Perplexity Launches Comet: An AI-Powered Browser to Challenge the Status Quo

Perplexity has unveiled Comet, an AI-powered web browser designed to revolutionize online searching and browsing, marking its boldest move yet to rival giants like Google Chrome. Launched today, July 9, 2025, at 10:03 PM +0545, Comet is initially available to subscribers of the $200/month Max plan and a select group of invitees who joined the waitlist. The browser integrates Perplexity’s AI search engine as the default, offering instant AI-generated summaries directly within the interface, while the new Comet Assistant—accessible via a side panel—can summarize emails, manage tabs, and navigate web pages autonomously. Early tests highlight its strength with simple tasks like tab organization, but it struggles with complex requests, such as multi-step travel planning, due to AI hallucinations. With Perplexity reporting 780 million queries in May 2025 and over 20% monthly growth, the company is riding a wave of momentum. While the establishment might hail this as a game-changer, the limited initial access, high subscription cost, and AI’s reliability issues suggest a cautious approach is warranted—let’s break it down.

A New Browsing Paradigm

Comet leverages Perplexity’s core AI search technology, embedding it into a Chromium-based browser to deliver real-time summaries and citations alongside web content, eliminating the need to switch tabs or apps. The Comet Assistant extends this with features like closing duplicate tabs, summarizing inboxes, or following links autonomously, aiming to save users hours weekly. Built on a hybrid architecture with local lightweight models (e.g., quantized Llama variants) for basic tasks and cloud APIs for complex queries, it promises a seamless experience. The establishment might call this a reinvention of browsing, but the reliance on cloud processing for advanced functions raises concerns about offline usability and data privacy, especially given Perplexity’s past legal battles over content scraping.

Performance and Limitations

Early feedback from testers indicates Comet excels at straightforward tasks—summarizing articles or managing tabs—but falters with intricate commands, echoing issues seen in other AI agents like OpenAI’s Operator. For instance, booking a flight with conflicting dates has led to errors, requiring manual correction, a flaw attributed to AI hallucination. The establishment might downplay this as teething problems, but the inconsistency undermines its “agentic search” promise of autonomous task execution. With only Max subscribers and invitees accessing it initially, the sample size is small, and broader testing is needed to assess scalability across diverse use cases.

Growth and Market Context

Perplexity’s 780 million queries in May 2025, with over 20% monthly growth, reflect its rising traction, bolstered by a $14 billion valuation and talks of a $500 million funding round. This positions Comet as a potential disruptor in a crowded field, competing with AI-driven browsers like The Browser Company’s Dia and Google’s Chrome with AI integrations. The establishment might see this as a strategic pivot to capture direct user engagement, bypassing third-party browsers, but the $200/month price tag limits its reach, targeting enterprise users over the average consumer. Posts found on X show excitement about its potential, though some question its readiness, reflecting inconclusive sentiment.

Implications and Caution

Comet could redefine browsing for power users if its AI matures, offering a productivity boost in research or email management. The establishment might frame it as a bold challenge to Google’s dominance, but the high cost, early bugs, and invite-only access suggest it’s a niche play for now. Privacy concerns linger, given Perplexity’s hybrid model and past publisher disputes, while the assistant’s errors could frustrate users expecting flawless automation.

Approach with caution. If you’re a Max subscriber or invitee, test Comet for simple tasks—summarizing emails or managing tabs—but avoid relying on it for complex workflows until bugs are ironed out. Wait for broader access and user feedback, expected to expand over the summer, to gauge its true potential. The vision is ambitious, but its success hinges on addressing AI limitations and broadening accessibility—stay tuned as it evolves.