Perplexity launches "Comet" AI web browser to take on Chrome and Edge — and you can use it today for $200 a month

Popular AI answer engine Perplexity has announced that it's launching a new AI-powered web browser called "Comet" today, and it's available to download and use right now. Just make sure you're subscribed to the Perplexity Max subscription plan, which costs an eyewatering $200 a month.

Perplexity says Comet will eventually roll out to users not on the Perplexity Max subscription plan on an invite-only basis, and users who aren't willing to pay $200 a month can join the waitlist now. If you are subscribed, you can download Comet here.

"Comet transforms entire browsing sessions into single, seamless interactions, collapsing complex workflows into fluid conversations" says Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas. "Ask Comet to book a meeting or send an email, based on something you saw. Ask Comet to buy something you forgot. Ask Comet to brief you for your day."

Perplexity claims Comet is a web browser built for the modern internet, implying that the web browsers we're used to were built for an internet from 30 years ago. Perplexity is taking square aim at traditional search, threatening Google's dominance on the web.

That said, Comet appears to follow in the footsteps of Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, two other web browsers that have slowly been updated to include AI features over the last two years. In recent months, Microsoft has even started calling Microsoft Edge "the AI browser."

Many of Comet's features are very similar to Edge, including the ability to view text and images on a web page and get instant AI-generated answers based on questions supplied by the user.

Just like Edge, Comet features Perplexity AI in a sidebar interface that can be accessed at any time. Google has also been working on integrating Gemini in Chrome in similar ways. Ultimately, it doesn't appear Comet is offering anything "new" in the way of web browsing experiences, as the app features a similar UI with tabs and an address bar along the top.

That said, it does appear Comet has some unique AI features, including the ability to use the address bar or new tab page with natural language to find things you've previously seen on websites, just like Windows Recall, which captures and remembers everything you've seen on your device.

Unsurprisingly, Comet is built on the open-source Chromium project, meaning it's built on the same foundations that power most popular browsers, including Chrome, Edge, Opera, and others. That means it should support all your extensions from other Chromium-based browsers.

The good news is Comet is available on both Windows and Mac, with other platforms planned for down the line. Perplexity promises that Comet will be free, and that the $200 a month requirement is for the initial launch period, with free members able to sign up for a waitlist to gain access in the coming months.

OpenAI is also rumored to be building an AI-powered web browser to compete with Chrome, Edge, and now Comet. It will be interesting to see if there is a hunger from users to switch to "AI powered" web browsers. Ultimately, the rise of AI browsers could be the beginning of the end for the "open" web.