Perplexity Launches Personal Computer on Mac, AI That Runs Locally on Your Desktop

Perplexity has launched Personal Computer on Mac, bringing local file editing, browsing, voice orchestration, and more to its upgraded desktop app.

The feature represents a major shift toward locally-run AI that operates on your own hardware rather than exclusively in the cloud. This fundamentally changes how users interact with AI agents for everyday desktop tasks.

Personal Computer expands the capabilities of Perplexity's existing Computer to include:

• Local file editing
• Local computer use
• Local browsing with Comet
• Voice orchestration
• Direct access to your Mac's ecosystem

All Max subscribers have access today. Full access is rolling out to Pro subscribers. Windows support is coming soon, with a waitlist available for early access.

What's New in Perplexity Computer

Opus 4.7 is now the default model

Claude Opus 4.7 is now the default orchestrator model for Computer, offering higher-quality reasoning, writing, and coding tasks.

Users can choose between Claude Opus 4.7, GPT-5.4, and Claude Sonnet 4.6 as their main orchestrator.

More control over background agents

Computer now gives you more control while agents work in the background. Long-running research, browsing, and coding work is easier to steer without restarting.

Click to stop a running subagent instantly or type a follow-up instruction mid-task. You can steer complex workflows without interruption.

Computer in Spaces

Computers are now available in Spaces, giving every Space an evolving context layer for collaborative work.

You can create and edit docs, slides, sheets, and other files, then save them back to the Space so collaborators can review, search, and update them in real time.

Personal CFO

You can now connect your computer to your bank accounts, credit cards, and loans, securely powered by Plaid.

Computer tracks spending in detail, builds custom budget tools, and visualizes net worth alongside investment portfolios. Users in the US and Canada can link accounts and access portfolio pages today.

Competitive Landscape

Perplexity Computer differs from cloud-based agent platforms.

OpenAI's ChatGPT Agent combines reasoning and action through a virtual browser. It conducts research across websites, uploaded files, and third-party sources.

Google's Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform offers multi-step research and task execution through sandboxed environments. It provides native ecosystem integrations for enterprise workflows.

Microsoft's Copilot Studio enables organizations to build specialized agents. These agents connect to enterprise data and automate business processes.

Key difference: Local vs. Cloud

• OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft agents run primarily in the cloud
• Perplexity Personal Computer runs locally on your Mac
• Local execution prioritizes privacy for sensitive tasks (file editing, calendar, finances)
• Explicit user approval required before any action

Perplexity's hybrid approach: local for sensitive work, cloud for complex reasoning. This represents a shift in how AI agents should handle privacy.

Also Read

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• Apple Agrees to Pay $250 Million to Settle False AI Siri Advertising Lawsuit
• xAI Launches Custom Voices — Clone Your Voice in Under 2 Minutes With Grok 4.3