TipPerplexity Computer and Manus: agents that work for hours
The next step after chat: you describe an outcome, the agent splits up the job and delivers a finished report or file.
Perplexity describes Perplexity Computer as a “digital worker” that breaks a goal into subtasks and launches sub-agents for research, documents and data analysis. It runs in an isolated environment and picks different AI models for different parts.
Perplexity also has the Comet browser with Comet Assistant. According to comparison sites, Computer requires a Pro or Max subscription.
Manus is a competitor where each task gets its own cloud computer with a browser and terminal. According to Gamut, Manus has a free tier with 300 credits per day; paid tiers up to USD 200/month.
Good tasks: a market overview for a small business, comparing electricity contracts, research before a larger purchase.
How to get started
- Try the Manus free tier or free Perplexity with a well-defined question.
- Describe the result you want: “A table of 10 suppliers with price and rating, with sources.”
- Check the sources – the agent may miss local conditions.
- Only pay if you do this kind of research every week.
Sources
- Perplexity: Introducing Perplexity Computer (retrieved 2026-10-15)
- Gamut: Best Perplexity Computer Alternatives (2026) (retrieved 2026-10-15)
- Vellum: Perplexity Computer Alternatives 2026 (retrieved 2026-10-15)
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