There’s no shortage of browsers nowadays, and a new one seems to pop up every few days. And though some of the browsers that launch quietly fade away and are eventually forgotten, every so often one comes along that manages to take over the internet.
Before you know it, it feels like everyone’s talking about it. I’m the kind of person who always wants to quickly download and go hands-on with any software (or hardware) I come across that’s even remotely interesting, and browsers are no exception. Lately, the trend has been AI-first browsers, and Opera’s Neon was the first one I tried that actually delivered on that vision.
Realizing how much having AI within browsers could actually change the way I worked made me start paying closer attention to this trend. Perplexity’s Comet was one browser I kept hearing about everywhere, and since it was developed by one of my favorite AI companies, I knew I had to give it a shot. Though I was disappointed when I first tried it and actually ended up preferring Edge’s Copilot mode, I decided to give Comet another try a little later. When I did, it became clear why so many people rave about it, and it ended up becoming my go-to browser for a couple of reasons.
It’s a Perplexity-first browser through and through
Perplexity, always within reach
As I mentioned above, Perplexity is one of my favorite AI tools out there, and that’s one of the main reasons I was so curious to try out Comet in the first place, and why it has become my go-to browser. No matter what browser I’m using, I find myself heading to Perplexity at least a dozen times a day. With Comet, that entire experience feels built in rather than added on.
Since Perplexity is an AI-powered search engine at its core, Comet’s default search engine is Perplexity. With any browser, when you type a query into the address bar, you get a response from whatever default search engine the browser uses. In Comet, that response comes straight from Perplexity, giving you AI-powered results instantly without needing to navigate to a separate site.
Frankly, this annoyed me at first, as I felt like not every query needed an AI answer. The point still stands, but once you’ve been using Comet for a while, you get used to it. All you need to do to search on Google instead of Perplexity is hit the downwards arrow on your keyboard and choose the "Search Google" option instead of "Ask Perplexity." Instead of needing to open a new Perplexity tab every time I want to use the tool, I can simply type the query directly into Comet's address bar and get the AI-powered response instantly. I personally think that searching queries you would normally run on Google through Perplexity also gives you much more accurate and context-aware answers.
The only issue is that it takes a tad bit longer for certain queries. For instance, in one of my previous articles, I mentioned an example involving time conversions between time zones. I work Eastern Standard Time hours, but live nine hours ahead. When I type [time] EST to PKT in Google (or even just [time EST]), I instantly get the converted time in a box at the very top. I’ve been using Comet for a few weeks now, and I’ve gotten used to clicking the downwards arrow to make a Google search when I need to. I tend to default to Perplexity now, so it’s become my go-to for most queries.
Comet's AI assistant is a game-changer
It’s helped me save hours of mindless clicking
If there’s an AI tool that can automate some of the repetitive tasks I do every day, and it comes baked right into my browser (which is the software I obviously use the most), that’s enough reason for me to stick with it. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: Comet’s best feature is, hands down, its AI Assistant. Now, I’m not talking about tasks like summarizing an article you’re reading or a YouTube video you’re watching. Sure, that’s impressive, but there are already plenty of tools that can do that. What I’m talking about is the agentic aspect — things get exciting when the AI actually begins to take initiative and perform tasks for you rather than just responding to prompts.
For instance, when I wake up every morning, I use Huxe’s Daily Audio Briefing feature to catch up on emails I missed while I was asleep and to see what I have on my calendar ahead. If you aren’t familiar with Huxe, it’s an app developed by NotebookLM’s founders, and it’s available on both the App Store and Play Store. Once I have an idea of what emails I received overnight, I often want to quickly respond to them or open a particular one in a separate tab. Instead of going through my overflowing inbox first thing in the morning, I can simply open the AI assistant by hitting Alt + A on my keyboard and describe the email I’d like to open in natural language, then continue doing something else while the assistant opens it up within seconds.
Similarly, I can ask it to set up a quick call with someone, analyze my calendar and let me know where I can fit in a specific focus block, book an appointment for me, or even pull up a document. One of my favorite use cases for the AI Assistant is asking it to quickly clear up distracting tabs I opened while sidetracked. I don’t have to switch between apps or tools to get things done — everything flows naturally within the same environment. That’s what truly makes its assistant stand out from a lot of other “AI in your browser” experiences I’ve tried.
At the end of the day, it’s like Chrome
Except it actually feels built for 2025
Perplexity is a Chromium-based browser, which essentially means it's built on the same open-source foundation that powers Google Chrome and a bunch of other browsers. In addition to this meaning the underlying technology is pretty much the same, most Chromium browsers also adopt Chrome’s familiar layout.
Though Comet adds its own branding touches, like the Assistant shortcut on the sidebar, you still get that familiar Chrome feel, which made adjusting to it almost effortless. I personally prefer Comet’s user interface over Chrome’s or any other browser, really (even though it feels slightly cluttered at times).
Though Safari had been my primary browser before I switched to Comet, I relied on Chrome for years before that. I’d spent years building up my extensions list, and I lost access to most of them when I moved to Safari. Some of the extensions that are free on Chrome are paid on Safari, so I even had to pay for a few that I’d been using for years — which was honestly annoying.
With Comet, I have access to all my favorite Chrome extensions again, and they work exactly as they did before, without any compatibility issues or extra setup. So, Comet pretty much feels just as fast and familiar as Chrome, but has its own AI features layered on top (which, like I mentioned, I think are genuinely useful).
You can now try Comet for free
This week, Perplexity announced that anyone can now download Comet and start using it completely free. Previously, you had to be subscribed to Perplexity’s $200/month Max tier, join a waitlist, and cross your fingers for access.
You could also ask someone who already had access to Comet to share an invitation link with you, though each user only had a limited number of invites to give out. With the browser now being completely free, there’s really no reason not to give it a try. It's helped me save hours and hours of redundant work, and I can only imagine how the AI browser will improve as time passes.