Perplexity opens its AI browser Comet to everyone

Perplexity now lets you download its AI browser Comet for free worldwide. The company launched it on July 9 with limited access and is now removing the waitlist.

Comet aims to do more than open web pages: it includes an assistant that can research, summarize information, and carry out tasks while you browse. The idea is to keep you from constantly jumping between tabs, search engines, and apps.

A browser with an integrated assistant

The assistant appears in every new tab. You can ask it to compare products, prepare for a meeting, review code, or find information about a topic. It can also follow along as you browse and answer questions about the page you have open.

For example, if you are planning a trip, you could ask it to compare flights, review baggage policies, and gather the options into a summary. According to Perplexity, users can stay on the same task instead of copying information from one site to another.

The company says that during its initial tests, Perplexity users asked 6 to 18 times more questions on the first day after installing Comet. This is data reported by the company itself, not an independent measurement, and it does not mean everyone will get the same result.

Perplexity wants assistants that work on their own

The launch also includes so-called Background Assistants, which can run tasks simultaneously and asynchronously, meaning they work while you do something else and without requiring you to maintain a constant conversation with them.

The proposal moves away from the traditional chatbot. Instead of opening a window and typing every instruction, you could assign a task and let the assistant work on it in the background. Perplexity does not detail all the available tasks or their limits in the announcement, so it remains to be seen how much they can do reliably.

The company also mentions Email Assistant, introduced the previous week and currently available to Max plan subscribers. You can add the assistant to an email thread to help with tasks such as coordinating schedules, drafting replies, or working with information in your inbox.

The mobile version is still on the way

Until now, Comet has been a desktop product. Perplexity says it is preparing a mobile app with personal assistance and voice control features, but it has not announced a specific launch date.

That means anyone who wants to try Comet will currently have to do so from a desktop computer. The mobile app will matter if the company wants the assistant to accompany you throughout the day, not just when you are in front of a computer.

It is also betting on paying for content

Perplexity also introduced Comet Plus, a program that brings together news publications and other information sources. The stated goal is to support journalism rather than simply generate answers from content available online.

For you, the most immediate change is straightforward: you can try a browser that combines search, reading, and AI-assisted actions without paying to download it. What matters is how it handles personal data, what permissions it needs, and whether its actions always require your approval.

Comet is another step toward browsers that do more than display pages and can also act on them. The open question is whether these assistants will be accurate and transparent enough for you to trust them with real tasks, especially when those tasks involve email, purchases, or private information.