Perplexity in April 2026
A browser that went free, a computer on your Mac, and a research engine that now hands you the finished work
By WhatAI Editorial Team ·
Perplexity in April 2026: A browser that went free, a computer on your Mac, and a research engine that now hands you the finished work
From an AI-native browser landing on every device to a desktop agent running 24/7 on a Mac mini, Perplexity has spent the past six weeks quietly becoming something harder to categorise. Here is what changed and what it means for each type of user.
Perplexity AI · Covers all plans · Updated May 2, 2026
Tags: Comet Browser · Personal Computer · Model Council · Deep Research · Health · Perplexity Computer · Pricing
Perplexity started as a search engine that cited its sources. That was a genuinely useful thing in a world where AI models were confidently making things up with no way to check them. But the company has spent 2026 moving well past that original idea. It now has a web browser, a multi-model research system, a cloud-based autonomous agent, and a local desktop agent that can run on your Mac around the clock. Describing it as a search engine at this point is a bit like describing a hammer as a nail-related device.
Below is a clear account of what actually shipped in recent weeks and what it means depending on how you use the product.
$21B company valuation · 19 AI models in Perplexity Computer · 5 subscription tiers
Comet: from premium product to free browser for everyone
Comet launched in mid-2025 as a premium desktop product and has spent 2026 going free across every platform. The iOS version arrived on March 18, 2026, and reached the number three spot on the overall US App Store within 48 hours of its public launch.
Comet is built on Chromium, so most existing Chrome extensions still work, bookmarks import in one click, and the general muscle memory of browser use carries over. The AI layer running underneath understands the page you are currently on, can run multi-step agentic tasks across tabs, and gives you Perplexity's research engine without leaving the browser window.
Voice mode is built in, powered by GPT Realtime 1.5, and works across the tabs you have open. A March 2026 update brought over 25 percent more reliable interactions and improved voice expressiveness. There is also a Finance Hub built directly into the browser with market data, analyst ratings, and links to SEC filings that scroll directly to the relevant page.
An update on April 28 added full iPadOS multi-window and Split View support, which transforms Comet on iPad from a phone app scaled up to a legitimate second-screen research tool.
The download is free on iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac. Premium features including Model Council and access to the highest-tier models require a Pro or Max subscription.
Personal Computer: an always-on agent on your Mac
Perplexity launched Personal Computer on April 16, 2026. It is an expansion of Perplexity Computer that integrates with local files and apps on a Mac, running directly on the device with access to the file system and native applications.
Pressing both Command keys on a Mac activates Personal Computer, and it responds to text or voice commands. It can work across any Mac app and sees active apps to display quick actions automatically. Perplexity says it can run on any Mac with macOS 14 Sonoma or later, though the company recommends a Mac mini for users who want it running 24/7.
Personal Computer works as a digital proxy: it monitors triggers, executes proactive tasks, and carries work forward around the clock, controllable from any device, anywhere. Every sensitive action requires explicit approval, with a full audit trail and kill switch built in.
Personal Computer is currently available to Max subscribers at $200 per month. A Windows version is on a waitlist with no confirmed date. It is not included in the standard Pro plan.
Model Council and Deep Research: the multi-model approach
Model Council is a Max-exclusive feature that runs GPT-5.4, Claude Opus 4.6, and Gemini 3.1 Pro in parallel on the same query, compares their outputs side by side, and synthesises them. A fourth model analyses where the three agree and where they diverge. The intended use is high-stakes research or any decision where a single model's blind spots could matter.
Deep Research now generates deliverables directly: PowerPoint presentations, spreadsheets, dashboards, and websites from your research prompts. This removes the step of copy-pasting findings into other tools. In Pro Search or Deep Research mode, you can prompt something like "create a presentation analysing the AI agent market" and Perplexity brings the full workflow into one place.
Perplexity Computer can also now review documents as an independent auditing pass, checking for logical consistency, structural integrity, and factual accuracy without rewriting from scratch.
Perplexity Health
Perplexity Health is rolling out to Pro and Max subscribers. It lets you securely connect health data sources in one place, including medical records from over one million providers, as well as apps and devices like Fitbit and Google Fit. The feature is in rollout phase and availability varies by account and region.
The ad-free pivot
Perplexity officially moved to a subscription-first model in early 2026, removing ads from responses entirely. The company had been one of the first AI platforms to offer advertising but abandoned that business, saying it undermined users' trust in the accuracy of answers. This is a notable contrast to what is happening elsewhere: ChatGPT began testing ads in the same period.
Perplexity executives have said publicly that they are now aiming for a specific type of user rather than raw scale, describing their target as people making what one executive called "GDP-moving decisions." The company says it now looks at revenue metrics rather than daily query counts when assessing how the product is doing.
What each plan covers
Free: Unlimited basic searches, approximately five Pro Search queries per day, no access to advanced models or image generation. Throttled during high-traffic periods.
Pro ($20/month): Unlimited Pro Searches with cited sources, document uploads, Deep Research (20 sessions per month), Comet browser premium features, access to Claude Sonnet 4.6, GPT-4o, and Mistral. Perplexity Computer is now available on this plan.
Max ($200/month): Perplexity Computer with 10,000 credits per month, Comet browser across all devices, highest-tier model access including GPT-5.4 and Claude Opus 4.6, Model Council, and Personal Computer for Mac.
Enterprise Pro ($40/seat/month): Team collaboration, enterprise memory, SSO, and advanced security. Comet can be deployed silently across macOS and Windows devices via MDM with full policy controls.
Enterprise Max ($325/seat/month): Full Computer for Enterprise, access to premium data from CB Insights, PitchBook, and Statista directly inside Computer, plus full IT governance and audit controls.
Education: Students at university level or higher can access a verified Education Pro plan for $10 per month, or free for the first 12 months in some regional programmes.
One thing worth knowing about where the product is headed
Perplexity says it is no longer reliant on other companies' APIs for its web index and now runs its own AI-optimised search infrastructure. Internal data from late 2025 showed users frequently switching between models depending on the task: visual outputs most often routed to Gemini Flash, software engineering to Claude Sonnet 4.5, and medical research to GPT-5.1. The multi-model approach is a deliberate product bet on that behaviour, and the 2026 feature set is built around supporting it rather than pushing users toward a single proprietary model.
The version of Perplexity that exists in May 2026 is structurally different from what it was twelve months ago. The research engine is still there and still good, but it is now one layer in a product that also includes a browser, a cloud agent, a local desktop agent, a health data aggregator, and a multi-model comparison feature. Whether that combination is useful depends entirely on how you work. For people who do a lot of research, analysis, or document-heavy professional work, the depth is real. For people who mostly want quick answers, the free tier still does that job well and the browser is free to try.
Sources: Perplexity changelog (perplexity.ai/changelog) · Perplexity blog (perplexity.ai/hub) · MacRumors · TechCrunch · Neuriflux · Releasebot.io · Tools Stack AI · Published May 2, 2026 by the WhatAI editorial team
Perplexity.ai is a conversational AI search platform that provides direct answers to queries by searching the web in real time and citing sources. Users ask questions in natural language, and the system generates reasoned responses with inline citations. The Pro plan adds access to advanced models, deeper research modes, file analysis, automation tools, and features like Pages and Collections for organizing and presenting information.
Features and Capabilities
Perplexity.ai offers standard search with citations, Pro Search for in-depth multi-step reasoning with more sources, model selection (including Sonar, Claude Sonnet 4.6, Gemini 3.1 Pro, and others), and Perplexity Computer for automating complex tasks. Additional elements include file uploads and analysis, Perplexity Pages for creating formatted reports/articles, Collections for organizing threads, image/video generation in some modes, and mobile apps for iOS and Android.
Discuss Perplexity.ai
Perplexity.ai is an AI search engine that combines conversational responses with real-time web sources and citations. It supports quick lookups and deep research via Pro features, with tiered plans offering advanced models, automation, and organization tools. Join the conversation below to share your experience, ask questions, post reviews, suggest new features or integrations, or discover similar AI search tools. All feedback is welcome.
About Perplexity
Perplexity.ai assists users by processing natural language questions and returning synthesized answers backed by web sources. The workflow involves typing a query, optionally selecting a model or research mode, reviewing the response with citations, and following up in the same thread or creating new ones. Pro users gain access to advanced reasoning models, file uploads for analysis, Pages for turning research into documents, and automation via Perplexity Computer. Additional functions include Collections for organizing threads and mobile apps.
Use Cases
Pricing
Free
$0
- • Limited daily queries
- • Basic models
- • Standard search
- • Suitable for casual use
Pro
$20/month (~$17 billed annually)
- • Unlimited or high Pro Search limits
- • Advanced models (Claude Sonnet 4.6, Gemini 3.1 Pro, Sonar, etc.)
- • File uploads
- • Perplexity Computer
- • Pages and Collections
Max
$200+/month (varies)
- • Highest usage limits
- • Top-tier reasoning models
- • Expanded automation credits
- • Priority access
Enterprise Pro
$40 per seat/month ($400/year)
- • Team collaboration
- • SSO integration
- • No training on company data
- • Admin controls and governance
Pricing varies by plan and region — see current pricing.
Plan features change — last updated: 2026-05-02.
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Perplexity — Frequently Asked Questions
How does Perplexity.ai work?
It performs real-time web searches and uses AI models to synthesize answers with inline citations from sources.
What models are available?
Free tier uses basic models; Pro and higher provide access to advanced models including Sonar, Claude Sonnet 4.6, Gemini 3.1 Pro, and others.
What is Pro Search?
Pro Search conducts deeper, multi-step research with more sources and advanced reasoning for complex questions.
Does Perplexity.ai support file uploads?
Yes — Pro and higher plans allow uploading files for analysis and inclusion in research.
Is there an enterprise version?
Yes — Enterprise plans add team seats, SSO, no training on company data, and higher usage limits.
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