Question 1

What is Purple IQ?

Accepted Answer

Purple IQ is a paid, ad-free, genuinely private search engine. You get real source links ranked on merit, with no sponsored slots and no answer forced in front of your results. Your searches stay yours, full stop.

Question 2

How is Purple IQ different from ad-funded search engines?

Accepted Answer

Ad-funded engines answer to advertisers, so your searches feed an ad profile and sponsored results float to the top. Purple IQ is funded by people, so there are no ads, no trackers, and nothing about you is sold. The best result wins because it earned it.

Question 3

Is Purple IQ Google, or owned by Google?

Accepted Answer

No. Purple IQ is an independent search engine with no connection to Google, and we never build an ad profile of you the way the big engines do. Your searches are counted for billing but never stored or tied to who you are.

Question 4

Does Purple IQ use AI or a chatbot to answer questions?

Accepted Answer

No. Plain search stays AI-free on purpose, so you get real links and reach your own conclusions, never an answer guessed for you. Instant answer cards (math, conversions, and the like) are deterministic tools, not AI: they compute exact, factual results every time. And the smarter ranking under the hood is a machine-learning reranker, not a chatbot: it reorders real links by relevance and never writes the answer for you.

Question 5

Who is Purple IQ for?

Accepted Answer

Purple IQ is for anyone who wants clean, private search with real source links instead of ads and answer-box guesses. There are Individual plans for one person and Family plans covering up to 4 people, each with their own searches and settings. Purple IQ is intended for adults, though a parent or guardian on a Family plan can add a household member under 18 to their plan.

Question 6

Why is it called Purple IQ?

Accepted Answer

The IQ is a nod to the smarter ranking under the hood, where a machine-learning reranker lifts genuinely authoritative pages and a scarce IQ pick chip marks them. Source diversity keeps the same few big domains from dominating every search.

Question 7

How does Purple IQ search actually work?

Accepted Answer

You type a query and get classic links to real sources, with no answer forced in front of them, so you can weigh things yourself. Behind the scenes a machine-learning reranker reorders the best results by genuine relevance, surfaces independent and long-tail sources, and keeps the official site for what you searched right at the top.

Question 8

What are the instant answer cards above the results?

Accepted Answer

For things Purple IQ can answer directly, a small card appears above the links: math, unit and currency conversions, definitions, timers, tip and loan calculators, pronunciation, randomizers, breathing, and more. Every card is deterministic, computed by exact matching rather than AI, so the answer is always factual, never a guess. They resolve on the spot, and you can opt out per search by adding ans=0 to the URL.

Question 9

What is the IQ pick chip?

Accepted Answer

It is a scarce little badge that marks a result our machine-learning reranker lifted because it is genuinely authoritative. It stays rare on purpose, so when you see it, it means something. The official site for your query always earns one too.

Question 10

Why are there only five pages of results?

Accepted Answer

On purpose. The best answers almost always sit in the first few pages, and the machine-learning reranker pulls them forward, so Purple IQ shows a focused five rather than burying you under dozens of thinning pages. Every page is one click away, with no Next button to chase. If the first five do not have what you want, a sharper query beats digging deeper.

Question 11

Will the same few big sites dominate my results?

Accepted Answer

No. A diversity layer surfaces independent and primary sources and gently nudges the handful of mega-platforms down so they do not crowd out the open web. They never get discarded, so they stay one click away when a query really wants them, and no page shows three or more results in a row from the same site.

Question 12

How does location and "near me" search work?

Accepted Answer

By default Purple IQ uses coarse location at most city level, derived from your IP, never GPS or your street address, and queries about your surroundings auto-upgrade to local results even without typing near me. You can set Location to Off in the search controls any time.

Question 13

Is search fast, and are results fresh?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Popular pages serve instantly from cache while quietly refreshing in the background, and news-style queries refresh on a short cache window while evergreen ones cache longer. You also get autocomplete suggestions as you type, after two characters.

Question 14

Can I control the content filter (SafeSearch)?

Accepted Answer

Yes, when signed in. The content filter has Strict, Moderate, and Off levels and defaults to Strict, and searching without an account always uses Strict. On a family plan the owner can set and lock each member's filter, handy for younger searchers.

Question 15

How much does Purple IQ cost?

Accepted Answer

There are three plans. Individual is $6/mo or $60/yr for 300 searches a month, Individual Unlimited is $12/mo or $120/yr for unlimited searches, and Family Unlimited is $18/mo or $180/yr for unlimited searches for up to 4 people. Paying yearly is roughly two months free.

Question 16

Can I try it for free first?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Sign up and you get 100 free searches over 14 days with no card needed, whichever runs out first. Before signing up you can also run 5 free searches per browser, no account required.

Question 17

Is there a truly unlimited plan?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Individual Unlimited ($12/mo or $120/yr) and Family Unlimited ($18/mo or $180/yr) drop the monthly search cap, subject to a fair-use limit spelled out in the Terms. Go wild, within reason.

Question 18

How does the family plan work?

Accepted Answer

Family plans cover the owner plus up to 3 more people (4 seats total), and each person gets their own passwordless sign-in, their own separate searches, and their own settings. The owner can also set and lock each member's content filter, which is handy for younger searchers.

Question 19

How do I cancel, and do I get a refund?

Accepted Answer

Cancelling is one click in your account settings, any time, and your plan keeps working until the end of the period you already paid for with no charges after that. If you want your money back, email us within 30 days of a charge, no questions asked.

Question 20

How does payment work, and is my card safe?

Accepted Answer

Checkout is hosted by Stripe, so no payment script ever runs on our pages and your card details never touch our servers. We only keep an internal billing reference, never your card number.

Question 21

Can I switch plans later?

Accepted Answer

Yes, switch any time from the pricing page. Billing adjusts automatically with proration, so you only pay the difference.

Question 22

What happens when I run out of searches?

Accepted Answer

On a metered plan you get 300 searches a month, and the account page shows a live meter of how many are left. If you need more, upgrading to an Unlimited plan is one switch away.

Question 23

How do I sign in to Purple IQ?

Accepted Answer

There are no passwords. You enter your email, we send you a 6-digit code, and you type it in. The code is good for about 10 minutes and your email is your account, so there is nothing else to remember.

Question 24

My sign-in code didn't arrive. What now?

Accepted Answer

Right from the sign-in form you can send a fresh code after a quick 30-second cooldown, or switch to a different email without starting over. Codes can take a moment, and you can request up to 3 within 15 minutes.

Question 25

Can I be signed in on more than one device?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each device gets its own session, so your phone, laptop, and tablet can all be signed in at once. Sessions last about 90 days and keep extending automatically while you use them.

Question 26

How do I sign out, and what about other devices?

Accepted Answer

Signing out from a device logs out just that one, instantly. From your account page there is also a sign out everywhere option that ends every session at once, which takes effect immediately rather than waiting for a cookie to expire.

Question 27

What does my account actually store?

Accepted Answer

Your email, plus a few things we create ourselves: a random account number, your plan and billing status, your settings, and a count of how many searches you have used. Searches are counted against your allowance but never stored or tied to you, and there is no per-person search history.

Question 28

Can I change the email on my account?

Accepted Answer

Your email is your account identity, so to use a different address you sign in with that email instead. If you no longer want the old account, you can delete it from the account page.

Question 29

How do I delete my account?

Accepted Answer

One action on the account page removes your email, settings, usage counters, and any active subscription immediately and permanently. There is no undo.

Question 30

Does Purple IQ track me or sell my data?

Accepted Answer

No. You are the customer here, not the product, so your searches are never sold, shared, or fed to advertisers. The whole thing runs on subscriptions, which is exactly why it can answer to you instead.

Question 31

Do you keep a history of my searches?

Accepted Answer

No. We keep a simple count for billing, and that is the end of it: nothing you search is stored next to your name, and there is no per-person search history or profile.

Question 32

What does Purple IQ actually know about me?

Accepted Answer

If you make an account, just your email plus a few things we create ourselves: a random account number, your plan, your content-filter setting, and a count of searches used. No name, no search history, no profile.

Question 33

Why is there no cookie consent banner?

Accepted Answer

Purple IQ sets exactly two first-party cookies, one to keep you signed in and one to count free searches, and both are strictly necessary. There are no advertising or tracking cookies, so there is nothing optional to ask permission for.

Question 34

What do your search infrastructure partners see?

Accepted Answer

Only the query text and a coarse, city-level location. They never receive your name, email, account, or anything that links a search back to you.

Question 35

What happens to my data if I delete my account?

Accepted Answer

Deleting your account from the account page removes your record and usage counters immediately, with no undo. Your email, settings, and any active subscription are gone for good.

Question 36

How do I contact Purple IQ?

Accepted Answer

Email hello@purpleiq.com. That inbox is for product questions, feature ideas, early access, billing help, or just saying hello, and we actually read it.

Question 37

How do I report a bad search result or search-quality issue?

Accepted Answer

Email hello@purpleiq.com with the query, the result URL, and what looked wrong, so it can be reviewed clearly. Real feedback is how the ranking keeps improving.

Question 38

How do I get help with my account or billing?

Accepted Answer

Most things you can do yourself from the account page, like switching plans, cancelling, or signing out everywhere. For anything else, email hello@purpleiq.com and we will help.

Question 39

Where can I read the privacy policy, terms, and other legal docs?

Accepted Answer

Everything is plain-language and public. The Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Terms of Use, and Fair Use Policy pages all start with a short summary card before the binding detail.

The basics