Perplexity announced the release of a new native app for Mac that will bring its “answer engine” directly to the desktop, eliminating the need for a web browser.
Available through the Apple App Store, the Perplexity desktop app offers exclusive features for Mac users. These include Pro Search, guided AI search for deeper exploration, text and voice prompting, and cited sources for every answer.
The desktop app facilitates threaded conversations, allowing users to ask follow-up questions and the AI to recall details from previous chats. It also includes a library feature to track previous searches for easy retrieval and supports quick access through keyboard shortcuts.
⌘ + ⇧ + P — coming soon.
Pre-order now: https://t.co/Z9UF7og614 pic.twitter.com/S7sSTWO2KS
— Perplexity (@perplexity_ai) September 30, 2024
While the desktop app is free to download, users need to subscribe to Perplexity’s $20-per-month (or $200-per-year) Pro plan to use it. This plan includes benefits like up to 600 “Pro Searches” per day, choice of AI model, and the ability to analyze uploaded files and images. The Perplexity web app remains free, offering unlimited Quick Searches and up to five Pro Searches per day.
The Perplexity Mac app marks the fourth iteration of the company’s AI, following the web app, Android, and iOS apps released last year.
However, Perplexity faces accusations of unethical behavior, unauthorized data scraping, and copyright infringement. News Corp is currently suing the company for allegedly scraping data from the Wall Street Journal and New York Post in violation of copyright law.
