Key points
- Perplexity has made its AI-powered browser, Comet, available for free to everyone.
- The browser was previously only available to subscribers of a $200-a-month plan.
- Comet utilizes an AI chatbot to deliver search results, summarize text, and perform various tasks. The company says the browser will “always be free.”
- The move puts Perplexity in direct competition with Google and other AI browser makers.
Perplexity is making its AI-powered browser, Comet, available for free download to everyone. The move opens up the previously exclusive browser to the general public, dropping the waitlist that the company says had “millions” of people signed up.
Comet was previously only available to subscribers of Perplexity’s high-end “Max” plan, which costs $200 per month. Now, the company says the browser “will always be free.”
So what is Comet? It’s a web browser built around Perplexity’s own AI search engine. When you search for something, a chatbot appears in the sidebar to give you AI-generated answers, summarize text, or even take actions like sending an email. The AI pulls information from the web to create its responses, so the company still advises users to “double-check the important stuff.”
Making Comet free is the latest move in Perplexity’s push to challenge the established players in the search and browser markets. The company is also working on a mobile version of the browser and a more integrated AI assistant.
This move puts Perplexity in direct competition with other companies that are also scrambling to integrate AI into their browsers, including Google with its Chrome browser and The Browser Company with its new Dia browser.
