What Is Perplexity Computer?
Perplexity just launched what might be the most ambitious product pivot in AI search history. Perplexity Computer is not a search feature โ it's a full-blown autonomous agent system that can research, design, code, deploy, and manage entire projects end-to-end.
The company describes it as "a general-purpose digital worker that operates the same interfaces you do" and "a system that creates and executes entire workflows, capable of running for hours or even months."
It's live now at perplexity.ai/computer.
The 19-Model Orchestra
The headline feature is massively multi-model orchestration. Perplexity Computer doesn't rely on a single model โ it routes tasks across 19 different AI models from multiple labs, picking the best tool for each job.
Here's how the model routing works at launch:
| Model | Role |
|---|---|
| Claude Opus 4.6 | Orchestration engine + coding tasks |
| Gemini | Deep research + sub-agent creation |
| Grok | Speed โ lightweight tasks |
| ChatGPT 5.2 | Long-context recall + wide search |
| Nano Banana | Image generation |
| Veo 3.1 | Video generation |
The system works by breaking your request into tasks and sub-tasks, spawning specialized sub-agents for each one, and coordinating everything asynchronously. You describe the outcome you want; Computer figures out the workflow.
This is the key difference from tools like Claude Code or OpenClaw โ those are primarily single-model coding agents. Perplexity Computer is model-agnostic by design, routing across labs to match capabilities to tasks. As The Deep View put it: "Perplexity may have built a better OpenClaw."
How It Works
The workflow is fully autonomous:
- You describe an outcome โ "Build me a dashboard tracking X" or "Research this topic and write a report"
- Computer decomposes the task โ Breaks it into sub-tasks, each mapped to the optimal model
- Agents run in parallel โ Sub-agents work simultaneously across research, coding, design, and deployment
- Coordination is automatic โ The orchestration layer (Opus 4.6) manages dependencies, resolves conflicts, and synthesizes outputs
- Persistent memory โ Computer remembers your past work, files, and context across sessions
The system runs in a secure development sandbox with full web access, hundreds of service connectors, and file management built in.
What Perplexity Built With It Internally
Perplexity has been dogfooding Computer since January. According to the company, employees have used it to:
- Publish engineering documentation rapidly
- Build a 4,000-row spreadsheet overnight that would normally take a week
- Create websites, dashboards, and applications
- Generate analysis and data visualizations
The emphasis on long-running workflows is notable โ this isn't a chatbot that gives you an answer and forgets. Computer is designed to manage hundreds of active projects simultaneously.
Perplexity is also running a live stream of curated Computer tasks at perplexity.ai/computer/live, letting users see the system in action.
Pricing and Availability
| Tier | Access | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Max ($200/mo) | Available now (web only) | 10,000 credits/month + 20,000 bonus at launch |
| Pro ($20/mo) | Coming soon | TBD |
| Enterprise | Coming soon | TBD |
This marks Perplexity's first foray into per-token billing for consumers. The credit system lets users choose which models to use for sub-agents and set spending caps โ important when agentic workflows can burn through tokens fast.
The 20,000 bonus credits expire after 30 days, giving Max subscribers a window to stress-test the system.
The Bigger Picture
Perplexity Computer arrives at a moment when the AI industry is rapidly converging on agentic systems. Claude Code, OpenClaw, Devin, and Replit Agent have all demonstrated that AI can go beyond answering questions to actually doing work. But most of these tools are single-model, coding-focused systems.
Perplexity's bet is different: model diversity as competitive advantage. By orchestrating across 19 models from every major lab, Computer can theoretically match the best available capability for every sub-task โ Opus for reasoning, Gemini for research, Grok for speed, specialized models for media generation.
The question is whether the orchestration overhead and coordination complexity justify the multi-model approach over a single powerful model that does everything well enough. OpenAI's o-series and Anthropic's Claude have been pushing toward models that are excellent generalists. Perplexity is betting on specialization and routing instead.
For Perplexity specifically, this represents a major strategic expansion. The company has been known primarily as an AI search engine โ a better Google. Computer repositions them as a general-purpose AI platform, competing directly with the labs whose models it orchestrates. That's a bold and potentially precarious position: your product depends on access to your competitors' APIs.
Perplexity has also recently abandoned advertising in favor of subscription-only revenue, partnered with Samsung for Galaxy device integration ("Hey Plex"), and launched in-app commerce features. Computer is the most ambitious move yet โ transforming from a search tool into an AI operating system.
How to Try It
Perplexity Computer is live now at perplexity.ai/computer for Max subscribers ($200/month). Click the "Computer" icon in the upper left corner of the Perplexity web interface.
Pro and Enterprise access is rolling out in the coming weeks.