Comet vs. Chrome: Will Perplexity’s Agentic Browser Redefine the Web Experience?

Google Chrome has long reigned as the undisputed leader in the browser market, controlling over 60% of global share. Its speed, reliability, and integration with Google's ecosystem have made it the go-to choice for billions of users. But the landscape of web browsing is evolving, and Perplexity AI—a rising name in the AI-powered search and knowledge space—has introduced Comet, a next-generation agentic AI browser that promises to reimagine the way users interact with the internet.

Can Comet really replace Chrome, or is it another experimental tool destined to serve a niche? This article explores Comet’s core features, architecture, user experience, and broader implications for the future of browsing and AI interaction.

What Is Comet?

Comet is a browser built from the ground up around AI-first design principles. Developed by Perplexity, a company already making waves in the AI search space with its answer engine, Comet leverages large language models (LLMs) not just as assistants but as autonomous agents capable of taking actions on your behalf.

Unlike traditional browsers, where the user performs every task manually—searching, clicking, sorting, reading—Comet introduces "agentic browsing". This means AI agents can dynamically fetch information, click links, summarize content, and even complete workflows for users without constant prompts.

In essence, it’s a browser that thinks, learns, and acts, reshaping the passive internet into an active knowledge assistant.

Key Features That Set Comet Apart

1. Autonomous Web Navigation

Comet can execute multi-step browsing tasks. For example, if you ask it to "Find me the best deals on wireless headphones under $150 and compare them," it will:

• Search across websites

• Evaluate options using product reviews and ratings

• Present a curated summary

• Offer purchase links

Chrome, in contrast, provides the tools to do this manually—but leaves all the work to the user.

2. Integrated Perplexity Search

Rather than relying on traditional keyword-based search results, Comet uses Perplexity’s proprietary AI engine to deliver answers rather than links. It acts more like a tutor than a directory, enabling faster access to relevant knowledge, citations, and context.

This is particularly powerful for research, where users need synthesis, not just hyperlinks.

3. Context-Aware Memory and Personalization

Comet remembers past queries, understands user habits, and adapts over time. If a user frequently asks for academic papers, Comet may prioritize sources like JSTOR, Arxiv, or Google Scholar. This contextual awareness creates a personalized browsing experience closer to a digital research assistant.

4. Seamless Multimodal Capabilities

Comet is designed to handle text, image, and potentially video input/output in the future. For example, users can upload a PDF and ask Comet to summarize it or compare it with another document. This kind of AI-native interaction goes far beyond what traditional browsers offer.

How Does Comet Compare to Chrome?

Feature	Google Chrome	Comet by Perplexity
Search	Google Search (keyword-based)	Perplexity AI (answer-based)
User Agency	Fully manual	AI-assisted, agentic tasks
Extensions Ecosystem	Massive (Chrome Web Store)	Limited (AI-native integration)
Speed and Performance	Highly optimized	Still evolving
Privacy and Data Use	Google ecosystem integration	Focus on privacy-conscious use
Multimodal Input	Limited	Built-in (PDFs, images, etc.)
Personalization	Cookie- and ad-based	Contextual AI learning
Offline Usage	Supported with limitations	Under development

While Chrome excels at being a fast, reliable, and customizable tool for all kinds of users, Comet tries to leap ahead into AI-native browsing, redefining what the browser can do, not just what it can show.

The Power of Agentic AI: A Paradigm Shift

Comet isn’t just a browser—it’s an experiment in software autonomy. Instead of designing user interfaces that require clicks, scrolling, and input fields, Comet is exploring how software can understand user intent and act on it.

For instance, a freelance writer might ask:

“Find five current controversies in climate policy, summarize their arguments, and provide links to the best rebuttals.”

Rather than just displaying links, Comet might return:

• A categorized list of issues

• Argument summaries with citations

• Optional download of a brief

• Draft content suggestions

This is akin to hiring a digital research assistant—not a far-off dream, but a present-day use case.

Challenges Ahead for Comet

Despite its potential, Comet faces several headwinds before it can truly challenge Chrome:

1. Performance and Stability: Chrome is a finely tuned engine backed by years of development and Google’s infrastructure. Comet, being new, may suffer from slower speeds, AI hallucinations, or bugs.

2. User Trust and Transparency: Many users may hesitate to hand over browsing decisions to an AI. Ensuring transparency about what the agent is doing, what sites it's accessing, and what data it’s using is critical.

3. Extension Ecosystem: Chrome’s vast extension library makes it indispensable for developers, productivity users, and power surfers. Comet will need time—and a developer base—to build a similar ecosystem.

4. Adoption Curve: People don’t easily change browsers. For many, Chrome is default, synced with mobile devices, passwords, and extensions. Comet must prove it offers something so unique that switching becomes worth the friction.

Implications for the Future of Browsing

Comet’s arrival is a wake-up call. The future of browsing may no longer be about showing content efficiently—it might be about doing things on behalf of the user.

Just as Google once replaced directories with algorithmic search, Perplexity’s Comet aims to replace static search results with active agents. The concept of clicking through dozens of tabs could be replaced by asking one question and receiving a synthesized answer with actionable steps.

If successful, Comet could inspire an entire new category: AI-native browsers, where user experience is defined by outcome, not effort.

 Challenger or Complement?

While it's premature to declare Comet a "Chrome killer," its potential is undeniable. By fusing generative AI with browsing, Perplexity is carving a new path—one that could coexist with Chrome or, over time, challenge it.

In the short term, Comet is likely to serve power users, researchers, students, and AI enthusiasts who need deeper, faster, contextual understanding of web information. Over time, with improved stability, ecosystem development, and user-friendly design, it could evolve into a mass-market tool.

Whether Comet replaces Chrome or simply coexists alongside it, one thing is clear: the age of agentic AI browsing has arrived. And it may change how we experience the internet forever.