Perplexity AI’s new free browser, Comet, aims to disrupt closed ecosystems by offering open-access, AI-enhanced browsing powered by real-time web intelligence, posing a direct challenge to Google Chrome and OpenAI’s upcoming browser.
Perplexity AI has unveiled Comet, a free AI-driven browser designed to bring open-access intelligence to the web. Positioned as a transparent alternative to the closed ecosystems of Google Chrome and OpenAI’s anticipated AI browser, Comet integrates real-time search and language model capabilities to make browsing more intuitive and citation-based.
The announcement triggered an immediate market reaction, with Alphabet’s stock slipping 0.6% to $246.43, signalling investor concern over Comet’s competitive potential.
Aravind Srinivas, Co-founder and CEO of Perplexity AI, has positioned Comet as a feature-rich, freely available rival to established browsers. This strategy builds on the company’s earlier success with its Max plan, priced at $200 per month, which attracted millions of early subscribers.
Comet combines an extensive set of AI-powered tools, including Discover for contextual search, Spaces for project organisation, Shopping, Travel, Finance, and Sports features for real-time insights. Users can also opt for a $5 monthly plan to access premium publisher content, advanced AI models, and an email assistant that drafts replies, manages inboxes, schedules meetings, and answers queries from email content.
Founded in 2022 by Aravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski, Perplexity AI is valued at $18 billion. It leverages large language models with real-time web search and inline source citations, reinforcing transparency and open access.
At Bloomberg’s Tech Summit 2025, Srinivas revealed that Perplexity processed 780 million queries in May 2025, marking 20% growth and reaching 30 million daily queries, underlining its rapid ascent in the AI-driven web ecosystem.
