Perplexity Is Testing a Granular Effort Selector for Perplexity Computer
Perplexity is reportedly testing a granular effort selector for Perplexity Computer, its cloud-based agentic AI product. The leak, spotted by TestingCatalog on 23 August 2026, confirms a low effort mode aimed directly at reducing credit consumption — the loudest complaint about Computer since its February launch. This article separates what the leak confirms from what remains unknown, lays out Perplexity Computer’s pricing and real-world credit burn figures, compares effort and reasoning controls across OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and xAI, and explains what a granular effort selector would mean for businesses budgeting for agentic AI.