The AI browsing war is heating up with Perplexity AI launching Comet. The highly anticipated AI-powered browser is the company’s bold attempt to challenge Google Chrome’s dominance. Meanwhile, OpenAI is reportedly preparing to launch its own AI browser within weeks, further intensifying the competition.
Comet, currently available by invite to Perplexity’s $200‑a‑month Max subscribers, is built on Chromium and supports Windows and Mac platforms. The browser features Perplexity as its default search engine and allows users to easily import Chrome extensions, bookmarks, and settings, making the migration process painless.
Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas revealed in a post on X that he had reached out to Chrome a long time ago to offer Perplexity as a default search engine option. “They refused. Hence, we decided to build the Perplexity Comet browser,” he said.
Not to forget that Apple and Meta are already trying to acquire Perplexity AI.
Aman Kabeer, investor at FirstMark, described Comet as “a masterpiece of a release.” He pointed out that switching browsers is usually a hassle, but Comet makes it effortless with its one-click import from Chrome.
He expressed that ease of migration is crucial for consumers. In an X post, he mentioned that using other browsers feels uncomfortable from the start and requires too much effort to switch.
Why Comet Can Crush Google Chrome?
A standout feature of Comet is its Assistant. This AI sidebar can answer questions about what you’re seeing on screen, instantly summarise articles, compare products, book meetings, send emails, and even purchase items on behalf of users.
The assistant operates across any webpage, interpreting content contextually and allowing users to automate multi‑step workflows through a conversational interface, shifting browsing from navigation to cognition.
From a privacy standpoint, Perplexity AI stated that Comet stores user data locally and does not feed personal information into its model-training pipeline, a move aimed at privacy-conscious users.
Additionally, Comet comes with a built‑in ad blocker for a cleaner browsing experience, and supports personalised search by analysing local browsing history, all without sending data to Perplexity servers.
Citing Greyhound Research, Sanchit Vir Gogoi, CEO of Greyhound Research, told AIM that AI-first browsers like Perplexity Comet and OpenAI’s forthcoming offering may not displace Chrome immediately. Still, they are reorienting user expectations around relevance, speed, and task fluidity. “Chrome’s grip is rooted in legacy distribution and cross-device familiarity, but its tab-centric model is increasingly at odds with users seeking AI-native assistance,” he said.
Gogoi added that 51% of enterprise technology leaders believe OpenAI and Perplexity are moving into browser development to secure first-party data access, lock-in user feedback loops, and control the digital front door.
Dharmesh Shah, Co-founder and CTO of HubSpot, shared his experience with Comet after getting early access. “I feel like I’m living in the future right now.”
“I spend hours and hours a day in a browser—specifically, Chrome,” he said, adding that while Chrome Extensions were a significant advancement, they came over 15 years ago and little has felt “remarkable” since.
In contrast, Shah called Comet “a breath of fresh air.” He compared it to having an AI assistant embedded directly into the browser, one that’s context-aware and capable of acting on whatever you’re doing.
Because Comet is a fully functional browser rather than just a plug-in, the assistant can perform tasks across any tab, including on sites where the user is logged in. “It can pretty much do anything that you could do inside the browser,” he said.
Notably, Shah is a small investor in Perplexity and is acquainted with Srinivas.
Meanwhile, Srinivas also took a dig at MCP (Model Context Protocol), saying that one could either wait for connectors and MCP servers to bring in context from third-party apps, or simply download and use Comet, letting the agent handle browsing tabs and pulling relevant information. “It’s a much cleaner way to make agents work,” he said.
Matthew Berman, CEO of Forward Future, described the experience of using Comet as ‘vibe browsing,’ saying that “users will be a step removed from interacting with websites directly and instead will be tasking agents to interact on our behalf.”
“Comet is impressive. Great work, Aravind Srinivas,” said YC CEO Garry Tan in a post on X.
Can OpenAI Turn the Game Around?
Meanwhile, OpenAI is reportedly just weeks away from launching its own AI browser, also built on Chromium, in a move that could challenge Google Chrome’s dominance. As of 2025, Chrome remains the world’s most widely used browser, with an estimated 3.45 billion users, up 4.5% from the previous year, and holds around 68% of the global market share across all platforms.
“The browser is slated to launch in the coming weeks and aims to use artificial intelligence to fundamentally change how consumers browse the web,” according to Reuters.
Last year, OpenAI brought on board two veteran Google vice presidents who had been part of Chrome’s original development team.
By integrating its AI agent, Operator, OpenAI’s browser could keep user interactions within a chat-like interface, reducing reliance on traditional website navigation and potentially capturing valuable user data.
According to Gogoi, the decisive factor in the AI browser market will not be page speed or privacy optics alone, but how effectively the assistant learns and adapts. “Persistent memory, safe personalisation, and cross-app intelligence are emerging as deal-breakers,” he said.
He further added that Perplexity’s local-first model and OpenAI’s cloud-integrated approach offer contrasting views on where that balance lies.
With over 500 million weekly ChatGPT users and 3 million business subscribers, OpenAI’s browser could pose a formidable challenge to Chrome’s global two‑thirds market share.