Turnstone vs Perplexity Computer: AI Agents Without Credits
Turnstone vs Perplexity Computer
Turnstone vs Perplexity Computer: your AI plan, no credit meter
Turnstone is a free, model-agnostic Perplexity Computer alternative that runs on the AI subscriptions you already have, with no credit meter. You choose the model for each Agent: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Cursor, OpenRouter, Ollama or your own OpenAI or Anthropic key, so you don't pay for a second AI. Perplexity Computer is an AI worker that bills each task in credits. In Turnstone, a team of Agents hands work to each other, on your Mac or in Turnstone Cloud (coming soon).
Checked October 27, 2026 · 16 sources
The short answer
Turnstone is a free, model-agnostic Perplexity Computer alternative, and the better pick for most people who want AI to run their everyday work. It runs on the AI plan you already have, so you don't pay for a second AI and there's no credit balance to watch. You build a team of Agents that hand work to each other. Your Agents work across 60+ apps built in, any website through their own browser, the apps on your Mac and connectors you add, including iMessage, WhatsApp and LinkedIn. They all share one memory of your people, projects and decisions (Turnstone calls it the Brain), which you can open and correct. They run on Schedules, on your Mac or in Cloud (coming soon). You can use them from the iPhone app or the web app (coming soon). Perplexity Computer fits research-heavy work that mixes models in one task.
Choose Turnstone if
- You want to use the AI you already pay for and choose the model: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Cursor, OpenRouter or Ollama. Turnstone is free, with no credits to buy on top.
- You want a team of persistent Agents, each with its own job, memory and Schedules.
- You want Agents working across 60+ built-in apps, any website, the apps on your Mac and connectors you add, including iMessage, WhatsApp and LinkedIn.
- You want your memory kept as Markdown files you can open, edit and undo.
- You want Agents that work inside your own accounts and send email, Slack messages and iMessages from them, with no credits spent per task.
- You want Agents on your Mac, or in Cloud and on your phone (coming soon).
Choose Perplexity Computer if
- Deep research with Perplexity's search and citations is most of your work.
- You want one task to mix models from several companies.
- You use Windows or Android.
What Perplexity Computer is
Perplexity launched Computer on February 25, 2026 as "a general-purpose digital worker." It breaks a goal into steps, picks a model for each one, and runs the work in the background, in a sandbox on Perplexity's servers. Personal Computer brought it to the Mac in April 2026 and to Windows in August, with access to local files and apps like iMessage, Mail and Calendar. Since then Perplexity has added Brain (memory), Projects, Automations, Skills and a fully local mode for Apple silicon Macs. Computer is included in Perplexity's paid plans, and most work is billed in credits.
Turnstone and Perplexity Computer, side by side.
Each row says which is better for most people, with sources for every claim.
| Feature | Turnstone | Perplexity Computer | Better |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI you can use | ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Cursor, OpenRouter and Ollama (local models), plus your own OpenAI or Anthropic API key. | Perplexity supplies the models. You can't bring your own plan or key for them. | Turnstone |
| Price | Free on your Mac, with the AI you already pay for. Cloud coming soon. | Pro $20 a month with weekly included usage and a one-time 4,000-credit bonus. Max $200 a month with 10,000 credits. 100 credits cost $1. Fully local tasks use no credits. | Turnstone |
| Models in one task | Each Agent picks its own model, and you can switch mid-chat and keep the same Agent and history. | Picks models across OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI and others for different steps of one task. | Perplexity Computer |
| Local and Cloud | Agents run on your Mac or in Turnstone Cloud (coming soon), which keeps them and their Schedules working with your Mac closed. | Runs in Perplexity's cloud, plus Personal Computer on Mac and Windows, and fully local modes on Apple silicon Macs and NVIDIA PCs. | Tie |
| Personal apps | 60+ apps built in, any website through its own browser, the apps on your Mac, and connectors you add. Personal apps include iMessage (from your own number), WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Apple Notes and Apple Calendar. | iMessage, Mail, Calendar and Notes through Personal Computer. | Turnstone |
| Memory you can open and correct | One memory every Agent shares, on every plan including Free: your people, projects and decisions, in Markdown files you can open and edit. Replies show which memory they used, and you can correct or undo any change. | Brain writes wiki pages about your people, projects and preferences in Perplexity's cloud. You can trace and remove memories. On Max. | Turnstone |
| Teams of Agents | Named Agents, each with its own job, model, memory and Schedules. Your first Agent, a Chief of Staff, helps you set up the rest, and Agents hand work to each other. | Sub-agents inside a task, and shared Projects for people working together. | Turnstone |
| Schedules | Every minute to monthly, or once, per Agent, set up in chat. On your Mac, or in Cloud (coming soon) with your Mac closed. | Automations on a schedule or when something happens in a connected app, running in the cloud. | Tie |
| Sending messages | Agents write and send email, Slack messages and iMessages from your own accounts. | Asks before sensitive actions, keeps an audit trail, and has a kill switch. | Tie |
| Phone | iPhone app and web app (coming soon): start tasks, check on your Agents, get notifications. | iPhone and Android apps, plus start tasks from Slack, Teams or email. | Tie |
| Platforms | Mac (Apple silicon and Intel), plus iPhone and web (coming soon). | Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. | Perplexity Computer |
Credits, or the plan you already have
In Perplexity Computer, a paid plan gets you in the door, and the work runs on credits. 100 credits cost $1. Perplexity's own estimates put a multi-step research report at 350 to 950 credits, a data dashboard at 2,400 to 9,800, and a full app build at 15,000 or more. Max includes 10,000 credits a month, and unused credits don't roll over. Pro has no monthly credits. It gets a weekly included allowance that is still rolling out, plus a one-time bonus. Perplexity offers spending caps, and tasks pause when credits run out. Reviewers warn that costs are hard to predict before a task runs.
Turnstone runs on the AI you already pay for. Sign in with your ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Cursor or OpenRouter account, run Ollama models locally, or add an OpenAI or Anthropic key. Turnstone runs the providers' own official tools, such as Codex and Claude Code, with your account. There is no credit balance in Turnstone. Your provider's normal usage limits still apply.
Example: a daily briefing that reads your inbox and calendar. In Perplexity, a 100-credit automation run every day adds up to about 3,000 credits a month. In Turnstone, it runs as a Schedule on your Claude Pro or ChatGPT Plus plan.
The differences that matter
Same words, different things
Perplexity and Turnstone now use some of the same words. They mean different things.
- Brain. Perplexity's Brain is a memory system in its cloud. It builds a context graph from your sessions, connectors and files, refreshes it overnight, and writes wiki pages you can trace and remove under Customize. Turnstone's Brain is one memory every Agent shares: your people, projects and decisions, as a folder of Markdown files. Each Agent also keeps its own memory. You can open and edit the files directly.
- Skills. Both have reusable Skills. Perplexity has a public Skills Marketplace. Turnstone keeps an editable library, and Agents can suggest a Skill after repeat work, saved only when you click Save.
- Automations and Schedules. Perplexity's Automations run in the cloud on a schedule or an event. Turnstone's Schedules belong to an Agent and run on your Mac or in Cloud (coming soon), each with its own memory behind it.
A team of Agents, not one worker
Perplexity Computer is one worker that splits a task into parts and hands them to sub-agents and models. Projects let people share files, memory and connectors while they work together. Turnstone gives you persistent Agents with their own jobs. You build the team in chat, each Agent with its own model, memory and Schedules, and Agents hand work to each other. You approve handoffs between Agents.
Switching from Perplexity Computer
- Download Turnstone for Mac and sign in with your ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok or Cursor account, or add a key.
- Connect Gmail and Google Calendar, or Outlook, so Turnstone can build your Brain. Add any of its 60+ apps you use, such as Slack, Notion, iMessage, WhatsApp or LinkedIn.
- In Perplexity, open Customize and review what your Brain keeps. Copy the facts you want and paste them into a chat with any Agent. Ask it to save them to your Turnstone Brain.
- For each Automation, ask a Turnstone Agent to set up a matching Schedule in chat, for example "every weekday at 8, summarize new emails from customers." Turnstone shows exactly which app, account and action each Schedule may use.
- Copy any Skills you wrote into Turnstone's Skills library, or paste them into an Agent's chat and ask it to save them.
- Before you cancel, check your credits. Perplexity says purchased credits only work with an active paid plan.
What people ask.
How much does Perplexity Computer cost?
It's included in Perplexity Pro ($20 a month) and Max ($200 a month), and most tasks use credits at 100 credits per $1. Pro gets weekly included usage and a one-time 4,000-credit bonus. Max includes 10,000 credits a month plus a one-time bonus. Enterprise Pro is $40 and Enterprise Max is $325 per seat per month.
Why do Perplexity Computer credits run out so fast?
Complex tasks use more models and more steps. Perplexity estimates 350 to 950 credits for a research report. Reviewers say long threads cost more per message, and failed tasks can keep spending. Spending caps and auto-refill settings help.
Is there a Perplexity Computer alternative without credits?
Yes. Turnstone runs on the AI you already pay for, so there's no credit balance. That can be ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Cursor, OpenRouter or Ollama (local models), or your own OpenAI or Anthropic API key.
Can I use my ChatGPT or Claude subscription with Perplexity Computer?
No. Perplexity supplies the models through your Perplexity plan. Turnstone lets you sign in with your ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Cursor or OpenRouter account, or use Ollama or your own API key, and runs the providers' official tools.
Is Perplexity's Brain the same as Turnstone's Brain?
No. They share a name. Perplexity's Brain is a memory system in its cloud that writes wiki pages you can trace and remove. Turnstone's Brain is one memory of your people, projects and decisions, kept as Markdown files you can open and edit, and shared by your team of Agents.
Can Perplexity Computer run on a Mac?
Yes. Personal Computer runs on Macs with macOS 14 or later, Hybrid compute needs an Apple silicon Mac with 24 GB of memory, and the fully local mode recommends 36 GB or more.
Can Turnstone keep working when my Mac is off?
Not yet. Turnstone Cloud (coming soon) will keep your Agents and their Schedules working with your Mac off. Today, your Agents run on your Mac.
Can I use Turnstone from my phone?
Not yet. Turnstone's iPhone app and web app are coming soon, and the web app will work in any phone browser. With them you will be able to start tasks, check on your Agents, and get notifications.
Does Turnstone work on Windows?
The Turnstone desktop app is for Mac. On other computers, the web app and Turnstone Cloud (coming soon) will let you use your Agents and keep them running.