What Is Perplexity Computer? The Multiagent Digital Worker Explained (2026)

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• What is Perplexity Computer and how does it work?
• How does Computer compare to OpenClaw and other AI agents?
• What models does Perplexity Computer use?
• Is Perplexity Computer safe to use?
• Who can use Computer and how much does it cost?
• How do you get started with Perplexity Computer?
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  • What is Perplexity Computer?
  • How does Perplexity Computer work?
  • Is Perplexity Computer safer than OpenClaw?
  • Who can use Perplexity Computer?
  • How much does Perplexity Computer cost?
  • What models does Computer use?
  • Can Computer run in the background?
  • Can I choose which model does which task?
  • Where do I access Perplexity Computer?
  • What can I use Computer for?

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Introduction

On February 25, 2026, Perplexity launched Computer, a new multiagent orchestration system that the company describes as "a general-purpose digital worker" capable of reasoning, delegating, searching, building, remembering, coding, and delivering results. It arrives as interest in AI agents that work autonomously in the background has surged, along with concern about their safety. Perplexity is positioning Computer as a safer, more controllable alternative to tools like OpenClaw while harnessing more than a dozen frontier AI models to tackle complex, long-running projects.

This article explains what Perplexity Computer is, how it works, how it compares to OpenClaw, which models it uses, and how you can access it. We draw on ZDNET's coverage of Perplexity Computer and OpenClaw and EONMSK's report on the launch.

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What is Perplexity Computer and how does it work?

Perplexity Computer is a multiagent orchestration system that routes work across many AI models instead of relying on a single model for everything. The idea is that different models have different strengths: for example, Anthropic's Claude is widely used by software engineers, while other models excel at long-context recall, web search, or media. Using one model for a complex end-to-end task is like "assembling an Ikea dining table using a butter knife," as ZDNET puts it - possible but clumsy. Computer acts like a CEO: you describe the outcome you want, and it breaks the work into tasks and subtasks, then assigns each piece to the model best suited for it.

In practice, that means you can hand Computer a high-level goal - for instance, "Build an app that provides up-to-date snow conditions at different ski resorts" - and it will decompose the job, run research, write code, coordinate design and video if needed, and keep context across steps. EONMSK reports that Computer can run many agents in parallel and often uses Opus to decide which model handles each step; in total it routes work across 19 models to deliver stronger results faster. The system can operate quietly in the background for months and only check in with you when it truly needs input, so it fits long-running projects and ongoing to-do lists as well as one-off builds.

Computer is built on Perplexity's own infrastructure with full web access for up-to-date information, persistent memory for files and context, and hundreds of connectors to external services. You can scale from single tasks to hundreds of active projects and control spending and model choice for sub-agents, making it a central place to research, design, code, deploy, and manage work.

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How does Computer compare to OpenClaw and other AI agents?

Computer is being pitched in large part as a safer alternative to OpenClaw. OpenClaw (formerly Clawdbot and Moltbot) went viral as an always-on AI agent that could work across a user's whole digital ecosystem and interact via WhatsApp, Slack, and Telegram. Its creator, Peter Steinberger, was hired by OpenAI; Sam Altman called him a genius with "amazing ideas about the future of very smart agents." But the category is young, and mistakes can be serious. In one incident, Meta AI security researcher Summer Yue shared how she had to rush to her Mac to stop OpenClaw from deleting her entire email inbox after it misbehaved when moved from a small test inbox to her real one - a reminder that prompts can be misinterpreted and agents can act in unexpected, sometimes disastrous ways.

Perplexity's answer is to run Computer inside a safe and secure development sandbox, so that any security or logic glitches cannot spill over to your main network or personal apps. You get multiagent orchestration and long-running, autonomous-style work without giving a single agent direct, unrestricted access to your production systems. The company says it has run thousands of tasks internally with Computer - from publishing web copy to building apps - and has been "consistently surprised by the quality of the output." If you are weighing an AI agent that can work in the background across many tools, Computer is positioned as the more controlled, sandboxed option compared with agents that operate directly on your machine and accounts.

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What models does Perplexity Computer use?

Computer does not rely on one model. It orchestrates many. According to ZDNET, the core reasoning engine is Claude Opus 4.6. Google's Nano Banana and Veo 3.1 handle imagery and video respectively, Grok is used for lightweight tasks, and GPT-5.2 is deployed for queries that need long-context recall and broad web search. The exact lineup can change as new models excel in specific domains and existing ones are updated. Users can also step in and play the orchestrator themselves by delegating specific subtasks to particular models if they want more control.

EONMSK notes that Computer routes jobs across 19 models in total, with agents working in parallel and Opus often deciding the best model for each step. That multi-model approach is what lets Computer handle research, design, code, deployment, and ongoing management in one system instead of forcing a single generalist model to do everything.

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Is Perplexity Computer safe to use?

Perplexity is explicitly selling Computer as safer and more controllable than unconstrained agents like OpenClaw. The main safeguard is that Computer runs in a development sandbox, so failures or malicious behavior are contained and cannot spread to your main network or sensitive data. You are not giving one agent the keys to your email, file system, and APIs at once; you are giving an orchestrated system a bounded environment in which to work.

That does not remove all risk. AI agents can still misread instructions or behave in unexpected ways, and sandboxing limits blast radius rather than guaranteeing correct behavior. But for anyone nervous about the security of "always-on" agents that operate across your real apps and files, Computer offers a middle path: powerful multiagent automation with a clear boundary between the worker and your production systems.

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Who can use Computer and how much does it cost?

At launch, Computer is available only to Perplexity Max subscribers on the web. Perplexity has said it will roll out access to Enterprise and Pro subscribers in the coming weeks. Max subscribers can start using it immediately at perplexity.ai/computer.

Pricing is usage-based. You can choose which models power sub-agents and set spending caps so costs stay predictable. Max members already receive 10,000 credits per month as part of their plan. At launch (or signup), everyone gets a one-time bonus of 20,000 extra credits, and those bonus credits last 30 days. That gives you room to run a substantial number of tasks before hitting normal usage limits.

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How do you get started with Perplexity Computer?

If you are a Perplexity Max subscriber, go to perplexity.ai/computer and start a task. Describe the outcome you want - a product, an app, a research report, or a long-running workflow - and Computer will break it down, assign work to the right models, and run agents in parallel. You can run dozens of tasks at once, let Computer work in the background for extended periods, and optionally step in to assign specific subtasks to specific models. Pro and Enterprise users will get access in the coming weeks; until then, Max is the only tier with Computer enabled.

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