Perplexity Opens Its Comet AI Browser to All Users, Plans Mobile App and New Automation Tools

Perplexity Opens Its Comet AI Browser to All Users, Plans Mobile App and New Automation Tools

Key Takeaways

• Perplexity’s Comet AI browser—previously limited to $200-per-month Max subscribers—is now free and publicly accessible with no waitlist.
• The company is preparing a mobile version and expanding automation features like Background Assistants.
• New workflow tools, including an Email Assistant for Max users, point to a broader push into task automation.

Perplexity is making a calculated play in the AI productivity space by opening its Comet browser to the public, effectively ending the paywall and waitlist that restricted access to its top-tier Max plan. For a company that has bet the house on AI-first discovery, removing the $200-per-month barrier is a practical shift—more about distribution than hype. For business and technology teams evaluating AI tooling, this changes the adoption calculus immediately. The only friction point? The browser must be downloaded directly from Perplexity; it remains absent from Apple’s macOS App Store and the Microsoft Store for Windows.

Comet integrates Perplexity’s answer engine directly with core web browsing. That combination isn’t entirely new, but Perplexity claims the product has become its most requested release, noting it struggled to process the volume of invite requests. It’s a small detail, but it signals unmet demand: users are tired of AI sitting in a separate chat box. They want it embedded where their actual work happens.

Opening access also broadens Perplexity’s reach beyond the Max subscriber bubble. That early exclusivity created a scarcity effect, but it also prevented organizations from getting hands-on time. Now, teams can realistically test how an AI-native browser handles research-heavy roles, customer support workflows, or knowledge management without a procurement conversation first.

The company is also gearing up for mobile expansion. Perplexity says a forthcoming app will make Comet available "on any device," with a version tuned specifically for phones. The language implies support for both iOS and Android. For teams in sales, field operations, or research who rely on mixed-device workflows, a mobile extension is arguably the more critical development. It suggests Perplexity wants Comet to be a default interface for the web, not just a desktop utility for deep dives.

But availability is only the baseline. Perplexity is layering on automation features designed to run behind the scenes. The standout is "Background Assistants," described as AI agents that operate asynchronously to tackle tasks without user micromanagement. The company frames them as a digital support team that chips away at to-do lists while users focus on higher-value work.

It’s easy to see the application here—research compilation, competitor monitoring, or routine operational chores. However, Perplexity’s description leans into "curiosity turning into productivity." That is a trickier design challenge. Automating a defined process is straightforward; automating open-ended exploration often requires context that AI struggles to guess.

Perplexity isn’t starting from zero on workflow automation. Earlier this year, it rolled out an Email Assistant for Max subscribers, allowing users to carbon copy a thread to trigger automated handling—drafting replies, scheduling meetings, or gathering background info. It’s a smart design choice; instead of forcing users to learn a new command syntax, it piggybacks on a workflow everyone uses daily. Yet, it raises an obvious question for IT leaders: how comfortable are we letting an AI system ingest active email threads containing sensitive or contractual data?

The company hasn’t addressed that tension directly yet. But the sequencing—Email Assistant first, Background Assistants next—shows a pattern. Perplexity is building autonomous layers around existing communication flows rather than building separate islands. It’s a pragmatic strategy, particularly for B2B buyers who increasingly judge AI tools on integration friction rather than just raw model capabilities.

A mobile version of Comet will push this strategy further. Many AI productivity tools still assume a desktop-first workflow, ignoring that executives and distributed teams often operate primarily on phones. Whether Perplexity can translate its browsing and AI blend to a mobile UI—without turning it into a cramped chat window—will be the deciding factor. Mobile browsers are historically hard to disrupt; Apple and Google have spent years optimizing Safari and Chrome for touch targets and rendering speed. A purpose-built AI browser needs to offer significant workflow shortcuts to justify the switch.

This all aligns with a broader industry trend where AI applications are defining themselves less by "chat" and more by ambient automation. The term "Background Assistants" might sound aspirational, but it mirrors research from major players like Microsoft, which has explored similar asynchronous capabilities in its Copilot system evaluations. The market is signaling a preference for AI that works quietly, not just conversationally.

For now, Perplexity’s move simply makes its browser broadly accessible. But for B2B leaders, this shift raises practical considerations about governance, data handling, and workflow reshaping. AI embedded directly into browsing and communication layers tends to spread faster than expected once it’s in employees' hands. Removing the price and waitlist friction is just the first step in testing how deep that adoption can go.