Perplexity AI, backed by Nvidia and SoftBank, has officially introduced Comet, an AI-powered web browser designed to shift internet use from passive navigation to active assistance. The browser is built on Chromium, compatible with Chrome extensions, and currently accessible to Perplexity Max subscribers at$200/month, with invitation-only access rolling out via a waitlist.
Key Features
- AI Assistant Integration: Comet Assistant lives in a sidebar, providing contextual help with tasks like summarising web content, composing emails, scheduling, and opening tabs-turning browsing into conversational workflows.
- Productivity Boost: Users can highlight text for explanations, explore related topics without losing their place, compare options (e.g., products or plans), and even request counterpoints.
- Privacy by Design: Comet stores data locally, offers ad-blocking, and features selectable privacy modes-from ad-free to memory-enabled browsing.
- Multi-platform Beta Rollout: Launched first on Apple Silicon Macs in May, Comet’s Windows beta is now underway, with Android support in development.
Why Comet Matters
Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas calls Comet a move “from navigation to cognition”, a browser built to “amplify our intelligence”. With 30 million monthly users and 780 million queries in May 2025, Perplexity aims to challenge browser giants like Chrome-whose AI ambitions, like Google’s AI Mode, mirror this agentic trend.
Competitive Landscape
Comet joins a growing wave of AI-first browsers such as OpenAI’s Operator, The Browser Company’s Dia, and Google’s upcoming AI-integrated tools. Its success depends on user adoption and differentiation through privacy and powerful agentic capabilities.
Bottom Line:
Comet brings Perplexity’s conversational AI directly into web browsing, transforming tasks from passive reading into active, intelligent assistants. Currently in invite-only beta for Mac and Windows, with mobile support coming soon, Comet marks a bold leap toward the future of browser-driven AI.
