Perplexity opens up its Personal Computer AI assistant to all Mac users

Last month, Perplexity sought to better compete with the likes of Claude Cowork and get out ahead of Apple's delayed, generative AI-powered version of Siri by bringing Personal Computer to macOS. The AI assistant was previously only available to those on Perplexity's $200 per month Max plan, but now the company has opened it up to all Mac users.

The company says everyone can download the new Perplexity macOS app and use Personal Computer "for everyday queries, attachments and dictation." Usage is tied to Pro and Max plans' credit limits, Perplexity noted.

Personal Computer can run tasks across local files, other apps, the web and Perplexity's own servers, according to the company. It taps into a number of models to carry out specific tasks, such as Gemini for deep research, Nano Banana for images and ChatGPT "for long-context recall and wide search." Unlike with similar tools, Personal Computer will handle the bulk of the heavy lifting in the cloud as opposed to running entirely locally, in part to reduce strain on the Mac.

The company says you can run Personal Computer around the clock on a Mac mini — as some people are doing with OpenClaw — and control it remotely from an iPhone. Perplexity has also noted that the assistant's actions are auditable and reversible, so users might not have to worry too much about it accidentally wiping precious family photos.