Perplexity AI Browser Goes Free

Perplexity has Chrome in its sights as it is making its premium Comet AI browser completely free for everyone worldwide.

What was once a $200-per-month exclusive is now available to anyone with an internet connection. CEO Aravind Srinivas announced the shift, turning what many call the most revolutionary browser in years into a free tool that could finally dent Google Chrome’s dominance.

With Chrome commanding a 72% global market share, Perplexity is betting millions of users are ready for something radically different. The timing might be good as Google faces antitrust pressure, with federal courts ruling the company operates an illegal monopoly in search markets.

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Crusade of the Comet

Comet is built from the ground up as an AI companion that changes how you move through the web. Instead of hunting through endless search results, the browser can summarize webpages, pull key details, and wade through links for you.

What actually feels different? Comet takes action, unlike most AI tools that only respond with text. You can book meetings, send emails, compare products across sites, and complete purchases with a simple conversation. It is built on Chromium, so your bookmarks and extensions carry over.

Since launching exclusively for premium subscribers three months ago, millions have signed up for access. Early users noticed something curious: Comet users were asking more questions than they had asked the company’s search tool before, and those questions did not look like traditional searches.

Targeting Google’s empire

In terms of the antitrust matters, the U.S. Department of Justice was seeking to force Chrome browser divestiture. However, as the BBC reported last month, a U.S. judge ruled that the tech giant does not have to sell Chrome and Android, so the company avoided what could have led to a break-up.

The announcement by Perplexity also introduces Comet Plus, a new $5 monthly subscription that unlocks premium news from CNN, The Washington Post, Fortune, and other major publishers. Publishers are set to be paid from a $42.5 million revenue pool, a clear challenge to Google’s grip on digital ads.

Even bigger, Perplexity is in talks with smartphone makers like Samsung and Motorola about making Comet the default browser. Land that deal, and billions of users could feel the shift overnight.

Your browsing life

Early adopters report that Comet didn’t just replace other browsers, it replaced their entire browsing workflow. The shift starts when you stop doing everything yourself and start delegating tasks to the AI assistant.

Picture this: the browser merges articles and reports into Google Slides, organizes tabs by project, and summarizes YouTube videos, all through natural conversation. Tag windows by typing @ and selecting from open projects, and suddenly tab chaos turns into tidy workspaces.

The free version includes usage limits, what Perplexity calls “rate limits,” essentially daily caps, but it still changes how you browse. Srinivas framed the move as a push against “AI slop,” the flood of low-quality, AI-generated content clogging the internet. Comet’s mission is to help people avoid low-quality content and focus on meaningful, high-quality sources for research.

This feels bigger than a new browser. It looks like the rise of “augmented intelligence,” a way to extend human cognition beyond our usual limits. As the AI browser wars heat up, with competitors from OpenAI, Google, and others launching their own solutions, Perplexity’s decision to go completely free could be the jolt that finally loosens Chrome’s stranglehold on the web.