Details

  • Perplexity has launched public access to Comet, its chat-based personal AI assistant, after an 84-day closed beta period.
  • The waitlist attracted millions of users worldwide, signaling strong early interest in a blended search and assistance platform.
  • Comet integrates Perplexity's real-time web search with conversational task management, enabling users to ask questions, draft content, and browse links seamlessly within one interface.
  • The rollout is simultaneous on iOS, Android, and web, with existing beta users retaining their histories and settings.
  • A free tier remains, while a paid Pro plan includes increased query limits and quicker, customizable model responses.
  • User feedback during beta drove improvements to citation formatting, follow-up suggestions, and the addition of a privacy toggle that allows deletion of conversation logs.

Impact

The move intensifies competition with ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot, which often restrict feature access by region or paywall. By merging search and assistant functions, Comet highlights the market trend toward unified, multi-functional AI tools. Perplexity's emphasis on privacy and seamless cross-platform rollout could accelerate adoption and position the company as a prominent independent contender ahead of potential IPO or acquisition activity.