Perplexity Lets Users Run Its Computer App Fully on Their Own Mac

Perplexity now allows its Computer app to run entirely on a user's own Mac, following the September launch of Hybrid Compute, which split AI workloads between frontier and local models.

The catch: you need a recent Apple Silicon Mac with at least 36GB of RAM. Perplexity pitches the feature as a benefit for budget-conscious users and those who want to keep data private - for instance, asking Computer to build a priority to-do list from Notes and Mail without email data going to the cloud. The company says machines people already own will take on a larger share of their AI work as demanding workflows become practical to run locally, giving users more control over sensitive data and credit spend.

Users can pick between Qwen 3.6 or PPLX Pro, a Perplexity offshoot of Qwen 3.6 fine-tuned for Computer. Tasks can still call on one of more than 15 models if needed, and any code or tool execution runs in an isolated sandbox - security protocols Perplexity says also apply to the cloud version. Pro, Max and Enterprise subscribers can start using Computer locally today after installing the latest Mac app.

Source: Engadget