AI search startup Perplexity has made its Comet browser available for free worldwide as it seeks to gain market share against the major players in the field. Comet was first released three months ago to its Max plan subscribers, who pay $200-per-month. While the free version comes with a Comet Assistant, paid subscribers will get access to the new, higher-level Background Assistant, which leverages agentic capabilities to perform multi-step tasks simultaneously and asynchronously in the background. It joins the Email Assistant Perplexity announced last week for those on the Max plan. Perplexity is also rolling out early previews of Comet for mobile, so assistants can be managed from anywhere.

“Perplexity’s move to make Comet free comes as the startup fights to compete against both incumbents like Google Chrome and newcomers like The Browser Company’s AI-powered browser Dia,” writes TechCrunch, noting, “it also comes ahead of OpenAI’s much-anticipated AI-powered browser launch.”

TechCrunch describes the Comet Assistant as the browser’s main feature, calling it “a sidecar” that helps while you browse, answering questions about the Web page you’re viewing, summarizing content and navigating the Internet for users.

“Every new tab has a new Comet Assistant there to answer any question or take any action on your behalf,” Perplexity explains in a blog post.

In addition to the Background Assistant, Max users get access to AI models as well as the new Email Assistant, which Perplexity says will draft replies that match the user’s tone, as well as do things like organize the inbox, schedule meetings and serve as an email chatbot that can answer questions pertaining to the mail client.

Digital Trends says the free version of Comet is “an easy pick” over Google Chrome or Apple Safari and a best-in-class among the new crop of AI-powered browsers that are shifting the playing field with “skills and shortcuts have dramatically changed the experience.”

Comet’s foundation is Google’s now open-source Chromium engine, “which means all your browsing data (extensions, history, bookmarks, and log-ins) can seamlessly be carried over,” Digital Trends reports, highlighting other “functional add-ons that set it far apart.” These include the Discover tool for personalized recommendations (something like OpenAI’s ChatGPT Pulse), Spaces to organize projects and finance tools for budgeting and expenses.

But it’s “the persistent Assistant” that gets the high praise as “a fantastic way to dig for further information,” Digital Trends points out. “It is contextually aware” so you can ask it to do things like summarize your topics of focus or take action regarding onscreen content.

Related:
Perplexity CEO: Comet AI Browser Can Boost Productivity so Companies Won’t Have to Hire More People, CNBC, 10/3/25