Perplexity, the artificial intelligence search startup, has announced the global, free availability of its Comet AI-powered web browser. This strategic expansion is intended to position the product against established browsers and emerging AI-driven search engines. Concurrently, the company has launched a new "background assistant" feature, accessible to its paid Max subscribers, designed to manage multiple tasks through the Comet platform.
Comet was initially introduced three months ago exclusively for subscribers of Perplexity's $200-per-month Max plan. The company reported that "millions" subsequently joined a waitlist for the browser's wider release. The browser's primary functionality centers on a sidecar assistant, which integrates with the browsing experience to provide on-page question answering, content summarization, web content management, and navigation assistance.
The introduction of the background assistant for Max users was announced by CEO Aravind Srinivas at a recent event. This assistant is described by a company spokesperson as a "team of assistants" managed from a central dashboard, referred to as "mission control." It operates in the background, executing tasks such as drafting emails, managing calendar entries, or performing online searches for specific items like concert tickets or flight information. The assistant's capabilities include "better connectors" for accessing other applications on a user's computer.
Perplexity's move into the free browser market underscores its intent to compete with major players, including Google Chrome, The Browser Company's AI-powered browser Dia, and anticipated future releases from developers such as OpenAI. For users of the free Comet browser, the experience is primarily limited to the sidecar assistant and includes access to tools such as Discover for personalized recommendations, Spaces for project organization, and specialized assistants for shopping, travel, finance, and sports updates.
Max users continue to receive access to high-performing AI models and an email assistant that drafts replies, organizes inboxes, and schedules meetings. Additionally, free Comet users will have the option to subscribe to Comet Plus, a forthcoming product offering an AI-enhanced alternative to news aggregation, for $5 per month. This feature will be automatically included for existing Pro and Max subscribers.
