Short answer: Aside: An AI browser rebuilt for people and agents: its agent works across your logged-in websites, and Computer Use (launched 6 Nov 2026) lets it operate desktop apps on Mac and Windows, while payments, posts and messages wait for your confirmation. Perplexity Computer: Perplexity's agent for end-to-end projects: it plans the work, picks the right model for each step, connects to hundreds of apps and hands back finished research, reports, dashboards and apps. Since 20 Oct 2026 it can also run fully on your Mac.
Aside vs Perplexity Computer
Sourced facts only. “Unknown” means not verified yet.
Key facts side by side
| Criterion | Aside | Perplexity Computer |
|---|---|---|
| Type | business agent | business agent |
| Vendor | Aside (backed by Y Combinator) | Perplexity |
| Channels / category | Desktop browser for macOS 15+ and Windows 10 (22H2) / 11, x64 and ARM64; remote control from Slack, Discord and Telegram; CLI, MCP and REPL for developers | Web, iOS app, Perplexity desktop app for Mac and Windows (Personal Computer), Slack; fully local mode on supported Apple silicon Macs |
| Pricing / availability | Free; Pro USD 20/month; Max USD 200/month (aside.com/pricing, checked 9 Nov 2026). Per the 23 Oct 2026 changelog, Computer Use is available to Max subscribers and experimental accounts. You can also connect a ChatGPT or Claude subscription or your own API key. | Included in Perplexity Pro (USD 17/month billed annually, with weekly Computer usage) and Max (USD 167/month billed annually, 10,000 credits a month), plus Enterprise Pro and Enterprise Max. Extra credits: 100 credits = USD 1. Fully local tasks on Mac do not use Computer credits |
| Launched | 2026-11-06 | 2026-02-26 |
| Funding (reported) | Backed by Y Combinator (aside.com); amount unknown | n/a (Perplexity product) |
| Channels confirmed | Desktop app, Slack, Telegram | Web, Mobile app, Desktop app, Slack |
| Verified facts | Announced Computer Use on 6 Nov 2026: "80% of work happens on browser, this covers the rest"; runs in the background across multiple apps on macOS and is available on Mac and Windows; Aside says Computer Use is 2.7x faster with 65% fewer tokens than Codex, based on its own internal evals (no independent head-to-head published); Changelog 23 Oct 2026: the agent works across desktop apps on Mac and Windows; mention apps in chat, watch live previews and take over when needed; enable in Settings > Agents > Computer Use; available to Max subscribers and experimental accounts; Aside is a browser rebuilt for people and agents that works across your logged-in websites, email, dashboards and internal tools, and with documents and spreadsheets on your computer; backed by Y Combinator; Credentials are autofilled into websites, not exposed to the AI; payments, posts and messages wait for your confirmation, and every credential use is logged; Runs on your device with sandbox guardrails for filesystem and network access; use your ChatGPT or Claude subscription or bring your own API key; Plans checked 9 Nov 2026: Free, Pro USD 20/month, Max USD 200/month; team features include agent runs from apps or cron jobs and shared profiles and vaults; Also includes memory, routines, a password manager (Aside Vault) and remote control from Slack, Discord and Telegram (changelog, Aug to Oct 2026); The launch post had 1,693 bookmarks and about 246,000 views by 9 Nov 2026; Doomers AI measured 69.8 saves per 10,000 views, 5.8x its directory median; In October a co-founder previewed v2: a "personal work assistant" focus, Aside Cloud for routines that keep running with the lid closed, and a mobile app (plans, not yet shipped) | Launched 26 Feb 2026 for Max subscribers on the web; it breaks a project into steps, delegates to specialised agents and orchestrates work across 19 models; Opened to all Pro subscribers on web and iOS on 12 Mar 2026, along with Enterprise plans and Computer in Slack, which answers DMs and channel mentions and schedules recurring workflows; Personal Computer, the desktop app rebuilt around Computer, gives it local files, native apps, voice control and an always-on desktop experience on Mac and Windows; Hybrid Compute on Mac (1 Sep 2026) splits a task between cloud models and a local model; an on-device privacy gate can mask, keep local, refuse or ask before sensitive data leaves the Mac; Since 20 Oct 2026 Computer can run fully local on supported Apple silicon Macs: the model, agent, planning, reasoning and file processing stay on the device; Fully local mode works across Notes, Messages, Mail, Keynote and Numbers and launches with Qwen 3.6 or PPLX Pro, a post-trained version of Qwen; 36 GB of unified memory or more is recommended; Local tasks do not consume Computer credits; users can authorise escalation to the cloud for current information, browser use, connected apps or one of 15+ frontier models; Code and tool execution run in isolated sandbox environments with controlled access to files and connected apps; Pro: USD 17/month billed annually, with weekly Computer usage and a one-time 4,000-credit bonus; Max: USD 167/month billed annually with 10,000 credits a month; Credits cost USD 1 per 100; a multi-step research report typically uses 350 to 950 credits |
| Website | https://aside.com/ | https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/perplexity-computer-now-runs-fully-local-on-mac |
| Sources | [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] | [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] |
| Last checked | 2026-11-11 | 2026-11-11 |
Frequently asked questions
What is Aside?
An AI browser rebuilt for people and agents: its agent works across your logged-in websites, and Computer Use (launched 6 Nov 2026) lets it operate desktop apps on Mac and Windows, while payments, posts and messages wait for your confirmation.
What is Perplexity Computer?
Perplexity's agent for end-to-end projects: it plans the work, picks the right model for each step, connects to hundreds of apps and hands back finished research, reports, dashboards and apps. Since 20 Oct 2026 it can also run fully on your Mac.
How much does Aside cost?
Free; Pro USD 20/month; Max USD 200/month (aside.com/pricing, checked 9 Nov 2026). Per the 23 Oct 2026 changelog, Computer Use is available to Max subscribers and experimental accounts. You can also connect a ChatGPT or Claude subscription or your own API key.
How much does Perplexity Computer cost?
Included in Perplexity Pro (USD 17/month billed annually, with weekly Computer usage) and Max (USD 167/month billed annually, 10,000 credits a month), plus Enterprise Pro and Enterprise Max. Extra credits: 100 credits = USD 1. Fully local tasks on Mac do not use Computer credits
Are Aside and Perplexity Computer the same type of agent?
Aside is listed as a business agent and Perplexity Computer as a business agent.
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