Perplexity’s Comet browser is making waves in tech circles, not only for its promises but for the reality it delivers. After a week of replacing Chrome with Comet, the experience feels like stepping into a new model of browsing powered by AI.
The Agent in Your Tab
Comet does not settle for basic AI integration. Instead, it embeds a fully agentic assistant that can observe user activity and directly interact with websites. Search queries are only the starting point. The assistant can compare specifications across e-commerce stores, autofill forms, and complete multi-step tasks in real time. Each action is highlighted in the tab, making the browsing experience feel active and collaborative.
Clean Interface With Power
The browser’s foundation is Chromium, so Chrome users will recognize the interface immediately. Importing bookmarks, saved passwords, and history is straightforward, making the switch seamless. The difference is the integrated side-panel assistant. While the main view remains unchanged, the panel adds continuous support. It can summarize articles, draft emails, troubleshoot technical issues, and extract insights from one or several tabs. Comparing travel options, analyzing discussions, or structuring workflows becomes faster and more fluid without juggling extensions or third-party tools.
Free for All, Finally
Comet was first launched as an exclusive feature for Perplexity Max subscribers at a price of two hundred dollars per month. It is now available for free worldwide. This move represents more than a marketing decision. It is a direct challenge to Chrome, which has yet to match the promise of automation, trustworthy search, and agent-driven browsing.
Perplexity’s CEO Aravind Srinivas explained the shift:
“We want to build a better internet, and that needs to be accessible to everybody.”
Free users face some limits, but the essential agent and assistant remain fully operational.
Imperfect but Already Changing Habits
Comet is not flawless. Users point to occasional glitches, an interface that feels busy, and moments where its performance reflects the strengths and weaknesses of the AI models it relies on. Despite this, the shift in browsing habits is evident. The process becomes more conversational. Instead of manually clicking through endless links, the browser acts like a researcher and assistant, changing how users interact with information online.
The Stakes for the Industry
The timing of Comet’s release is significant. As low-quality AI-generated content spreads across the internet, Perplexity is betting that credibility and trusted partnerships will matter most. Deals with publishers such as CNN and The Washington Post mark a step toward a browsing experience rooted in verified information. At the same time, Chrome faces one of its toughest challenges since launch. The race to define AI-native browsing has begun, and Comet has established itself as a serious competitor.
The Agent Has Arrived
Comet is not an experiment or hype. It already demonstrates that browsing can be more than link-hunting. By embedding a research-grade agent into the browser itself, Perplexity has created a tool that works for everyone. The browser reads, acts, and collaborates. The agent has arrived, and it is changing the way the web is used today.
Meet Perplexity Comet