Perplexity Comet Browser Review 2025

The Big Picture: What Makes Comet Different

Comet’s main feature is a sidecar assistant that joins you while you browse, helping to answer any questions you may have about the web page you’re on, summarize content, manage web content, and navigate web pages on your behalf.

Unlike Chrome with Gemini bolted on, or Edge with Copilot sitting awkwardly in the corner, Comet was built from the ground up with AI at its core. This isn’t just another browser with an AI chatbot shoved into it—it’s a complete reimagining of what a browser can do.

The distinction is critical. Most browsers today treat AI as an add-on feature. Comet treats AI as the foundation of the entire browsing experience.

The Comet Assistant: Your Intelligent Sidebar

At the heart of Comet sits the Perplexity Assistant—a context-aware AI that lives in your browser’s sidebar. Think of it as having a brilliant research assistant who actually understands what you’re looking at, not just what you type into a search bar.

What the Assistant Can Actually Do

I tested the Assistant extensively across different workflows, and here’s what genuinely impressed me:

Content Summarization: Point it at any article, YouTube video, or Google Doc, and it delivers clear, concise summaries. I had it summarize a 45-minute YouTube video in seconds—and the summary was spot-on.

Cross-Tab Intelligence: Unlike standard browsers that treat each tab in isolation, Comet understands your context across tabs. I asked it to compare pricing across three different e-commerce sites I had open, and it pulled the information seamlessly without me having to copy-paste anything.

Task Automation: The Assistant can draft emails, schedule meetings, organize tabs, and even help with form filling. Max users also get access to Perplexity’s email assistant, which promises to draft replies and write responses that match your tone; organize and prioritize your inbox; schedule meetings; and answer questions about your inbox.

Tab Management: I had 15 tabs open about AI development tools, and I asked the Assistant to group them. It created a clean tab group in seconds—something that would have taken me several minutes manually.

The Multi-LLM Advantage

One feature that sets Comet apart is its LLM flexibility. You can switch between:

• Claude Sonnet 4.0
• GPT-5
• Gemini Pro
• Grok 4
• Sonar (Perplexity’s own model)
• And a “Best” option that automatically selects the optimal model for your task

This is huge. Instead of being locked into Google’s ecosystem with Gemini or Microsoft’s with GPT-4, you get the best of all worlds. For the same $20/month as a standalone Gemini subscription, you get access to multiple cutting-edge models through Perplexity Pro.

Testing Task Automation: Where Comet Shines (and Stumbles)

I put Comet through its paces with real-world automation tasks to see if it lives up to the hype.

Success Stories

Email Management: I asked Comet to summarize my travel plans for the year based on my Gmail. It parsed through dozens of emails and presented a clean timeline. When I asked for more detail about a specific trip, it pulled up relevant booking confirmations instantly.

Research Workflows: I was researching SaaS pricing models and had multiple tabs open. The Assistant could reference information across all tabs simultaneously, making comparisons that would normally require manual note-taking.

Content Creation: I asked it to create a new Notion page to track notes. It did—instantly. The integration with web apps like Notion, Google Docs, and WordPress works surprisingly well.

Where It Falls Short

While Comet Assistant performs well in simple workflows, it still suffers from wrong date entries for bookings, confused multi-step actions, and occasional misinterpretation of user intent.

I tried having it book a meeting through my Google Calendar. It got confused with permissions, and the OAuth security layers blocked several attempts. For complex, multi-step automation, Comet still needs refinement.

Another frustration: the Assistant sometimes replaces your current tab instead of opening a new one. I lost a WordPress draft (thankfully saved) when it opened a Notion page in the same tab. That’s a UX issue that needs fixing.

Performance Benchmarks: The Numbers Don’t Lie

Let’s talk speed. A Speedometer 3.1 benchmark indicated Comet (29.3) was slower than Chrome 138 (34.3) in beta, suggesting ongoing optimization is needed.

In everyday use, I noticed a slight lag—nothing deal-breaking, but definitely present. Chrome feels snappier for basic browsing, especially if you’re a power user who values every millisecond.

However, the performance hit comes with a trade-off: you’re getting built-in AI capabilities that would require multiple Chrome extensions to replicate. Is a 15% speed reduction worth having an intelligent assistant that can automate tasks? For many workflows, I’d argue yes.

The Chrome Migration: Easier Than You’d Think

One of my biggest concerns was switching from Chrome. I’ve been a Chrome user for over a decade, with hundreds of bookmarks, dozens of extensions, and countless saved passwords.

The good news: Built on Chromium, Comet supports one-click import of bookmarks, settings, and logins, making switching from Chrome or Edge almost frictionless.

Everything imported seamlessly. All my Chrome extensions work perfectly. The interface feels immediately familiar because it is Chrome—just with a brain.

The only manual work required: re-entering passwords. Comet has its own password manager, so you’ll need to input credentials as you visit sites. It’s tedious but necessary for security.

Privacy and Security: A Mixed Bag

Comet includes privacy-focused features like local data storage options and a built-in ad blocker. You can restrict which apps and data the AI can access, which gives you more control than most browsers.

Perplexity is actively addressing this, but it’s a reminder that AI-powered browsers introduce new attack vectors. If you’re handling highly sensitive information, proceed with caution and keep the browser updated.

Who Should Switch to Comet?

Ideal Candidates

• Power Users and Researchers: If you regularly juggle 10+ tabs and spend hours researching topics, Comet’s cross-tab intelligence is a game-changer.
• AI Early Adopters: If you’re already using ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity daily, having that intelligence baked into your browser feels natural and powerful.
• Productivity Seekers: Anyone tired of copying and pasting between tabs, or manually organizing information, will appreciate Comet’s automation capabilities.
• Multi-LLM Users: If you’re paying for multiple AI subscriptions, Comet with Perplexity Pro ($20/month) gives you access to all major models in one place.

Who Should Stick With Chrome (For Now)

• Privacy-First Users: Until the security vulnerabilities are fully resolved, sensitive work might be better suited to traditional browsers.
• Google Ecosystem Devotees: If you’re deeply embedded in Google Workspace, Chrome’s native integration still works better for complex workflows.
• Performance Purists: If you’re sensitive to even minor performance lags, Chrome remains the speed king.
• Casual Browsers: If you mainly browse social media and stream videos, Comet’s advanced features might be overkill.

The Background Assistant: A Glimpse of the Future

Max users get access to a new “background assistant” that performs multiple tasks on your computer in the background while you do other work or walk away to make a sandwich.

Think of it as delegating work to a team of assistants. You could ask it to send an email, add concert tickets to your cart, and find the best flight for a specific date—all while you focus on other tasks. A dashboard shows progress, and you can intervene if needed.

This feature is currently limited to Max subscribers ($200/month), but it represents where AI browsers are heading. We’re moving from browsers that wait for commands to browsers that proactively complete tasks.

Pricing Breakdown: What Does Free Actually Mean?

For most business users, the Pro tier at $20/month offers the best value. The Max tier is worth considering if you need advanced email automation and background task processing.

Real-World Business Use Cases

After extensive testing, here are scenarios where Comet delivers genuine business value:

• Competitive Research: Comparing competitors across multiple sites simultaneously, with the AI synthesizing insights across tabs.
• Content Creation: Researching topics with AI-powered summarization, then drafting content with assistance from multiple LLMs.
• Customer Support: Quickly summarizing email threads and drafting contextual responses that match your tone.
• Project Management: Organizing research materials, creating documentation in Notion or Google Docs, and managing meeting schedules.
• Market Analysis: Aggregating data from multiple sources, comparing pricing structures, and identifying trends without manual spreadsheet work.

The Verdict: Should You Switch?

Comet isn’t perfect. It has performance issues, security concerns, and occasional hiccups with complex automation. But it represents a fundamental shift in how we interact with the web.

Switch if: You value AI-powered productivity, frequently research complex topics, juggle multiple tabs, or want access to multiple LLMs without paying for separate subscriptions.

Wait if: You prioritize maximum speed, handle highly sensitive data, or are deeply embedded in Google’s ecosystem with complex workflows that depend on native Chrome integration.

For me personally? I’m switching to Comet as my primary browser for 80% of my work. The AI capabilities have already saved me hours of manual research and tab management. The remaining 20%—highly sensitive client work—stays in Chrome for now, at least until Comet’s security matures.

Perplexity AI announced that its artificial intelligence-powered web browser Comet is available worldwide, and will be free to users—and that’s the real story here. What was once a $200/month exclusive product is now accessible to anyone willing to try a new way of browsing.

The future of web browsing isn’t about having the fastest engine or the most extensions. It’s about having an intelligent partner that understands context, automates tedious tasks, and helps you think—not just search.

Comet isn’t there yet. But it’s closer than anything else I’ve tested.

Next Steps

Ready to try Comet? Here’s what I recommend:

1. Download Comet from perplexity.ai/comet (currently available on macOS and Windows)
2. Start with the free tier to test basic features
3. Upgrade to Pro ($20/month) if you want multi-LLM access and unlimited usage
4. Import your Chrome data using the one-click migration tool
5. Spend a week testing before making it your default browser

The AI browser revolution is happening now. The question isn’t whether AI will transform how we browse—it’s whether you’ll be an early adopter or wait until everyone else has already switched.

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