Perplexity Comet is a web browser from Perplexity with a built-in AI assistant that can answer questions about the page you're on and carry out tasks for you. It's available for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. The detail people miss: you can pause the assistant, and you should review anything it does.
A browser that does the clicking for you sounds either brilliant or slightly alarming, and I get asked about both reactions. Comet is Perplexity's attempt at it, and plenty of freelancers and shop owners want to know whether it's a helpful assistant or just another tab-filler.
So here's a plain explanation of Comet, what Perplexity says it does, how you'd start using it, and the sensible habits I'd put in place before letting any browser act on your behalf. Everything comes from Perplexity's own pages, plus Wikipedia for background.
Comet in plain words
Comet is a web browser made by Perplexity, the company behind the AI answer engine. Perplexity's own page describes it as the AI browser that acts as a personal assistant. Wikipedia adds that it's built on Chromium, the same open foundation that sits under several familiar browsers.
The difference from your usual browser is the assistant sitting inside it. Instead of only showing you web pages, Comet can read the page you're on, answer questions about it and, if you ask, carry out steps for you.
What Perplexity says Comet can do
Perplexity's Comet page talks about delegating tasks, from wrangling inboxes to ordering groceries, and it shows a control labelled Pause Comet Assistant, so you can stop the assistant when you want to take over. Its example uses include:
- Comparing how different news outlets cover the same story.
- Drafting an email reply that takes your schedule into account.
- Creating a study plan from a syllabus.
- Shopping for an item, such as an office chair.
Perplexity's help article on getting started also names a few built-in helpers: an Ask Button for questions about the pages you have open, a Summarize Button for long content, and Comet Intelligence, which powers Personal Search over your browsing history.
Where you can get Comet
According to Perplexity, Comet is available for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. Wikipedia says it first went only to people on Perplexity's top level of membership, then became a free download after that. Perplexity's own page doesn't answer the question of what's included, so check the official Comet page for your account before you rely on any feature.
How to start using Comet
Perplexity's help centre keeps the steps short. On a computer, they go like this:
- Download Comet from Perplexity's official website, choosing the Windows or Mac version.
- On a Mac, move the app into your Applications folder. On Windows, run the installer.
- Follow the first-time setup prompts to set your preferences.
- Open a page you'd normally read, then try the Ask Button with a simple question about it.
- Try the Summarize Button on a long article before you give the assistant anything bigger.
Updates install when you relaunch the browser, and you can check by hand in Settings, then About. For the phone versions, use your app store's official listing and the steps in Perplexity's help centre, because menus vary by app version.
What Comet asks to store on your device
Perplexity's help article says Comet asks for keychain access to store website passwords, card details for autofill, authentication tokens and encrypted data used by Comet Intelligence. It states that the browser stores this information locally on your device with encryption.
Perplexity's help centre also has dedicated collections for privacy and data and for security, which together hold ten articles. It's worth reading both before you connect work accounts. I'd look for how your browsing history is used, and what the assistant needs your permission to do.
Trying Comet in a small business
If I were testing Comet for a small firm, I'd begin with low-stakes jobs where a mistake does no harm:
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
- Summarise a long supplier document or industry report before a call.
- Compare three competitor websites and list what each offers.
- Pull the key dates out of a long email thread into a checklist.
- Draft a reply to an enquiry, then rewrite it in your own voice before sending.
- Use Personal Search to find a page you remember reading earlier.
Comet is one of several assistants that can act for you. My guide to AI agents that are free to try is a good place to compare them, and my overview of the best AI tools for small business owners shows where a browser assistant fits in a wider toolkit.
Sensible limits for any AI browser assistant
An assistant that can click, type and fill in forms is powerful, and that's exactly why it deserves rules. These are the ones I'd set:
- Keep a human in the loop for anything involving buying, sending or deleting. Read what it's about to do.
- Use the pause control the moment it heads somewhere you didn't expect.
- Don't leave it signed in to sensitive accounts, such as banking, while you're testing.
- Treat text on web pages as untrusted. A page can contain instructions aimed at an AI, so be wary on sites you don't know.
- Check anything it writes or summarises against the source before you rely on it.
Comet compared with a regular browser and with chatbots
A regular browser leaves every click to you, and a chatbot sits in a separate tab and only knows what you paste in. Comet sits between them: it lives in the browser, so it can see the page you're on without any copying and pasting.
That convenience is the whole pitch, and the trade-off is that you're giving an AI more access than a chatbot ever gets. Start small, review each result, and widen its job only when it's earned your trust.
If you'd like help working out which AI tools are worth using in your business, and where the guard rails should go, that's what I do as an AI consultant.
Frequently asked questions
What is Perplexity Comet?
Comet is a web browser from Perplexity with a built-in AI assistant. Perplexity describes it as the AI browser that acts as a personal assistant.
Which devices can run Comet?
Perplexity says Comet is available for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android.
Is Comet free?
Wikipedia says Comet became a free download after an early limited release, but Perplexity's own Comet page doesn't answer the question. Check the official page for your account.
What are the Ask and Summarize buttons?
According to Perplexity's help centre, the Ask Button answers questions about the pages you have open and the Summarize Button condenses long content.
Does Comet store my passwords?
Perplexity says Comet asks for keychain access to store passwords, card details for autofill and authentication tokens, kept locally on your device with encryption.
