The Newest AI Innovation Has Digital Assistants Do All Your Boring Jobs
Today, Perplexity joins the ranks of competing AI companies, OpenAI and Quora, with the release of its new native macOS app. The artificial intelligence heavy-hitter has been hinting at the launch on X (formerly Twitter) since earlier this month.
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The app is currently available on the macOS App Store and is free to use. Like most apps these days, Perplexity's offering also features an upgraded subscription tier that will set you back $20 per month or $200 per year.
The Differences Between Pro and Free Tiers
Free users get access to Quick Search and basic query functions, as well as up to 5 Pro Searches per day. Coughing up the extra scratch will get you up to 600 pro searches per day, and a choice of AI models depending on what you're trying to accomplish. You'll also be granted the ability to analyze PDFs, CSVs, and uploaded images.
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Perplexity indicates the app offers a streamlined design tailored for Mac users, as well as fast response times and optimized resource usage. The other features include voice search, dual search modes, customizable shortcuts, and threaded conversation capability.
The latter allows you to ask follow-up questions and have the app return appropriately contextualized answers. And the app also suggests related topics at the end of each answer.
Like many other players in the space, Perplexity's platform incorporates citations in case you're concerned about the accuracy of the responses you're receiving. There's also a library feature which enables you to peruse past searches.
Standalone AI Becomes More Ubiquitous
Companies like Perplexity have recently crept into the desktop arena with standalone offerings that bring AI to computer users with a simple shortcut. The new application joins OpenAI's ChatGPT and Quora's Poe as an additional option for folks looking to take advantage of AI natively within their desktop environment.
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Using AI applications like these, you can summon AI for various purposes. In the case of Perplexity AI, it can help you find answers to common questions, perform research, create blog content, outline articles, and even complete daily tasks, all without opening a browser window.
Previously, we stated Perplexity AI is one of the best AI search tools available. And I have to admit, as someone who vehemently opposes AI, I've found the Perplexity app to be exceptionally useful. It's fast, and the application stays out of the way. Setup took roughly a minute, and I have yet to be nagged to upgrade to the Pro tier.
In fact, I hate how much I enjoy playing with the new app because I can easily see it becoming a valuable part of my workflow. On the other hand, deciding whether it's right for you means you'll just have to download it and test it for yourself.
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