Perplexity Makes AI-Powered Browser Available to All at No Cost

Perplexity AI made its artificial intelligence-powered browser, Comet, available generally and at no cost.

Comet was launched in a limited release on July 9 and since then has had a waitlist joined by “millions of people,” the company said in a Thursday (Oct. 2) blog post.

The browser includes the Comet Assistant, which can help with research, meetings, code and eCommerce while the user is browsing the internet, according to the post.

Perplexity also announced in its blog post the launch of Background Assistants, which are AI assistants that can work in the browser, the inbox or the background.

The company will also make Comet available as a mobile app “soon,” per the post. The browser is currently desktop-only.

When introducing Comet in July, Perplexity said in a blog post that the AI-powered browser “transforms entire browsing sessions into single, seamless interactions, collapsing complex workflows into fluid conversations.”

During the July introduction, Perplexity made Comet available to subscribers of Perplexity Max, which costs $200 a month, CNBC reported Thursday. By making Comet available for free, the company will be better able to compete with other AI-powered browsers, such as those available from Google, OpenAI and Anthropic.

Perplexity announced in a Wednesday (Oct. 1) blog post the first publishers to participate in Comet Plus, its service that gives users and their AI assistants access to participating publishers’ journalism and compensates the publishers for that access.

Comet Plus is available as a $5 standalone subscription or at no additional cost with a Perplexity Pro or Max subscription, according to the post.

The initial participants include CNN, Conde Nast, Fortune, Le Figaro, Le Monde, the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post, per the post.

When Perplexity announced the Comet Plus subscription program in August, it said the program “transforms how publishers are compensated in the AI age.”

“As users demand a better internet in the age of AI, it’s time for a business model to ensure that publishers and journalists benefit from their contributions to a better internet,” the company said in a blog post.

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