Perplexity Launches AI-Powered Web Browser Comet

Perplexity has launched Comet, an AI-powered web browser that transforms any webpage into a portal of curiosity. Comet provides instant explanations for highlighted text, explores tangential ideas, and answers specialized or broad questions. The browser learns users' thought patterns to provide a reliable, proactive, and personalized assistant. Comet is currently available to Perplexity Max subscribers with invite-only access rolling out to the waitlist over the summer.

Perplexity has introduced "Comet," an AI-powered web browser designed to transform how users interact with the web. Launched on July 9, 2025, Comet aims to simplify browsing and enhance users' access to information. The browser integrates Perplexity's advanced AI engine, providing real-time, context-aware interactions and personalized assistance. Comet is currently available to Perplexity Max subscribers, who pay $200 per month, with access managed through a waitlist and invitation system starting this summer [1].

Comet's key features include:
- Instant explanations for highlighted text.
- Exploration of tangential ideas and specialized questions.
- A proactive, personalized assistant that learns users' thought patterns.
- Voice and text queries with context awareness, enabling complex question answering and workflow automation.

Built on the Chromium open-source platform, Comet offers compatibility and performance parity with Chrome and Edge but with a crucial difference: AI is not an add-on; it is the native interface. The browser's AI search engine provides real-time, cited, AI-generated answers, replacing traditional link-based results [2].

The launch of Comet coincides with OpenAI's reported plans to release its own AI-powered web browser to rival Google Chrome. OpenAI's browser is designed to keep some user interactions within a native ChatGPT-like interface, reducing the need to click through to external websites. This new browser is expected to debut in the coming weeks and is built atop Chromium, the open-source code that powers Chrome [3].

The growing competition in AI-powered browsers signals a shift in the web browsing landscape. Both Perplexity and OpenAI are leveraging AI to challenge Google's dominance in search, which plays a key role in its ad business. The rise of AI-native search engines like Perplexity and ChatGPT is already exposing cracks in Google Search's stronghold. Meanwhile, Google faces increased scrutiny from regulators amid an ongoing antitrust trial focused on its search dominance [4].

Perplexity's Comet and OpenAI's upcoming browser are part of a broader trend of AI startups seeking to disrupt established tech giants. By offering innovative, AI-driven solutions, these startups aim to capture a share of the lucrative search and browser markets. As AI technology continues to evolve, the web browsing experience is set to become more intuitive and personalized, driven by the integration of advanced AI engines.

References:
[1] https://the-decoder.com/perplexity-launches-its-ai-browser-comet/
[2] https://cryptorank.io/news/feed/4327b-openai-to-release-web-browser-to-challenge-google-chrome
[3] https://medium.com/@servifyspheresolutions/perplexitys-comet-ai-browser-launches-with-an-agentic-edge-317b76af3996
[4] https://www.adweek.com/media/google-perplexity-ai-web-browser-comet-openai/