Perplexity Launches Comet, An Ai-powered Web Browser

1 week ago

Perplexity connected Wednesday launched its first AI-powered web browser, called Comet, marking nan startup’s latest effort to situation Google Search arsenic nan superior avenue group usage to find accusation online.

At launch, Comet will beryllium disposable first to subscribers of Perplexity’s $200-per-month Max plan, arsenic good arsenic a mini group of invitees that signed up to a waitlist.

Comet’s header characteristic is Perplexity’s AI hunt engine, which is pre-installed and group arsenic nan default, putting nan company’s halfway merchandise — AI generated summaries of hunt results — beforehand and center.

Users tin besides entree Comet Assistant, a caller AI supplier from Perplexity that lives successful nan web browser and intends to automate regular tasks. Perplexity says nan adjunct tin summarize emails and almanac events, negociate tabs, and navigate webpages connected behalf of users. Users tin entree Comet Assistant by opening a sidecar connected immoderate webpage, which lets nan AI supplier spot what’s connected nan webpage and reply questions astir it.

Perplexity has released respective products and initiatives successful caller months, but nary consciousness rather arsenic consequential arsenic Comet. The company’s CEO, Aravind Srinivas, has importantly hyped up Comet’s motorboat successful particular, possibly because he sees it arsenic captious successful Perplexity’s conflict against Google.

With Comet, Perplexity is aiming to scope users straight without having to spell done Google Chrome, nan astir celebrated browser currently. While AI-powered browsers coming uncharted territory for galore users, Google itself seems convinced this is nan guidance browsers are headed: the Search elephantine has deployed respective AI integrations into Chrome successful caller months, not to mention AI mode, an AI hunt merchandise pinch a striking resemblance to Perplexity.

Srinivas said successful March that his extremity pinch Comet was to “develop an operating strategy pinch which you tin do almost everything,” enabling Perplexity’s AI to thief users crossed apps and websites. Becoming nan default browser for users tin construe to “infinite retention,” Srinivas said successful June, which would ostensibly lead to much requests connected Perplexity.

That said, Comet is entering a crowded arena. While Google Chrome and Apple’s Safari clasp astir of nan market, The Browser Company launched an AI-powered browser, Dia, successful June that seems to connection galore of nan aforesaid features arsenic Comet. OpenAI has besides reportedly considered launching its ain browser to compete pinch Google, and has moreover hired immoderate cardinal members from nan original Google Chrome squad successful nan past year.

Comet could get an first limb up successful nan browser wars if a meaningful chunk of Perplexity users motion up for nan product. Srinivas precocious said that Perplexity saw 780 cardinal queries successful May 2025, and that nan company’s hunt products are seeing much than 20% maturation month-over-month.

Taking connected Google Search is nary mini task, but Perplexity seems to person nan correct thought by launching a browser of its own. But nan startup’s squad whitethorn find it moreover harder to person users to move browsers than weaning them disconnected Google Search.

Hands connected pinch Comet

The astir unsocial facet of this browser seems to beryllium Comet Assistant. During our testing, we recovered Comet’s AI supplier to beryllium amazingly adjuvant for elemental tasks, but it quickly falls isolated erstwhile fixed much analyzable requests. Using Comet Assistant to its fullest imaginable besides requires you to manus complete an uncomfortable level of entree to Perplexity.

My favourite measurement to usage Comet Assistant, truthful far, is loading it successful nan sidecar while I’m browsing nan web. Perplexity’s on-browser AI supplier tin automatically spot what I’m looking at, truthful I tin simply inquire it questions without needing to unfastened a caller model aliases transcript and paste matter aliases links. It’s correct there, and it ever has nan discourse for what I’m looking at.

Comet Assistant was capable to reply questions astir posts connected societal media, YouTube videos, and moreover sentences I conscionable wrote successful a Google Doc. I ideate this will streamline workflows for millions of group that are sending screenshots, files, and links to ChatGPT each day.

Next, I tried getting Comet Assistant to look done my Google Calendar. But earlier I could do so, I had to springiness Perplexity important entree to my Google Account — a batch of access. Just look astatine really agelong this database is.

I person to say, giving Perplexity support to position my screen, nonstop emails, look astatine my contacts, and adhd events to my Calendar made maine a small uneasy. But it seems AI agents request this benignant of entree to beryllium useful.

Nevertheless, Comet Assistant did a reasonably bully occupation looking done my Calendar. It notified maine astir immoderate upcoming events, and offered maine immoderate proposal connected erstwhile to time off my home, and really to navigate nationalist transit, to get to those events.

The adjunct was besides capable to summarize emails I received that greeting from noteworthy senders — successful my case, important startups and tech companies pinch upcoming news. I’ve recovered that AI agents person a very difficult clip parsing done what’s important successful an email inbox, but Comet Assistant fared beautiful well.

But Comet Assistant fails astatine much analyzable tasks. For example, I tried asking it to thief maine find a semipermanent parking spot astatine San Francisco’s airdrome for an upcoming trip, specifically places pinch bully reviews that costs little than $15 a day.

The adjunct offered up respective options that seemed to fresh nan criteria, truthful I asked it to book maine a spot astatine 1 of nan locations for nan dates I’d beryllium away. The supplier navigated nan parking lot’s website for me, entered successful dates, and moreover immoderate of my information, past asked maine to reappraisal what it did and check-out.

Turns out, Comet Assistant hallucinated and entered wholly incorrect dates, later telling maine that nan dates I wanted were booked, but still wanted to person maine complete nan check-out anyways. I had to show nan AI supplier that nan dates were non-negotiable, and asked it to find different location. It ran into nan aforesaid problem again.

AI agents that messiness up cardinal specifications for illustration this are not new. My acquisition pinch OpenAI’s agent, Operator, and Perplexity’s erstwhile shopping agent yielded akin results. Clearly, hallucinations guidelines successful nan measurement of these products becoming existent tools. Until AI companies tin lick them, AI agents will still beryllium a novelty for analyzable tasks.

Nevertheless, Comet does look to connection immoderate caller capabilities that whitethorn conscionable springiness Perplexity a limb up complete nan title successful nan modern browser wars.