Perplexity on Wednesday launched its first AI-powered internet browser, referred to as Comet, marking the startup’s newest effort to problem Google Search as the first avenue individuals use to seek out data on-line.
At launch, Comet can be out there first to subscribers of Perplexity’s $200-per-month Max plan, in addition to a small group of invitees that signed as much as a waitlist.
Comet’s headline function is Perplexity’s AI search engine, which is pre-installed and set because the default, placing the corporate’s core product — AI generated summaries of search outcomes — entrance and middle.
Customers may entry Comet Assistant, a brand new AI agent from Perplexity that lives within the internet browser and goals to automate routine duties. Perplexity says the assistant can summarize emails and calendar occasions, handle tabs, and navigate internet pages on behalf of customers. Customers can entry Comet Assistant by opening a sidecar on any internet web page, which lets the AI agent see what’s on the net web page and reply questions on it.
Perplexity has launched a number of merchandise and initiatives in latest months, however none really feel fairly as consequential as Comet. The corporate’s CEO, Aravind Srinivas, has considerably hyped Comet’s launch specifically, maybe as a result of he sees it as important in Perplexity’s battle in opposition to Google.
With Comet, Perplexity is aiming to achieve customers immediately with out having to undergo Google Chrome, the preferred browser at present. Whereas AI-powered browsers current uncharted territory for a lot of customers, Google itself appears satisfied that is the route browsers are headed: The Search large has deployed a number of AI integrations into Chrome in latest months, to not point out AI mode, an AI search product with a putting resemblance to Perplexity.
Srinivas mentioned in March that his objective with Comet was to “develop an operating system with which you can do almost everything,” enabling Perplexity’s AI to assist customers throughout apps and web sites. Changing into the default browser for customers can translate to “infinite retention,” Srinivas mentioned in June, which might ostensibly result in extra requests on Perplexity.
That mentioned, Comet is coming into a crowded area. Whereas Google Chrome and Apple’s Safari maintain a lot of the market, The Browser Firm launched an AI-powered browser, Dia, in June that appears to supply most of the identical options as Comet. OpenAI has additionally reportedly thought of launching its personal browser to compete with Google, and has even employed some key members from the unique Google Chrome crew within the final 12 months.
Comet might get an preliminary leg up within the browser wars if a significant chunk of Perplexity customers join the product. Srinivas not too long ago mentioned that Perplexity noticed 780 million queries in Could 2025, and that the corporate’s search merchandise are seeing greater than 20% development month-over-month.
Taking over Google Search is not any small process, however Perplexity appears to have the best concept by launching a browser of its personal. However the startup’s crew could discover it even more durable to persuade customers to change browsers than weaning them off Google Search.
Fingers on with Comet
Essentially the most distinctive side of this browser appears to be Comet Assistant. Throughout our testing, we discovered Comet’s AI agent to be surprisingly useful for easy duties, however it rapidly falls aside when given extra advanced requests. Utilizing Comet Assistant to its fullest potential additionally requires you at hand over an uncomfortable stage of entry to Perplexity.
My favourite means to make use of Comet Assistant, to date, is loading it within the sidecar whereas I’m searching the net. Perplexity’s on-browser AI agent can mechanically see what I’m taking a look at, so I can merely ask it questions without having to open a brand new window or copy and paste textual content or hyperlinks. It’s proper there, and it at all times has the context for what I’m taking a look at.
Comet Assistant was in a position to reply questions on posts on social media, YouTube movies, and even sentences I simply wrote in a Google Doc. I think about this can streamline workflows for hundreds of thousands of individuals which might be sending screenshots, information, and hyperlinks to ChatGPT all day.
Subsequent, I attempted getting Comet Assistant to look via my Google Calendar. However earlier than I might accomplish that, I needed to give Perplexity vital entry to my Google Account — a number of entry. Simply have a look at how lengthy this checklist is.
I’ve to say, giving Perplexity permission to view my display screen, ship emails, have a look at my contacts, and add occasions to my Calendar made me a bit of uneasy. But it surely appears AI brokers want this sort of entry to be helpful.
However, Comet Assistant did a fairly good job wanting via my Calendar. It notified me about some upcoming occasions, and supplied me some recommendation on when to depart my house, and how you can navigate public transit, to get to these occasions.
The assistant was additionally in a position to summarize emails I obtained that morning from noteworthy senders — in my case, necessary startups and tech corporations with upcoming information. I’ve discovered that AI brokers have a really troublesome time parsing via what’s necessary in an e-mail inbox, however Comet Assistant fared fairly nicely.
However Comet Assistant fails at extra sophisticated duties. For instance, I attempted asking it to assist me discover a long-term parking spot at San Francisco’s airport for an upcoming journey, particularly locations with good opinions that value lower than $15 a day.
The assistant supplied up a number of choices that appeared to suit the standards, so I requested it to e-book me a spot at one of many areas for the dates I’d be away. The agent navigated the car parking zone’s web site for me, entered in dates, and even a few of my data, then requested me to assessment what it did and take a look at.
Seems, Comet Assistant hallucinated and entered utterly fallacious dates, later telling me that the dates I needed had been booked, however nonetheless needed to have me full the check-out in any case. I needed to inform the AI agent that the dates had been non-negotiable, and requested it to seek out one other location. It bumped into the identical downside once more.
AI brokers that mess up key particulars like this will not be new. My expertise with OpenAI’s agent, Operator, and Perplexity’s earlier procuring agent yielded related outcomes. Clearly, hallucinations stand in the way in which of those merchandise turning into actual instruments. Till AI corporations can remedy them, AI brokers will nonetheless be a novelty for advanced duties.
However, Comet does appear to supply some new capabilities that will simply give Perplexity a leg up over the competitors within the fashionable browser wars.
