Your documents set the boundaries
Perplexity Spaces Alternative That Answers Only From Your Files
Perplexity Spaces combines web search with your files. Since July 2026, Spaces are called Projects, and existing Spaces moved over automatically. If you need answers drawn only from documents you wrote, kept in one library and shared with clients who have no Perplexity account, a document library like MentalClone fits better. Starter is $49 a month or $288 a year.
Answers stay within your uploads, with a clear response when the material does not cover a question.
Try it on your own writing
No account neededThat is the end of the free demo. Create your account to keep this conversation, upload your own documents and keep going.
Your uploads only
No web search in MentalClone answers
No document cap
Keep your library together on Starter
20 active links
Private client access without an account
100 questions a day
Available through each private link
Follow the source
The same question needs a different boundary
A market question benefits from outside research. A question about your agreed client scope needs the memo you approved. Decide which kind of answer you want before choosing the workspace.
That boundary matters after the answer leaves the chat. A client reading your guidance needs to know whether it reflects something you actually wrote. Keep external research in a separate workflow when the task is to explain your own decisions.
What belongs in the handoff?
The memo calls for a guidelines booklet. A web article also suggests adding a training session.
File source · Client memo, March
Web source · Handoff checklist article
What belongs in the handoff?
I agreed to deliver the guidelines booklet. My uploaded notes do not confirm a training session.
Your document · Client memo, March
Your document · Workshop notes
Illustration with fictional document titles and sample answers. Source labels show where each answer draws its claims.
Why people look for a Perplexity Spaces alternative
Projects combine research, files and ongoing work. A document library fits when your own writing must be the entire basis for client advice.
Mixed citations need checking
Web sources can sit beside uploaded files. You need to check which citation supports each claim before treating the answer as your own guidance.
More than a reference library
Projects center on Perplexity Computer agents, persistent memory, a shared file system and connectors to 400+ apps. That scope can exceed what a reference library needs.
Clients need Perplexity accounts
Personal accounts can invite up to 5 contributors. They work inside Perplexity with their own accounts, so an invitation does not remove the client sign-in step.
Enterprise file caps still apply
The Enterprise help center still calls them Spaces. Enterprise Pro caps a Space at 500 files and allows 15,000 files per user in total.
Perplexity Spaces alternatives compared on sources, files and price
US list prices distinguish monthly billing from annual commitments. Compare answer sources and client access alongside upload allowances.
| Tool | Price | Answers from | File limits | Sharing with clients | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perplexity Pro (Projects, formerly Spaces) | $20/mo or about $17/mo billed annually | Web plus files, with source settings | 40 MB per thread file, weekly upload allowance; Project limits listed in help center | Invite up to 5 contributors with Perplexity accounts (personal plans) | Individual web research |
| Perplexity Max (Projects, formerly Spaces) | $200/mo | Web plus files | 40 MB per thread file, weekly upload allowance; Project limits listed in help center | Invite up to 5 contributors with Perplexity accounts (personal plans) | Web research with a higher weekly upload allowance than Pro |
| Perplexity Enterprise Pro (Projects, formerly Spaces) | $40/seat/mo or $34/seat/mo billed annually | Web plus files | Enterprise limits of 500 files per Space, 15,000 per user, 50 MB per file | Collaboration within Perplexity accounts | Company research teams |
| Perplexity Enterprise Max (Projects, formerly Spaces) | $325/seat/mo or $271/seat/mo billed annually | Web plus files | Enterprise limits of 5,000 files per Space, 50,000 per user, 50 MB per file | Collaboration within Perplexity accounts | Larger enterprise collections |
| ChatGPT Projects | Plus $20/mo | Files, general knowledge and optional web tools | 25 files per project on Plus and Go, 40 on Pro and Business | Recipients sign in to ChatGPT | Drafting around a project |
| NotebookLM | Free tier and Google AI plans | Selected notebook sources | 50 sources per notebook on free | Google sign-in and sharing rules apply | Source-based study and synthesis |
| MentalClone Starter | $49/mo or $288/yr | Only your uploads. Says when files do not cover it. | No document cap on Starter, up to 100 MB per file | Private links, no account needed. Up to 100 questions a day per link and 20 active links. | Your document library and client guidance |
Free, Pro and Max have weekly thread upload allowances. Personal Project limits have changed several times, so check Perplexity's help center before buying. Enterprise figures are separate limits from help pages that still use the name Spaces.
Who switches to a library of their own work
The common thread is a body of written work that people ask about repeatedly. These buyers need their own position explained consistently, including where the written record stops.
Consultants
Keep past reports and working methods available when a client asks why you recommended a particular approach.
Agencies
Answer from approved guidelines and delivery notes so general web advice does not become an accidental client commitment.
Coaches
Let clients ask about written exercises and frameworks between sessions, using the language of your own materials.
Researchers
Question interview transcripts and internal memos as a collection. Keep open web discovery separate from analysis of that record.
How to move your Space files in four steps
Start with the source documents behind an answer you already know. The move is a file upload, not an automatic transfer of your Perplexity conversations or settings.
Gather the source files
Export or download available files from your Project, or collect the originals from your source folders. Keep the versions you want clients to rely on.
Upload to your library
Add PDF, DOCX, DOC, XLSX, CSV, RTF, TXT, Markdown, EPUB, EML, PowerPoint, images and scans. ZIP imports support Obsidian, Logseq, Bear and Notion exports, up to 100 MB per file.
Ask in your own register
Ask about your methods in the words you use with clients. Compare the response with the originals, then try a question the material does not cover.
Create a private client link
Give a client a link they can open without an account. Review what your library contains before sharing, and revoke the link when access is no longer appropriate.
Treat a client link as access to answers from your library. Review the material you include and try the questions a client is likely to ask before sending the link. Sharing needs that editorial check as well as the technical setup.
When Perplexity Spaces is still the better buy
Keep Perplexity Projects when discovery matters more than a closed document library. MentalClone cannot supply current facts that you have not uploaded.
Live web research
Choose Perplexity for current web research with citations, especially when the question reaches beyond your own archive.
An existing enterprise team
If your company already pays for Enterprise seats, shared Projects, SSO and admin controls may fit the internal workflow.
Research on your phone
Perplexity mobile apps suit research away from your desk. Include that everyday workflow in your comparison.
A lower web research bill
Pro costs less than MentalClone Starter. If you mostly search the web, paying for a document library may solve the wrong problem.
Perplexity Spaces alternative questions
What is the best alternative to Perplexity Spaces?
MentalClone fits professionals who want answers only from their own documents and private links for clients without accounts. ChatGPT Projects suits broader drafting work, while NotebookLM suits research within selected sources. Choose according to whether you need current web research, an internal workspace, or a library of your own material.
Are Perplexity Spaces now called Projects?
Yes. On July 30, 2026, Perplexity renamed Spaces to Projects, describing them as an evolution of Spaces. Existing Spaces moved into Projects automatically. Projects are hubs for ongoing work in Perplexity Computer, adding persistent memory, a shared file system and connectors to 400+ apps.
How many files can you upload to a Perplexity Space?
Spaces are now Projects. Thread files allow 40 MB each. Enterprise Pro allows 500 files per Space and 15,000 per user; Enterprise Max allows 5,000 and 50,000 respectively, both with 50 MB files. Pro and Max Project limits are listed in Perplexity's help center and have changed several times. Check before buying.
Can Perplexity Spaces search only my files?
Spaces, now Projects, let you set sources and focus, but Perplexity is designed around web search. Check the active sources when you need a response based on uploaded material alone. MentalClone has no web search at all, so its answers come only from uploads and it says when those files do not cover a question.
How much does Perplexity Spaces cost?
Spaces, now Projects, are included in Perplexity plans. Pro is $20 monthly or about $17 billed annually; Max is $200 monthly. Enterprise Pro is $40 per seat monthly or $34 annually. Enterprise Max is $325 per seat monthly or $271 annually. MentalClone Starter is $49 monthly or $288 yearly.
Can I share a Perplexity Space with someone who has no account?
No. Invited contributors work inside Perplexity using their own accounts. Projects are private by default, with Owner, Can edit and Can view roles and up to 5 contributors on a personal account. MentalClone private links need no account, with up to 20 active links and 100 questions a day per link on Starter.
Is Perplexity Spaces good for client work?
Yes, when the work calls for current web research and everyone can collaborate inside Perplexity. For questions about your own methods, reports or client guidance, first check whether web sources belong in the answer. MentalClone suits that narrower task and lets clients ask your documents through a private link without signing up.
Does MentalClone search the web?
No. MentalClone answers only from the documents you upload to your library. It does not browse websites or add current search results. If the files do not cover a question, it says so. Use a web research tool separately when your work needs fresh facts beyond your own written material.
Give your own documents the final word
Try a question from your work, then choose whether a private library belongs in your client workflow.
Keep reading
Compare ChatGPT Projects alternatives
File limits and client access beyond a project folder.
Evaluate NotebookLM for business
Source limits and sharing for a business notebook.
Find a ChatPDF alternative
Ask questions across your document collection.
Build an AI second brain
Keep your written knowledge available for questions.
Review MentalClone plans and pricing
Check the subscription before moving your library.