AI-powered search engine Perplexity says it’s building its own web browser.
In a post on X on Mondaythe company launched a signup list for the browser, which isn’t yet available. It’s unclear when it might be — or what the browser look like, even. But we do have a name: Comet.
“Just like Perplexity reinvented search, we’re also reinventing the browser,” a Perplexity spokesperson told TechCruch via email. “Stay tuned for updates.”
Perplexity’s browser will join a very crowded field, putting it mildly. Aside from incumbents like Chrome, there’s countless third-party alternative browsers out there. Many, like the upcoming Dia browser from The Browser Company, offer AI-powered features rivaling Perplexity’s own.
Perplexity may be betting that it can leverage its search engine user base to quickly ramp up and make some sort of a dent in the space with Comet.
Perplexity’s product portfolio is growing at a rapid clip. Just this month, the company released a “deep research” product to rival offerings from OpenAI, Google, and xAI. That followed on the heels of two big debuts in January: an AI-powered assistant for Android and an API for AI search.
Founded in 2022, Perplexity has reportedly raised over $500 million in capital from VCs and is said to be valued at $9 billion. The AI-powered search engine is performing over 100 million queries each week as it expands monetization efforts like its advertising program.
A thorn in Perplexity’s side, however, is its legal tussles with publishers. News Corp’s Dow Jones and the NY Post have sued Perplexity over what they describe as a “content kleptocracy.” Many other news sites have expressed concerns that Perplexity closely replicates their content — just in October, The New York Times sent the startup a cease and desist.
Perplexity, which offers a revenue-sharing program for outlets, has said that it respects publisher content.