How much does Perplexity Computer cost?

Pro, from $17 a month billed yearly, includes weekly Computer usage that is still rolling out. Max, $200 a month, includes 10,000 credits, and 100 credits equal $1. MausBot is free; its bots run on the account or API key you already have.

Is Perplexity Computer the same as Personal Computer?

Personal Computer is Computer in Perplexity's Mac and Windows apps, working on your local files and apps. Computer itself runs in Perplexity's cloud.

Can Perplexity Computer run locally?

Yes, fully on a supported Apple silicon Mac since November 2026, with 36 GB of memory recommended. MausBot runs on your own computer or server and offers Ollama, LM Studio, oMLX, EXO and Unsloth hosts in each bot's model picker.

Is Perplexity Computer open source?

No. MausBot is open source, Apache 2.0 on GitHub apart from an enterprise/ folder.

Comparison as of November 15, 2026, with both products as they were that day · Perplexity

Perplexity Computer alternative: MausBot

A Perplexity Computer alternative that is open source and runs on accounts you already pay for: one team of Claude Code, Codex, Grok and more, on your machine.

Perplexity Computer is Perplexity's general-purpose digital worker: it splits a goal into sub-agents across 20+ models in a cloud sandbox, billed by usage, with apps that can also run it on a Mac or PC. MausBot is the open source alternative: one team of the AI agents you already have, each bot with its own model and computer, on the accounts and keys you already pay for.

What Perplexity Computer is

Perplexity launched Computer on February 25, 2026 for Max subscribers and opened it to Pro on March 13. It breaks a goal into steps, creates sub-agents and runs them in an isolated cloud sandbox with a real filesystem, browser and hundreds of connectors, routing each subtask to one of 20+ models. Personal Computer brought it to local files and apps on Mac in April and Windows in July. Since November 6, 2026 it can run fully on an Apple silicon Mac, and Max subscribers on the web get Teammates, ongoing agents that work in parallel.

Launched: February 25, 2026. Sources: Perplexity: Introducing Perplexity Computer; Perplexity Help Center: What is Computer?; Perplexity Help Center: how credits work; Perplexity Help Center: Perplexity Max; Perplexity pricing; Perplexity changelog: Computer for Pro subscribers; Perplexity changelog: Teammates and fully local Computer on Mac; TechCrunch: Personal Computer now available to everyone on Mac; SiliconANGLE: Perplexity brings Personal Computer to Windows.

Why people look for a Perplexity Computer alternative

Metered: Computer runs on credits (100 credits equal $1), unused monthly credits do not roll over, and active tasks pause when credits run out.
Monthly credits come only with Max at $200 a month; Pro gets a weekly allowance that is still rolling out, and without credits Computer runs at the Light effort setting only.
Model use is billed through Perplexity's credits; the help center describes no way to use a model subscription you already pay for.
Fully local mode needs an Apple silicon Mac (36 GB of memory recommended), and Teammates are for Max subscribers on the web.
Closed source: nothing to read or self-host.

Perplexity Computer vs MausBot

The Perplexity Computer column comes from the vendor's own pages and the press cited above, checked on November 15, 2026. Where the vendor has not said, the cell says so.

	Perplexity Computer	MausBot
Price	Pro from $17 a month billed yearly, with weekly Computer usage; Max $200 a month with 10,000 credits; 100 credits equal $1	Free and open source. Bots run on the Claude, ChatGPT or Grok account, or the API key, you already have
Models	20+ models picked per subtask, or chosen by you; billed through credits	16 agent engines (Claude Code, Codex, Grok, Cursor, Copilot and more), API and local models; chosen per bot, switchable mid-conversation
Agents	Sub-agents per task, many Computers in parallel; Teammates on Max	As many bots as you like, in group chats, with a Chief of Staff that hands out work
Where it runs	Perplexity's cloud sandbox; local or hybrid on an Apple silicon Mac; Windows app for local files	Your own computer or server; cloud computers with a live desktop on a Cloud plan
Before it acts	Checks in when it needs you; Personal Computer asks before sending email or deleting files	Full access by default, or Ask, Auto-accept edits or Approve for me per bot; sends can be set to ask every time
Apps	Hundreds of connectors, plugins and skills	Gmail, Slack, Notion, LinkedIn and hundreds more apps, any MCP server, and bots' own numbers and inboxes
Keeps working with the laptop closed	Yes, in Perplexity's cloud	Yes on a Cloud plan from $15 a month, or self-hosted free on your own server
Platforms	Web, iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows apps, Slack, email	macOS, Windows, Ubuntu; iPhone and Android apps
Open source	No	Yes. Apache 2.0 on GitHub, apart from an enterprise/ folder

What MausBot is

MausBot is a free, open-source app that runs a team of the AI agents you already have. Each bot has its own model, computer and connected apps, on Claude Code, Codex, Grok, Cursor, Copilot and other agent engines, API models or local models, using the accounts you already pay for. A Chief of Staff bot hands work to the others, bots share group chats, and every bot reads your About me. It runs on Mac, Windows and Ubuntu with iPhone and Android apps, keeps your data in ~/.openmausbot on your own machine, and is published on GitHub under Apache 2.0. You can self-host it free on your own server, and Cloud plans from $15 a month keep bots working with the laptop closed.

What Perplexity Computer still does better

Perplexity's search and research built in, with 20+ models from several labs chosen per subtask.
Runs for hours in Perplexity's cloud with nothing to keep awake, and reaches you on web, iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, Slack and email.
Generates images and video inside the same task.
Hundreds of connectors, including data tools such as Snowflake, Databricks and Salesforce.

Other Perplexity Computer alternatives

MausBot is the open-source option. The other agents in this category, each with its own comparison page:

Grok Bot by xAI: Grok Bot opened as a beta on August 11, 2026 and reached version 1.0 on November 2, 2026.
OpenAI dots by OpenAI: Dots launched on September 29, 2026.
ChatGPT Work by OpenAI: ChatGPT Work is an agent inside ChatGPT that OpenAI launched on July 9, 2026, built on Codex technology.
Meta Muse by Meta: Muse launched on September 8, 2026.

Every other comparison page: Grok Bot, OpenAI dots, ChatGPT Work, Meta Muse, Claude Cowork, Claude Duet, Gemini Spark, Manus, Cue by Manus, Instinct, Poke, Viktor, Lindy, Squad, Turnstone, Bops, Hark Pro, OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, Vellum, Open Dots, OpenBot, Rakazo, OpenMuse, OpenInstinct.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Perplexity Computer cost?: Pro, from $17 a month billed yearly, includes weekly Computer usage that is still rolling out. Max, $200 a month, includes 10,000 credits, and 100 credits equal $1. MausBot is free; its bots run on the account or API key you already have.
Is Perplexity Computer the same as Personal Computer?: Personal Computer is Computer in Perplexity's Mac and Windows apps, working on your local files and apps. Computer itself runs in Perplexity's cloud.
Can Perplexity Computer run locally?: Yes, fully on a supported Apple silicon Mac since November 2026, with 36 GB of memory recommended. MausBot runs on your own computer or server and offers Ollama, LM Studio, oMLX, EXO and Unsloth hosts in each bot's model picker.
Is Perplexity Computer open source?: No. MausBot is open source, Apache 2.0 on GitHub apart from an enterprise/ folder.

This comparison is based on Perplexity Computer and MausBot as they were on November 15, 2026. Both products change. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.