Can Comet replace Google Chrome? An in-depth look at Perplexity’s new agentic AI browser
In an era where artificial intelligence is becoming an integral part of our daily digital experience, Perplexity AI has introduced a bold new player into the browser space — Comet, an agentic AI-powered browser. While Google Chrome continues to dominate the browser market with over 60% of global usage, Comet poses a fresh, futuristic alternative that merges AI assistance directly into web navigation.
So, can Comet really replace Chrome? Let’s take a closer look at what it offers, how it works, and whether it has what it takes to become the browser of the future.
What Is Comet?
Comet is a new AI-native web browser developed by Perplexity AI — the company behind one of the most innovative search engines powered by large language models. But unlike a traditional browser, Comet is agentic. That means it doesn’t just help you find content — it actively interacts with the web on your behalf.
From summarizing articles to comparing product features across different websites, Comet turns your browser into a research assistant, capable of carrying out complex tasks using natural language instructions.
Key Features of Comet
1. AI-Powered Browsing
Comet integrates Perplexity’s LLM-based search engine to generate real-time summaries and context-aware answers based on live web data. You can simply type in a query, and instead of being shown 10 links, you get a synthesized response — with sources.
2. Agentic Research Assistant
Whether you’re comparing flights, writing a report, or exploring scientific studies, Comet can gather, read, and extract information from multiple sites, saving you hours of manual work.
3. Natural Language Navigation
No more typing fragmented keywords. Ask questions in plain English (or any supported language), and the browser understands your intent. It can also refine searches based on follow-up queries.
4. Automatic Tab Summarization
Open tabs can be automatically summarized with bullet points or concise paragraphs, letting users keep track of multiple pages effortlessly.
5. Live Web Integration
Unlike static AI models, Comet fetches answers from the live web, ensuring more accurate and up-to-date results, especially useful for news, prices, or ongoing events.
How Does It Compare With Google Chrome?
🔹 Search Experience
Chrome relies on Google Search, which lists pages ranked by SEO and paid ads. Comet bypasses that with direct, conversational answers based on web content. For research-heavy tasks, this is a major time-saver.
🔹 Performance & Speed
Chrome is a battle-tested browser known for its performance and multi-device syncing. Comet, still in development, may face issues like occasional lag or UI glitches. It’s more of a conceptual leap than a polished product — for now.
🔹 Privacy
While Chrome is often criticized for extensive data collection, Comet’s privacy policies are still unclear. Since it relies heavily on AI and backend processing, concerns about data retention and user profiling need more transparency.
🔹 Extension Support
One of Chrome’s strengths is its massive ecosystem of extensions and plugins. Comet currently doesn’t offer these tools, limiting functionality for developers, designers, and power users.
🔹 Offline Access
Chrome has robust offline capabilities and syncing options across devices. Comet, being AI-heavy and cloud-dependent, requires a stable internet connection for its features to work effectively.
Where Comet Shines
Despite its limitations, Comet excels in specific areas:
- Academic research: It can fetch and summarize papers, definitions, and context quickly.
- News aggregation: Instead of jumping between news sites, Comet provides a clean digest.
- Product comparison: It can analyze multiple e-commerce sites and list pros and cons.
- Task automation: Need to find a cheap hotel in a specific city during a particular week? Comet can search, filter, and summarize options.
Challenges Ahead
Before Comet can challenge Chrome’s dominance, it must overcome several challenges:
- Trust & Adoption: Users are comfortable with Chrome. Switching to a new, experimental browser requires strong incentives.
- Stability & Speed: Comet needs to match Chrome’s performance in handling heavy websites and multitasking.
- Privacy Transparency: AI agents interacting with the web raise new privacy questions — how is your data processed, stored, or used?
- Extension Compatibility: Many users depend on Chrome extensions for work and customization. Until Comet supports a similar system, adoption will be slow.
Can Comet Replace Chrome?
At this stage, the answer is: not yet.
Comet is an impressive, forward-thinking innovation, ideal for researchers, students, journalists, and anyone who relies on information gathering and synthesis. But it isn’t a full replacement for Chrome’s well-rounded capabilities. Chrome still leads in speed, ecosystem support, and stability.
However, Comet introduces a new paradigm in browsing — one where AI is not a side feature but the core experience. As Perplexity improves its infrastructure, polishes the interface, and adds more features, Comet might not just be a browser; it could become a digital co-pilot for online life.
Final Verdict
While Comet won’t dethrone Chrome in the near future, it signals a shift in how we interact with the internet. If you’re someone who spends hours digging through websites to find answers, Comet can drastically improve your workflow.
In the coming years, expect to see more browsers incorporating agentic AI features. Whether it’s Comet, a future Chrome integration, or a different AI-native product, browsing as we know it is about to change — and Comet is at the forefront.
