One of the hottest AI apps just came to the Mac (and it’s not ChatGPT)

Perplexity

Perplexity announced Thursday nan merchandise of a caller autochthonal app for Mac that will put its “answer engine” straight connected nan desktop, pinch nary request for a web browser.

Currently disposable done the Apple App Store, nan Perplexity desktop app promises a assortment of features “exclusively for Mac.” These see Pro Search, which is simply a “guided AI hunt for deeper exploration,” nan capacity for some matter and sound prompting, and “cited sources” for each answer.

The desktop app besides allows for threaded conversations, which enables nan personification to inquire follow-up questions and nan AI to callback specifications from past chats. It besides offers a room characteristic that tracks your erstwhile searches for you to propulsion backmost up astatine a later date. You tin besides quickly entree nan app done various keyboard shortcuts.

⌘ + ⇧ + P — coming soon.

Pre-order now: https://t.co/Z9UF7og614 pic.twitter.com/S7sSTWO2KS

— Perplexity (@perplexity_ai) September 30, 2024

But while nan desktop app itself is free to download, you will request to subscribe to Perplexity’s $20-per-month (or $200-per-year) Pro scheme successful bid to really usage it. That $20 garners you further benefits and capabilities including up to 600 “Pro Searches” per time and your prime of AI exemplary to use, arsenic good arsenic nan expertise to analyse uploaded files and images. The Perplexity web app is still free to use, mind you, and offers unlimited Quick Searches and arsenic galore arsenic 5 Pro Searches per day, which connection much in-depth responses than a Quick Search would.

This announcement comes a week aft the institution rolled retired 2 further caller features: Internal Knowledge Search and Spaces. Internal Knowledge Search enables nan AI to hunt some nan web and done nan user’s provided files to shape much coherent and meticulous answers. Spaces is simply a ChatGPT Canvas– aliases Claude Artifact-style collaboration area that previews responses to nan user’s queries extracurricular of nan chat itself.

The Perplexity Mac app is nan 4th loop of nan company’s AI, pinch nan web app and Android and iOS apps each arriving past year.

On nan different hand, Perplexity has been many times accused of unethical behavior, unauthorized information scraping, and outright copyright infringement. The institution is currently being sued by News Corp complete allegations that it scraped information from nan Wall Street Journal and New York Post successful usurpation of copyright law.