# Perplexity Shopping, Comet Plus and ads: what marketers need

> How Perplexity Shopping and Instant Buy work for merchants, what Comet Plus pays publishers, and why Perplexity no longer sells ads.

Source: https://mentionx.ai/learn/perplexity/perplexity-shopping-publishers-ads  
Author: Dipuck Jones, founder of MentionX  
Updated: 5 November 2026  
Level: Practitioner

**Perplexity has no ad product today. It phased out the sponsored questions it tested from 2024, and Search Engine Land reported in February 2026 that it has no plans to return to ads. That leaves two commercial surfaces. Shopping shows product cards in answers, and Instant Buy lets US shoppers check out with PayPal while the merchant stays the merchant of record. Comet Plus is a subscription that pays participating publishers. For most marketers, being recommended still comes down to being cited.**

> **Key takeaways**
>
> - No ads: you can't buy placement in Perplexity answers.
> - Shopping: product cards for shopping questions. US merchants can join the Merchant Program or connect through PayPal for Instant Buy.
> - Comet Plus: $5 a month (included with Pro and Max), with 80% of revenue going to participating publishers, according to Perplexity.
> - Product feeds, accurate structured product data and third-party reviews all feed product recommendations.

*Checked 5 November 2026 (CET) against the Perplexity Help Center, Perplexity blog, Perplexity API docs and the outlets cited in Sources. Perplexity renames and moves features often, so confirm labels and limits in your own account. "Our view" marks MentionX opinion. Ledgerline is a fictional company used for illustration.*

## What happened to Perplexity ads?

| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Late 2024 | Perplexity began testing ads as sponsored follow-up questions next to answers, with launch brand partners |
| 2025 | Tests continued on a limited scale |
| February 2026 | Search Engine Land, citing the Financial Times, reported that Perplexity had phased out ads and had no plans to return, focusing on subscriptions instead |

The same report said executives cited more than 100 million users and roughly $200 million in annualised revenue, with paid plans from $20 to $200 a month. Those are company statements, not audited figures.

*Our view:* treat "no ads" as current, not permanent. Recheck each quarter. For now, budget for earned visibility (content, PR, reviews) rather than paid placement.

## How does Perplexity Shopping work?

For shopping-style questions such as "best noise-cancelling headphones under $300", Perplexity can show product cards with images, prices, key specs and merchant links, alongside a written answer with citations.

| Element | What drives it (Perplexity statements and observation) |
|---|---|
| Which products appear | Relevance to the question, product information from merchants and the web, and reviews |
| Product details | Merchant data and feeds, plus product pages |
| Recommendation text | Cited sources, such as reviews, publishers and forums |
| Checkout | Merchant link, or Instant Buy for eligible US products |

Perplexity has said product results aren't sponsored. Shopping also doesn't take a cut of transactions, according to the February 2026 reporting.

## What is Instant Buy?

Instant Buy, launched with PayPal in November 2025, lets US users buy eligible products without leaving Perplexity. Key points from Perplexity's help centre and PayPal's announcement:

- **Checkout runs through PayPal.** The merchant remains the merchant of record and handles fulfilment, returns and customer service.
- **US only,** for physical goods priced in USD.
- **Merchants join** through Perplexity's free Merchant Program or through PayPal's store sync and agent-ready options.

Typical merchant requirements reported by third-party guides (confirm with Perplexity and PayPal before relying on them):

| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| PayPal merchant account | In good standing, with a compatible checkout integration |
| Market | Physical goods sold to US customers in USD |
| Product catalog | A shareable feed, such as a Google-format product feed or PayPal's feed format |
| Core feed fields | ID, title, description, link, image link, price, availability |
| Policies | Clear shipping and returns |

## How can merchants improve their Shopping visibility?

1. **Complete product feeds** with accurate titles, prices, availability and images.
2. **Product pages in HTML,** with specs in tables and a visible price and availability.
3. **Structured data** (Product, Offer, AggregateRating) for consistency across engines ([review and AggregateRating schema](https://mentionx.ai/learn/technical/review-and-aggregaterating-schema)).
4. **Third-party reviews and editorial coverage.** Recommendation text cites them.
5. **Clear "best for" positioning,** so the product matches question intent ("for small apartments", "for runners").
6. **Crawl access** for PerplexityBot and Perplexity-User ([lesson 14](https://mentionx.ai/learn/perplexity/perplexity-perplexitybot-robots-waf)).

See also [Perplexity shopping and product recommendations](https://mentionx.ai/learn/engines/perplexity/shopping-and-product-recommendations) and [AI shopping](https://mentionx.ai/glossary/ai-shopping).

> **Pro move:** run your top 20 shopping prompts and note which attribute each recommendation cites, such as battery life, price or warranty. Then make sure those attributes are explicit on your product pages and feed. Recommendations echo the attributes buyers ask about.

## What is Comet Plus, and does it matter to marketers?

Comet Plus launched in August 2025 as a $5 a month subscription. It's now included with Pro and Max. Perplexity said:

- **80% of revenue goes to participating publishers,** with the rest covering compute.
- **Payments are allocated by engagement:** human visits, citations in search results and agent actions.
- **An initial $42.5 million pool** was announced, as reported by Axios, Digiday and Press Gazette.

What this means for you:

| You are | Implication |
|---|---|
| A publisher | Consider joining. It's a new revenue line tied to citations and agent use |
| A brand doing PR | Publisher partners have a commercial relationship with Perplexity, but there's no public evidence they're preferred in answers. Pitch based on relevance, not partnership status |
| A content marketer | No direct effect. Earn citations on merit |

## What about B2B companies with no products to sell?

Shopping is consumer-focused. B2B software is recommended in normal answers, which cite reviews, comparisons and vendor pages. The levers are those in lessons 13-16: sources, access, formats and earned media.

## Worked example: Ledgerline

*Ledgerline is a fictional accounts-payable software company. Details are illustrative.*

Ledgerline sells software, not physical goods, so Instant Buy doesn't apply. The team still reviewed the commercial surfaces.

| Surface | Decision |
|---|---|
| Ads | None available. Budget moved to digital PR and review programmes |
| Shopping | Not applicable. Prompts like "best AP automation" return normal answers |
| Comet Plus | Not a publisher, so no action. PR team notes which target publishers participate, for context only |
| Pricing in answers | Pricing page rewritten in HTML so plan facts are quoted correctly |

### Walkthrough

1. Checked the current state of ads in the Search Engine Land report and Perplexity's announcements.
2. Ran 10 buyer prompts to confirm no shopping cards appeared for its category.
3. Reallocated the "Perplexity ads" line in the budget to earned media.
4. Fixed the pricing page, since cost questions were common.
5. Set a quarterly check on ads and Shopping changes.

## Common mistakes

- **Budgeting for Perplexity ads.** They don't exist now.
- **Assuming publisher partners are favoured.** There's no evidence.
- **Feeds out of sync with pages.** Price mismatches undermine trust.
- **Ignoring reviews.** Recommendation text leans on them.

## Try it yourself

If you sell physical products in the US, check whether you meet the Instant Buy requirements and audit five product feed entries against their product pages. If you don't, run ten buyer prompts and note which attributes and sources drive recommendations in your category.

## Quick quiz

**1. Does Perplexity sell ads in answers today?**

*Answer:* No. It phased out ads, as reported in February 2026.

**2. Who is the merchant of record in Instant Buy?**

*Answer:* The merchant.

**3. What share of Comet Plus revenue goes to publishers?**

*Answer:* 80%, according to Perplexity.

## What should you check before the next lesson?

- No "Perplexity ads" line in your plan.
- Feeds and product pages match (if you sell products).
- A quarterly check of commercial surfaces is in the calendar.

Previous: [The citation gap and earned media](https://mentionx.ai/learn/perplexity/perplexity-citation-gap-earned-media). Next: [Track Perplexity referrals in GA4](https://mentionx.ai/learn/perplexity/perplexity-ga4-referral-tracking). Or return to the [Perplexity for Marketers track](https://mentionx.ai/learn/perplexity/perplexity-for-marketers). Related: [How Perplexity chooses sources](https://mentionx.ai/learn/perplexity/perplexity-how-sources-are-chosen), [The Comet browser](https://mentionx.ai/learn/perplexity/perplexity-comet-browser-marketers), [Agentic commerce](https://mentionx.ai/glossary/agentic-commerce).

## Common questions

**Can I advertise on Perplexity?** Not currently. Perplexity tested sponsored follow-up questions from 2024, then phased out ads. Search Engine Land reported in February 2026 that it has no plans to bring them back.

**How do products appear in Perplexity Shopping?** Products are chosen for relevance to the question from Perplexity's index and merchant data. US merchants can apply to the Merchant Program or connect through PayPal so eligible products support Instant Buy.

**What is Comet Plus?** Comet Plus is a $5 a month subscription, included with Pro and Max, that gives subscribers access to participating publishers' content. Perplexity said 80% of revenue goes to publishers.

## Sources

- Search Engine Land, [Perplexity stops testing advertising](https://searchengineland.com/perplexity-stops-testing-advertising-469452) (18 Feb 2026)
- Perplexity Help Center, [Instant Buy + Buy with PayPal](https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/12932923-instant-buy-buy-with-paypal)
- PayPal Newsroom, [PayPal and Perplexity Launch Instant Buy](https://newsroom.paypal-corp.com/2025-11-PayPal-and-Perplexity-Launch-Instant-Buy)
- Perplexity blog, [Introducing Comet Plus](https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/introducing-comet-plus)
- Shopify blog, [Perplexity Shopping: how to optimize your store](https://www.shopify.com/blog/perplexity-shopping)
- All accessed 5 Nov 2026.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I advertise on Perplexity?

Not currently. Perplexity tested sponsored follow-up questions from 2024, then phased out ads. Search Engine Land reported in February 2026 that it has no plans to bring them back.

### How do products appear in Perplexity Shopping?

Products are chosen for relevance to the question from Perplexity's index and merchant data. US merchants can apply to the Merchant Program or connect through PayPal so eligible products support Instant Buy.

### What is Comet Plus?

Comet Plus is a 5 US dollars a month subscription, included with Pro and Max, that gives subscribers access to participating publishers' content. Perplexity said 80 percent of revenue goes to publishers.

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Written and reviewed by Dipuck Jones for MentionX Learn. The HTML version of this page: https://mentionx.ai/learn/perplexity/perplexity-shopping-publishers-ads