I'm a huge fan of Perplexity, which is an AI search engine as is, and rely on it heavily for college and research purposes. So, it's safe to say that I had high expectations for its AI-powered browser, Comet. Unfortunately, when I first tried Comet out, I didn't really see what the hype was all about.

Sure, it’s a cool browser with a minimalist interface I’d choose over almost any other, but I just felt like it was a bit half-baked. And though I've never really been a fan of Edge, I began to prefer its Copilot Mode over Comet in those early moments. Given that the browser's hype just wasn't dying down, I decided to give it one more shot.

This time, I told myself I'd not mentally pit it against every other browser I’ve used and instead focus on what it actually offered. And that's when I realized its true standout feature is the Comet Assistant.

Comet Assistant helps me take control of my inbox

Finally, a calmer inbox

Comet Assistant is Perplexity Comet's built-in AI agent, designed to automate web tasks you normally do manually and enhance your workflow by doing all the heavy lifting. You can access the AI Assistant by hitting the Assistant button in the top-right corner, or using the keyboard shortcut: Alt + A on Windows and CMD + A on macOS.

Another option is to open a new tab and tap the Assistant button at the bottom. When you open the Assistant this way, Comet will suggest different ways you can use it to perform tasks you’d typically do manually. One of my favorite ways of using Comet Assistant to streamline my day is the variety of tasks you can perform once it’s connected to your Gmail and Google Calendar.

For instance, no matter what your job is, one thing I'm sure you can relate to is waking up to an overflowing inbox almost every day. Wouldn't it be so much easier if you could quickly see the most important messages first thing in the morning and then go through the remaining ones when you have a moment later?

Well, Comet can do exactly that, and so much more. Rolling with the same example, I clicked the find important unanswered emails button, and within minutes, all the important emails I hadn't answered yet were listed, along with who they were from, their status, and even context for some of them. Now, though I did need to blur out the emails Comet flagged due to sensitive information in the images I've attached above, they were all emails that genuinely needed my attention.

Comet did an excellent job at filtering out all the spam and included emails like embargoed announcements and collaboration follow-ups. The Assistant can also draft emails and send them on your behalf, saving even more time and effort.

You can review the drafts before sending them, just to ensure the email isn’t missing anything.

The assistant also helps manage my chaotic Calendar

Taming my wild calendar

I open my Calendar multiple times every hour and simply can't imagine surviving without it. Sometimes, it's to quickly check what task I need to tackle, who my next meeting is with, or to schedule a call with someone. Other times, it's to see when I can fit in a certain task or if I even have room in my day for something new.

Similar to Gmail, Comet can also connect with your Google Calendar and do pretty much everything I just described. It saves me the time and hassle of manually checking my schedule or adding events. And since you can open the Assistant instantly in a sidebar, you can do all of this while staying in the same tab.

Keep in mind that you'll need to grant Perplexity Connector a variety of permissions, including the ability to view and edit your calendars, see your availability, access and download any calendar you can access in Google Calendar, and more.

For instance, between my college classes, work shifts, and meetings, I sometimes find it really difficult to schedule time to study for exams. So, I asked the Assistant:

Perplexity's Assistant did an incredible job. It made sure not to suggest times that would conflict with my existing meetings or deadlines.

You can also ask it to move around events and calls, and my personal favorite: schedule calls for you. For instance, all I did was ask the Assistant to schedule a call for me and provide the time, the person's email address, and the platform. All I needed to do was hit the Schedule button.

I've also asked the Assistant things like how many calls I have later in the day, who the calls are with, and even to give me a quick rundown of my schedule for the week. It’s surprisingly good at understanding natural language requests and providing exactly what I need.

Comet's Assistant is great at tab management

One prompt is all it takes

Another thing Comet Assistant is great at is tab management. I am a very chaotic person, and my browser is the best representation of that. It's always filled with dozens of tabs, and Comet never lets me down when it comes to organizing them.

For example, as I write this article, I have multiple Perplexity tabs open since I'm taking screenshots for the article as I write it. Instead of closing them one by one, I can ask the Assistant to close all Perplexity tabs.

It also goes beyond just closing tabs you explicitly tell it to. For instance, if you're working on a project and get distracted midway, opening unrelated tabs like YouTube, Instagram, or Reddit, you can simply ask Comet to close all distracting tabs at once or group them for you.

Initially, I didn't see the appeal of this, but as I continued to use it, I realized just how much time it's helped me save and how quickly it lets me regain focus without manually sorting through dozens of tabs.

Comet Assistant is the browser's best feature

Of course, I tried Comet Assistant when I first gave Comet a spin. Admittedly, I didn’t give it the attention it deserved at the time, so I didn’t immediately see its full potential. I'm so glad I decided to give it another try, since it's become my go-to browser now. Unfortunately, Comet is invite-only at the moment.

Another way to get access is through a Perplexity Max subscription. However, PayPal and Venmo currently have an offer that lets their users skip the waitlist and get early access to Comet, as well as a free one-year Perplexity Pro subscription.