Perplexity AI has launched its free browser Comet, positioning it as a direct rival to Google Chrome and OpenAI’s upcoming AI browser. With AI-driven tools for shopping, travel, finance, and email assistance, Comet challenges Alphabet as its stock slips after the announcement.
Perplexity AI has made available its browser Comet free. (Representative Image)
Sundar Pichai-controlled tech giant Alphabet’s stock fell 0.6% to $246.43 after AI startup Perplexity announced that its new browser, Comet, will be available for free. By making the browser available for free, Aravind Srinivas has positioned Comet as a direct challenger to Google Chrome. With this smart move, he will also be pre-empting OpenAI’s anticipated AI-powered browser. Earlier, Perplexity priced its premium Max plan at $200 per month and got millions of early subscribers.
Perplexity’s AI-driven features
With the free browser, Perplexity has offered a wide range of AI-driven features, including Discover, ‘Spaces’ for organizing projects, ‘Shopping’, ‘Travel’, ‘Finance’ comprising tools for budgeting, expenses and investments, and Sports for real-time updates and news. However, there are monetized services as well. By paying $5 per month, users can get access to premium publisher content. At the same time, subscribers can retain access to advanced AI models and an email assistant. The assistant can draft personalized replies, manage inboxes, schedule meetings, and even answer queries based on email content.
(Arvind Srinivas, Co-founder, Perplexity AI)
What is Perplexity AI?
Perplexity is an artificial intelligence company based in the US. It uses large language models and incorporates real-time web search capabilities. It provides responses based on current Internet content, including inline source citations. Perplexity has made a free public version available, while a paid Pro subscription offers access to more advanced language models and additional features. Aravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski founded Perplexity in 2022. Its value stood at $18 billion in July this year.
Srinivas said at Bloomberg’s Tech Summit 2025 that Perplexity AI processed 780 million queries in May 2025. It registered a growth of more than 20% and is processing around 30 million queries daily.