The team behind the AI search engine Perplexity is back—this time with a full web browser built around artificial intelligence. Meet Comet.
A New Browser with Big Ambitions
On Wednesday, Perplexity officially launched Comet, its first AI-powered web browser. The goal? To reshape the way we search the web, get things done, and interact with everyday content online.
At launch, Comet isn’t for everyone. It’s available first to users on Perplexity’s $200/month Max plan, along with a select group who joined the waitlist. But make no mistake: this could be a major step in the startup’s mission to compete directly with Google.
So What’s Different About Comet?
Comet isn’t just another browser with AI sprinkled in. It puts Perplexity’s AI search engine front and center, replacing traditional web results with clean, summarized answers that get straight to the point.
But the real star here is Comet Assistant, a built-in AI helper that lives right inside the browser.
Here’s what it can do:
- Read web pages and answer questions about what’s on screen
- Summarize your emails and calendar events
- Manage browser tabs
- Guide you through websites, step by step
It all happens in a small sidebar—called the sidecar—that you can pop open while browsing. It gives the AI full context about what you’re doing, so you don’t need to copy-paste or explain anything. You just ask.
First Impressions: Handy for Simple Stuff
During testing, Comet Assistant turned out to be surprisingly helpful for small tasks.
For example:
- It quickly answered questions about YouTube videos I was watching
- It summarized my unread emails from companies I track
- It even read a Google Doc I was working on, and offered suggestions
These tasks saved time, and the AI felt genuinely useful.
But There’s a Catch…
To unlock the full power of Comet Assistant, users are asked to give it quite a bit of access—especially to Google services.
That includes:
- Reading and writing emails
- Viewing calendar events
- Managing your contacts
- Accessing your screen data
For some, that level of access might feel like too much. It’s a reminder that useful AI often requires trust—and permissions.
It Struggles with Complex Tasks
While Comet Assistant did fine with small jobs, things got shaky when I asked it to find and book airport parking.
The AI found some decent options. It even visited the parking site, entered my travel dates and info, and showed a checkout screen. But here’s the issue:
- It entered the wrong dates
- Then insisted those dates were sold out
- Then asked me to check out anyway
Even after correcting it, the assistant made the same mistake again.
This kind of AI slip-up—called a “hallucination”—isn’t new. Even tools from OpenAI and others still struggle with real-world bookings and forms. Until that’s solved, AI agents remain helpful assistants—not full-time replacements.
A Growing Trend in the Browser World
Perplexity isn’t the only one going all-in on AI browsers.
- The Browser Company launched an AI-powered browser called Dia in June
- OpenAI is reportedly working on its own browser, and has hired talent from the original Chrome team
- Google, meanwhile, has quietly added AI into Chrome itself
Still, Comet may have an edge. Perplexity’s search tools already get over 780 million queries per month, and usage is growing by over 20% each month. If even a fraction of those users try Comet, it could quickly become a strong contender.
CEO’s Vision: Not Just a Browser
Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas has made it clear—Comet is just the beginning.
In his words, the plan is to build an operating system for the web—one where Perplexity can help users do everything, from reading and planning to scheduling and buying.
He believes that if Perplexity becomes your default browser, it could lead to “infinite retention”—a fancy way of saying: once people get used to it, they’ll stick around for the long haul.
Final Thoughts
Comet isn’t perfect, but it feels like a step in the right direction.
It’s fast, intuitive, and helps with real tasks without much effort. Yes, it fumbles on the harder stuff. But for anyone curious about what AI-first browsing could look like, Comet is worth a try—especially if you’re already a Perplexity user.
In the growing battle to replace Google as the world’s go-to search and browsing platform, Comet just lit up a new trail.