Perplexity’s Comet Goes Free: Here’s What You Can Expect

The AI Browser war begins as Opera launches Neon, OpenAI is set to launch one soon, and Perplexity is made free with Comet, with Comet Plus available for $5/month...

Adepu Bindu

03 Oct 2025 — 4 min read

Perplexity’s Comet Goes Free: Here’s What You Can Expect

Perplexity wants to reach everyone. It has made its AI browser, Comet, free to use now (from October 2, 2025). The tool was made available in July. And, back then, Comet was a $200/month tool for elite users. As the waitlist of 460,000 people grew into a million, the company made the tool free. So, what do you get for free? What happens to the Comet Plus users now that the tool is free? For all who learn more.

What Is "Comet"?

It's Perplexity's AI-powered web browser that can:

Search the web for you.
Write emails (clear and detailed).
Summarise content.

So, it's AI + Browser.

What About Comet Plus?

In August, Perplexity announced a paid version of the tool, called Comet Plus.

Now that it's free, users can still upgrade to Comet Plus for $ 5 per month.
However, if you are an existing Pro or Max plan user, you get Comet Plus for free.

What Makes Comet Plus Special?

Perplexity wants to compete with Apple News, and to do that, it partnered with major publishers like:

CNN
Condé Nast
The Washington Post
Los Angeles Times
Fortune
Le Monde
Le Figaro

So, the users get their hands on premium, trustworthy news sources directly inside Comet Plus.

New Feature: Background Assistant

Perplexity also introduced a new feature called the Background Assistant.
This assistant can access multiple apps and still continue your work on tasks even when you're not there.
For instance, the assistant can handle emails, do research, or run tasks all at the same time when you're away.

Why Is Comet Made Free Now Only?

Perplexity is not alone. Several other companies are getting into the space. So, the AI browser market is heating up.

Because recently:

On September 30, 2025, Opera launched its AI browser called Neon. The browser can run code and do tasks at the same time.
On the other hand, OpenAI is developing an AI browser soon.
So, Perplexity wants to keep its users on its AI browser, Comet, only.

Comparison of Comet, Opera Neon, and the Rumoured OpenAI Browser

Feature / Aspect	Comet (Perplexity)	Opera Neon	OpenAI’s upcoming browser
Purpose/vision	An AI browser that helps you search, read, summarise, and do tasks, with AI built in deeply.	A browser designed to act as an “agent,” meaning it will help you do things on your behalf in the browser itself.	It integrates AI (especially ChatGPT/agent technology) into the browser, meaning it will turn browsing and AI chatting into one seamless experience, automating tasks.
Current availability/cost	Now the browser is free for everyone. The “Comet Plus” upgrade costs $5/month for free users and is free for Pro and Max users.	Currently being rolled out as a subscription product. It costs around $19.90/month for early users.	Not released yet. According to reports, it is expected to be released in a few weeks.
How “agentic” it is	Moderately “agentic.” It helps with summarising pages, research, etc. It’s more assistant-style than fully autonomous.	It has more strongly agentic features, such as ‘Do mode’ (which lets it navigate, fill forms, and book things on your behalf) and Make mode (which allows it to build websites or apps), which are central.	Expected to use OpenAI’s “agents” under the hood to do your web tasks automatically.
How tasks are executed (locally vs cloud/privacy risks)	A mix of both. Some parts may run in the cloud or on remote servers (for burdensome tasks).	Claims to perform many tasks locally in the browser (meaning the browser won’t send your data to the cloud) when possible, enhancing privacy.	It’s unclear exactly how much is local vs remote. However, it will more likely utilise cloud servers for heavy tasks, while also attempting to integrate safe local operations.
Strengths	•It’s already live and tested. • Free for all, which lowers the barrier overall. • It has ties to existing Perplexity AI/search tools.	• More aggressive in automating work. • Strong in “doing things for you” (filling forms, booking). • Local-first approach (first is privacy).	• Deep integration of ChatGPT / OpenAI’s agent tech. • Can combine “conversational + browsing” closely.