“Comet” (or Comet Browser) is an AI‑powered web browser built by Perplexity, designed to integrate AI more deeply into the browsing experience. YourStory.com+3Business Standard+3Perplexity AI+3
Here are the key features, uses, and cautions:
What is Comet Browser?
- It’s based on the Chromium framework, so it supports many Chrome extensions and feels similar to Chrome in usability. The Times of India+2Perplexity AI+2
- The browser has a built‑in AI assistant (Comet Assistant) via a sidebar or “agentic” capabilities: it can summarize pages, draft emails, manage tasks, fill forms, compare products, etc. The Times of India+5The Economic Times+5Perplexity AI+5
- It uses Perplexity’s AI search engine as default, meaning search results are augmented with AI‑generated summaries or context. TechCrunch+6Business Standard+6Perplexity AI+6
- It introduces “workspaces” or contextual tab/task grouping, to maintain project context instead of a jumble of tabs. The Economic Times+2The Times of India+2
- For paying / premium users (Max, Pro), there are advanced features like a “Background Assistant” that runs tasks in the background, email assistance, etc. Perplexity AI+4mint+4YourStory.com+4
Availability & Pricing
- When first launched (mid‑2025), Comet was limited to Max plan subscribers and via invitation / waitlist. Gadgets 360+4TechCrunch+4TechCrunch+4
- Later, access expanded to Pro users (in regions like India) and to more users via invites. mint+6mint+6The Economic Times+6
- As of October 2025, Perplexity made Comet free for all users, though premium tiers still unlock extra capabilities. mint+4mint+4Business Standard+4
Strengths / Potential Use Cases
- Productivity & multitasking: Because the AI can automate certain tasks (summarization, filling forms, navigating between pages), it aims to reduce friction in workflows. YourStory.com+4Perplexity AI+4The Times of India+4
- Research / content summarization: Especially useful when reading long articles or research papers, the AI can pull out main points. The Times of India+4Business Standard+4The Economic Times+4
- Contextual assistance: Since the AI “travels with you” across pages, it remembers what you were doing and can adapt recommendations or follow‑ups accordingly. Perplexity AI+2YourStory.com+2
Risks, Concerns & Limitations
- Security & privacy risks: Because the AI can “click, type, submit, autofill” on behalf of you, there’s potential for abuse—if malicious pages trick the AI into performing unintended actions. Perplexity AI
- Audits have flagged vulnerabilities such as “prompt injection” (malicious content embedded in pages that cause the AI to execute unwanted commands). Tom’s Hardware
- Some users report bugs / stability / performance issues: blank summaries, slow interface, unfinished features. Reddit+1
- Feature gating: free users are limited in what the AI can do; advanced features require upgrading.
