal to promote bundled services.
Investor Takeaway
Why This Partnership Matters
For PayPal, the move comes as CEO Alex Chriss looks to revamp the consumer business with fresh offerings, from enhanced checkout tools to an expanding rewards ecosystem. By anchoring Comet trials inside its app, PayPal is betting that AI services can draw users more deeply into its ecosystem and generate stickier engagement.
Diego Scotti, PayPal’s general manager of consumer, framed the deal as part of a broader effort to simplify financial lives. “It’s exciting to deliver offers and tools that our customers request most, meeting their needs and assisting them navigate their financial lives with greater simplicity, added convenience, and even more rewards,” he said.
What Comet Brings to the Table
Comet represents Perplexity’s push beyond its core Q&A search service into a full browsing experience. The browser embeds its AI assistant directly into web navigation, , generate summaries, and get answers without switching tabs. Ryan Foutty, Perplexity’s VP of business, described it as “a personal shopper and personal assistant all in one.”
The San Francisco begin-up has been moving quick to secure distribution. It has explored pre-install deals with device makers and integrations with e-commerce and travel platforms. Its as investors bet its streamlined, answer-first model can chip away at Google Search’s dominance.
Investor Takeaway
What’s Next for PayPal and Perplexity
The tie-up builds on an earlier May 2025 collaboration, when Perplexity used PayPal’s infrastructure for in-app purchases. That allowed users to complete bookings or transactions directly within the assistant. Now, by connecting Comet access with its own subscriptions hub, PayPal is service distribution.
For PayPal, the question is whether AI incentives can assist cement its hub as a central point for subscription management. For Perplexity, the partnership tests whether exposure to base can accelerate adoption of Comet. If uptake is strong, it may encourage more fintechs to position themselves as distribution channels for next-generation AI products.
Either way, the collaboration underscores how payment platforms and AI begin-ups are converging in search of new growth engines—PayPal through consumer stickiness, Perplexity through scale and credibility.
