Perplexity AI Launches Comet Web Browser on Mobile, Extending Google Rivalry

Perplexity AI unveiled a version of its Comet web browser for mobile devices, extending a rivalry with Google to the search giant’s Android operating system.

Comet is available now on Android, and an iOS app for Apple devices will launch “any day now,” said Beejoli Shah, a Perplexity spokesperson. Many wireless service providers and device manufacturers have been requesting “to include Comet in their experiences,” she added.

Comet, released on a limited basis in July and later rolled out broadly in October for Mac and Windows desktop users, features an assistant that answers questions using Perplexity’s AI-powered search engine. The assistant summarizes the contents of webpages across all open tabs and responds to queries about sites that users have open. And it can complete tasks online on behalf of users, using either text or voice instructions. Perplexity declined to share how many people are actively using the browser.

The startup has been working to integrate its assistants on additional platforms and services, in a bid to challenge Alphabet Inc.’s Google in its core area of expertise: search. Other AI chatbot developers have also been embedding their technology into browsers — the latest being OpenAI with the launch of its Atlas product. AI and search companies are especially keen to capture more of consumers’ mobile activity, given nearly 70% of internet traffic happen on mobile devices, according to data from Similarweb.

With the Android launch, Comet has been redesigned somewhat with smaller devices in mind. But the functionality is similar. Sample images provided by Perplexity showed the assistant summarizing reviews of a refrigerator listed on Best Buy’s website and checking whether it ships to New York. The Comet app also has a built-in ad blocker like the desktop version.

Perplexity’s competition in the browser space extends beyond Google, the incumbent in online search. Microsoft has also incorporated its Copilot assistant into its Edge browser on desktop and mobile in the past year. And executives from OpenAI said last week that it’s exploring what a mobile version of the Atlas browser would look like.