Perplexity has released the Comet AI browser as a standalone app for iPhone, further expanding the rapidly growing portfolio of AI browsers within Apple's mobile ecosystem.
This launch follows the app's release on Android late last year and marks a significant shift in pricing: Comet, which launched on desktop in 2025 with a $200/month subscription fee, is now free on mobile devices. AI browsers are becoming increasingly popular, and many users will be excited about a good alternative to iOS's default Safari browser.
Why are AI browsers like Comet becoming so popular?
AI assistants help simplify research and everyday tasks.
Perplexity is an AI-powered search engine that combines web search with conversational answers. It scans trusted online sources in real time, summarizes key information, and provides citation-based answers. Designed for clarity and accuracy, Perplexity helps users quickly find, verify, and understand complex topics through concise, reliable explanations.
Comet combines a traditional browser with an AI assistant that can summarize pages, answer questions, and perform tasks on behalf of the user. This 'proactive' approach—where AI not only responds but also actively navigates, clicks, and completes actions—has become a standout feature in the highly competitive AI-enhanced browser landscape.
In long-term trials, Comet has proven compelling enough to replace traditional browsers for many everyday tasks, largely thanks to its tight integration of AI. Instead of acting as a sidebar chatbot, the assistant can interact directly with websites—filling out forms, managing tabs, summarizing videos, and even handling shopping processes or sorting emails.
That deep integration is also what sets it apart from competitors like Chrome or Edge, where AI features are often more supplementary than core. For research-intensive workflows, the ability to query multiple open tabs and summarize content instantly is always a highlight.
Privacy limitations and concerns
Automatic web browsing poses security risks, and iOS has some limitations.
However, this experience also has some limitations. Desktop users have reported performance lag when handling heavy workloads and a lack of some features compared to older browsers. And while Comet's automation capabilities are powerful, it also carries risks – its AI agents have shown they can be susceptible to scams or accepting unreliable information when operating automatically online.
On iOS, there are additional limitations. Due to Apple's platform restrictions, Comet does not support third-party extensions, which may limit its appeal to professional users. The app follows Apple's design language, incorporates Liquid Glass interface elements, and offers the ability to set it as the default browser.
Privacy remains a major concern. Perplexity has shown that browser data can be used to support targeted advertising, raising familiar questions about how willing users are to allow artificial intelligence (AI) access to their email, tabs, and browsing activity to automate tasks.
With its launch on iPhone, Comet is now available on iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS. An iPad-specific version hasn't been released yet, but with wider rollout, it will likely be available soon.
The bigger question is whether users are ready to give AI more control over their web browsing. Early indications suggest that, for the right workflows, tools like Comet may already be proving to be.