Perplexity said its Computer agent can now run fully on a Mac1. The model, the planning and the file work all stay on the device during a task. Pro, Max and Enterprise subscribers get the update first, through the Perplexity Mac app2.
A catch follows the news. Perplexity recommends 36GB of memory or more for the full local mode to work well13. Apple's cheapest Mac mini, at $899, configures only up to 32GB7.
What Runs on the Mac Now
Computer already worked as a cloud agent. It read files and acted across apps, with a user's permission, from Perplexity's servers. The new setting keeps that same work on the Mac itself1.
MacStories, one of several Mac-focused outlets that confirmed the change the same day, called it a local-first approach to agents4. The description fits: the device does the work first, and the cloud waits for permission.
Two models power it. Qwen 3.6, built by the Chinese firm Alibaba, is one option. PPLX Pro, Perplexity's own tuned version of Qwen, is the other3. A person picks one and downloads it through the Mac app before a local task can start.
Once local, Computer can open Notes, Messages, Mail, Keynote and Numbers on its own2. It still asks permission before it touches a file or sends anything to a connected app. Each task also runs in a sandboxed space, with its own limited reach into the Mac1.
A task that needs the open web, a browser, or a connected service can still reach Perplexity's cloud, with the user's approval. More than 15 frontier models sit on the other end of that choice1. Perplexity keeps the frequency of that trip to itself.
The Memory Gap, in Dollars
Unified memory is the single pool of RAM a Mac's chip shares between its processor and its graphics cores. A bigger pool lets a local AI model hold more of a task at once. Too little memory forces the model to swap pieces in and out.
Apple sells two chips in its current Mac mini7. The M6 model starts at $899 and configures up to 32GB of memory.
That lands 4GB under Perplexity's recommended floor, so a buyer who wants full local Computer on a new Mac mini has to spend more.
The M5 Pro model starts at $1,699. Only its top configuration, at 48GB or 64GB, clears Perplexity's bar9. That step-up adds hundreds of dollars past the base price Apple advertises.
Only Apple's $1,699 Mac Mini Clears Perplexity's 36GB Floor
Maximum memory on Apple's two Mac mini chips, against Perplexity's recommended floor for local Computer
The first column is the cheaper Mac mini's memory ceiling, the middle mark is Perplexity's recommended floor, and the last column is the pricier Mac mini's ceiling.
The M5 Pro Mac mini starts at 24GB; reaching 48GB or 64GB costs more than its $1,699 starting price.
Sources: Perplexity [1]; Apple Newsroom [7]; Apple [9]. Chart by Ryan Elliott Dennis.
The numbers behind this chart
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| M6 mini | 32GB |
| Perplexity floor | 36GB |
| M5 Pro mini | 64GB |
Perplexity's own announcement skips a minimum macOS version, a list of supported Macs and any speed numbers5. A buyer has to guess how a task will run before paying for the memory it needs.
Two Pitches, One Catch
Perplexity frames local Computer as a matter of control. "Running Computer locally, the choice of where to run tasks and how to use credits is completely in the user's hand," the company said in its announcement1.
Ravi Teja KNTS covers Apple news at iGeeksBlog. He read the same launch and found less to lean on. "The privacy claims come from Perplexity, and there are no independent tests yet," he wrote5. Only Perplexity itself has measured what the local mode actually sends home, or when.
That gap matters more than usual for this company. A lawsuit filed in San Francisco in March accuses Perplexity of sending user chats to Meta and Google through hidden trackers8. That happened, the suit says, even inside its Incognito mode. The case names a Utah plaintiff identified only as John Doe.
The complaint describes the trackers as undetectable, built into Perplexity's own code, unlike a browser cookie a user could spot and block8. Its plaintiff says he shared tax, legal and investing questions with Perplexity before filing suit.
Jesse Dwyer, a Perplexity spokesperson, answered the suit directly. "We have not been served any lawsuit that matches this description so we are unable to verify its existence or claims," he said8. The case stays open, awaiting its first ruling.
The Cheaper Way In
A lighter option exists too. Perplexity's older Hybrid Compute feature needs just 24GB of memory, a configuration every current Mac mini already meets2.
It keeps routine planning on the device and sends only the harder steps to the cloud. A local task draws on the Mac's own compute, apart from Perplexity's credit pool3.
Apple's own Shortcuts app does a narrower version of the same job, for $0 a month. It ships with every Mac and chains steps across apps, included with macOS.
A user still writes each Shortcuts workflow by hand, one step at a time. Shortcuts just repeats the script. Computer, unlike Shortcuts, reads an open request typed in plain English and figures out the steps on its own.
Perplexity's Top Plan Costs 10 Times Its Entry Plan
Monthly price to run an AI agent on a Mac: Apple's free Shortcuts against Perplexity's two paid tiers, Oct. 2026
Each bar is a monthly price: the shortest is free, the middle gets the new local mode, and the longest costs ten times the middle one.
Perplexity's $20 Pro and $200 Max prices are from the company's own pricing announcements and may have changed since.
Source: TechCrunch [6]. Chart by Ryan Elliott Dennis.
The numbers behind this chart
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Apple Shortcuts | $0 |
| Perplexity Pro | $20 |
| Perplexity Max | $200 |
What to Do
Check the memory your Mac already carries before you pay for a plan built around 36GB. Many current Macs, the base Mac mini and MacBook included, land under that number.
Start with Hybrid Compute at 24GB if your Mac qualifies. It keeps your current hardware and skips the wait on independent testing.
Hold off on sensitive files until an outside lab checks what local Computer actually sends, and where. Perplexity's own word is the only word so far.
Weigh Shortcuts first for routine, repeatable jobs. A free, fixed workflow beats a paid agent when the steps stay the same every time.
By the numbers
- 36GB: Perplexity recommends this much memory for full local Computer, more than the $899 Mac mini can hold13.
- $899: Apple's M6 Mac mini starts here, configured up to 32GB7.
- $1,699: Only this step-up Mac mini, the M5 Pro, configures past 36GB, up to 64GB9.
- $20: Perplexity Pro's monthly price, the entry plan that gets the new local mode6.
- Ten times that entry price buys Perplexity Max, the top tier, at $200 a month6.
- 24GB: Hybrid Compute needs this much memory, a bar most current Macs already clear2.
What to watch
Watch for an outside lab to test what local Computer actually sends to Perplexity's servers, and how often. The Doe lawsuit's next filing date matters too: a ruling on the trackers would settle how much the new privacy pitch is worth8. A side-by-side benchmark of Qwen 3.6 against PPLX Pro would also tell buyers which download is worth the upgrade.
Sources
- Perplexity, "Perplexity Computer Now Runs Fully Local on Mac," Perplexity, Oct. 20, 2026, https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/perplexity-computer-now-runs-fully-local-on-mac
- Juli Clover, "Perplexity Computer Can Now Run Fully Locally on Mac," MacRumors, Oct. 20, 2026, https://www.macrumors.com/2026/10/20/perplexity-computer-local-mac/
- Zac Hall, "Perplexity's Computer Can Now Run Entirely on Your Mac, Even Offline," 9to5Mac, Oct. 20, 2026, https://9to5mac.com/2026/10/20/perplexitys-computer-can-now-run-entirely-on-your-mac-even-offline/
- John Voorhees, "Perplexity Computer's Local-First Approach to Agents," MacStories, Oct. 20, 2026, https://www.macstories.net/news/perplexity-computers-local-first-approach-to-agents/
- Ravi Teja KNTS, "Perplexity Computer Can Now Run Fully Locally on Mac," iGeeksBlog, Oct. 21, 2026, https://www.igeeksblog.com/perplexity-computer-fully-local-mac/
- Maxwell Zeff, "Perplexity Launches a $200 Monthly Subscription Plan," TechCrunch, July 2, 2025, https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/02/perplexity-launches-a-200-monthly-subscription-plan/
- Apple, "The New Mac Mini and Mac Studio Are Available Today," Apple Newsroom, Sept. 22, 2026, https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/09/the-new-mac-mini-and-mac-studio-are-available-today/
- Robert Burnson, "Perplexity AI Machine Accused of Sharing Data With Meta, Google," Claims Journal (Bloomberg News), April 1, 2026, https://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2026/04/01/336634.htm
- Apple, "Mac mini - Tech Specs," Apple, Oct. 21, 2026, https://www.apple.com/mac-mini/specs/