Perplexity’s Comet Browser: Unveiling What We Know So Far

Comet, the web browser created by Perplexity, is reaching a pivotal phase. On Sunday, June 22, 2025, Aravind Srinivas, CEO of the American startup known for its AI-driven search engine, announced the beta release of the Windows version. He revealed in a personal post on his X account that “invitations have been sent to early testers.”

There was already a preliminary version available for Mac, but it was exclusive to devices with Apple Silicon processors and available only to a limited group of testers. But what does this new tool look like, which is supposed to “revolutionize web navigation”? What do we really know about it? At this point, not much.

Comet: A Browser for Agentic Search by Perplexity

Coming soon. pic.twitter.com/SwVSwudgtN

— Perplexity (@perplexity_ai) February 24, 2025

A Web Browser Built on the Principle of Agentic Search

Introduced cryptically in a February post on X, Comet is a web browser based on the Chromium platform and designed around the concept of agentic search. Essentially, AI plays a central role in Comet, where one or more autonomous agents can perform actions on behalf of the user during their web navigation. This emerging concept has attracted several players in the market, including The Browser Company, which is developing Dia, a browser based on the same principle. Recently, Firefox has also been proactive in incorporating more artificial intelligence into its browser.

What Features Does Comet Offer?

How does this agentic approach translate into features? It’s hard to specify at the moment, as Comet is only accessible to a very limited number of users, pending a broader rollout.

According to the tech site Engadget, the integrated personal assistant in the browser is capable of performing multiple tasks: answering questions, automatically searching for discount coupons to reduce the cost of a shopping cart, and identifying emails that have gone unanswered. The beta version also includes a Try On feature, allowing users to upload a photo of themselves to virtually try on clothes from a retailer.

Comet, a Data Collection Machine?

No launch date has been announced yet for this tool, which aims to reinvent navigation and disrupt a market largely dominated by Chrome. However, since February, a waiting list has been available at this address. Versions for iOS and Android are also reportedly in development.

Despite the vagueness surrounding its features, Comet has already stirred some controversy. As reported by TechCrunch in April, Aravind Srinivas acknowledged on the TBPN podcast that the browser would also serve to collect navigation data for targeted advertising. “The things you buy, the hotels you visit, the restaurants you frequent, the time you spend browsing various sites, all tell a lot more about you,” he said.

In response to the American media’s article, the CEO of Perplexity clarified his comments on X, stating they were “taken out of context.” He added that it would be possible to turn off personalization based on navigation data, or even use a version that blocks all ads. “It’s up to the users to choose between utility and privacy,” he concluded.

Low effort clickbait article that takes things out of context. The podcast hosts asked me a hypothetical question about how ads could play out in AI products including Perplexity. I laid out a scenario. The core point was first cracking memory and personalization if you do want…

— Aravind Srinivas (@AravSrinivas) April 24, 2025