Perplexity just launched an AI web browser

Perplexity, the startup behind the AI “answer” engine, has just launched its own web browser. The browser, called Comet, incorporates Perplexity’s AI search tools and assistant in a way that CEO Aravind Srinivas says “transforms entire browsing sessions into single, seamless interactions.”

Comet will only be available to users who subscribe to the $200 per month Perplexity Max plan before rolling out more widely on an invite-only basis. The browser uses Perplexity as its primary search engine, which serves up AI-generated responses to queries based on results from around the web. It’s also supposed to be able to buy products on your behalf and help you book hotels.

The new AI-powered browser comes as Perplexity continues to challenge Google’s dominance in search. Perplexity partnered with Motorola to pre-install its assistant on its new Razr phones this year, something Srinvas told The Verge in April that the startup wouldn’t have happened if Google hadn’t gone through an antitrust trial. “They would have bullied a lot of the OEMs,” Srinvas said.

Srinvas said in April that Perplexity is launching a browser because it “might be the best way to build agents.” Aside from the Perplexity’s search integration, Comet comes with a built-in AI assistant that can answer questions about what you’re seeing on your screen, similar to Gemini’s integration with Google Chrome.

The AI assistant lives in Comet’s sidebar, and in addition to summarizing or explaining text, it can also carry out agentic tasks like booking a meeting, sending an email, or buying a product. Srinivas says Perplexity plans to “continue to launch new features and functionality for Comet” in the future.

The browser is only available on Windows and Mac for now, and also allows you to import your extensions, settings, and bookmarks in “one click.”