Perplexity Computer runs fully local on Macs, credit-free

Point an agent at your local files and native Mac apps, and the sensitive data stays on the machine. Perplexity says Computer can now run fully local, with both the model and the agent on your Mac.

Local tasks use PPLX Pro, Perplexity’s post-trained version of Qwen 3.8, and don’t consume Computer credits. The cost moves to hardware: Perplexity recommends 36 GB of unified memory.

For more complex work, Hybrid splits a task between cloud models and the local model, keeping sensitive data private. The local option is available to Pro, Max and Enterprise subscribers on supported Apple silicon Macs, once they download the Mac app and set up a local model.