Perplexity Computer vs OpenClaw: A Metered Agent Service vs a Free Agent You Host
Perplexity Computer
Perplexity's agent that runs multi-step work in the cloud or locally on your PC
OpenClaw
Self-hosted, MIT-licensed AI assistant you message from the chat apps you already use
Verdicts par tâche
Computer splits a stated outcome into sub-agent tasks for research, documents and API calls, each run in isolated cloud compute, and Perplexity says workflows can run for hours or months.
Cloud work costs 100 credits per $1 with no rollover, and Pro includes no monthly allocation.
OpenClaw is reachable from 29 chat channels, in DMs and group chats.
Installation runs through a shell script, PowerShell or npm and needs Node 24.16+ or 26.1+.
OpenClaw is MIT licensed with no subscription or paid tier; Computer starts on the $20/month Pro plan, and Perplexity's Free plan card lists no Computer access.
You still pay your model provider, and you own patching and hardening.
OpenClaw runs on your machine by default, on Mac, Windows or Linux, and keeps its state there; Computer's on-device Portable mode needs a 24GB-VRAM NVIDIA GPU or DGX Spark.
With a hosted model, OpenClaw still sends prompts to that provider; Portable keeps the model itself on the device.
Computer comes with a Perplexity Pro or Max plan, and Portable ships in the existing Perplexity Windows app; OpenClaw needs a shell or npm install and Node.
Portable needs an NVIDIA RTX or RTX PRO GPU with at least 24GB of VRAM or a DGX Spark; Pro costs $20/month and cloud use is metered in credits.
Comparaison des fonctionnalités
| Dimension | Perplexity Computer | OpenClaw |
|---|---|---|
| IA native | IA native | IA native |
| What it does | Turns a stated outcome into tasks run by sub-agents for web research, document generation and API calls, running for hours or even months | Browses the web, fills forms, reads and writes files and runs shell commands, with full access or sandboxed operation as the user's choice |
| Where it runs | An isolated cloud compute environment per task; Portable mode runs the model, harness, orchestrator and scheduler on your own Windows PC | On your own machine: state lives on your machine, not a vendor cloud; a shared gateway is an option for a team |
| How you reach it | Portable mode ships in the existing Perplexity app for Windows | 29 chat channels, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, iMessage and Signal, plus native iOS and Android apps |
| Models | Perplexity orchestrates the models; Portable can escalate to Perplexity Search or 15+ frontier models, asking permission before sending device data to the cloud | Bring your own: hosted, subscription-backed, gateway or local models |
| Pricing | Free plan card lists no Computer access. Pro $20/month with 4,000 bonus credits and no monthly allocation; the $200/month plan includes 10,000 credits a month. 100 credits = $1, unused credits do not roll over; on-device Portable work uses none | Free: MIT licensed, no subscription, no paid tier; you pay your chosen model provider |
| Hardware for on-device work | NVIDIA GeForce RTX or RTX PRO GPU with at least 24GB of VRAM, or NVIDIA DGX Spark | Mac, Windows or Linux, with hosted or local models |
| Scheduled work | Portable runs scheduled tasks with a local model | Cron jobs, reminders and background tasks |
| Safety controls | Isolated compute per cloud task; Portable asks permission before sending device data to the cloud | Gateway binds to loopback by default, unknown DMs get a pairing code, groups are allowlisted, and openclaw security audit checks for drift. Its docs say it is not a boundary between mutually adversarial users, and Unit 42 found malicious skills on ClawHub |
| Who runs it | Perplexity runs the cloud agents | You do; the MIT-licensed code is stewarded by the OpenClaw Foundation, an independent US 501(c)(3) |
| AI-native verdict | native: an orchestrator splits a stated outcome into subtasks run by sub-agents in an isolated sandbox | native: a self-hosted gateway routes chat messages to an agent that browses, edits files and runs shell commands |
Computer leans to delegated knowledge-work workflows, OpenClaw to hands-on computer errands
Both can keep work on your hardware; only OpenClaw does so by default
OpenClaw meets you in the chat apps you already use
OpenClaw lets you choose any provider, local runtimes included
OpenClaw has no software cost; Computer's cloud work is metered in credits
On-device Computer needs a workstation-class GPU
Both run recurring work
OpenClaw documents more controls and more exposure; hardening it is your job
Computer is a vendor service; OpenClaw is software you operate
Both native
Toujours indécis entre les deux ?
Choisir est la partie facile. Le travail, c’est de le faire tourner dans votre entreprise, sur vos données, avec votre équipe qui s’en sert. Nous faisons les deux.
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