Perplexity made headlines by making its AI-powered browser, Comet, free for all users, previously requiring a paid subscription.
OpenAI is also planning its own AI browser to compete with Google Chrome.
With AI models evolving, browsers like Google’s Gemini 2.5 can handle complex tasks, signalling a new wave of AI browser competition.
Perplexity, “a free AI-powered answer engine that provides accurate, trusted, and real-time answers to any question,” made big waves last week as it announced that its AI-powered Browser, Comet, is now free for all users (it previously required a paid subscription).
OpenAI, an American artificial intelligence (AI) organisation, is also slated to launch its own browser to compete with the market leader, Google Chrome, although it is not yet available.
The humble browser is the medium that is capturing the attention of all the new-age AI companies. With AI models ever evolving, more complex tasks can be handled on your behalf. Having a one-stop browser for all things AI is a no-brainer, and it also helps with data collection for the company.
In fact, Google is previewing a new Gemini AI model that navigates and interacts with the web via a browser. Gemini 2.5 Computer Use, as the model is called, uses “visual understanding and reasoning capabilities” and can analyse users’ requests. It can perform tasks such as filling out and submitting a form.
The AI bubble is a juggernaut that just can’t be stopped. With that said, let’s take a look at the AI browser wars that are just begging to boil. As some say, these browsers may “fundamentally change how consumers browse the web”.
1. Comet from Perplexity
To compete with Google and its Chrome browser is no mean feat. Nonetheless, Perplexity is the latest in a line of browsers trying to unseat Chrome from its throne. In fact, Perplexity had offered to buy Chrome outright for $34.5 billion. While that didn’t pan out, it did throw open its AI-powered Chromium-based web browser, Comet, for anyone and everyone—no more subscription-based access.
Perplexity’s answer engine is at the core of Comet. Essentially, you can type a question into the address bar and it’ll instantly generate a Perplexity AI summary along with links to various sources. Furthermore, you can bring up a Perplexity-powered search and summary. You can even summarise YouTube videos and ask follow-up questions. This summary feature applies to a variety of things.
Last, but not least, Comet also comes with agentic capabilities. Agentic AI “uses sophisticated reasoning and iterative planning to autonomously solve complex, multi-step problems,” according to a blog on Nvidia’s website. Prompt Comet to “take control of my browser,” and it will make purchases and book reservations on your behalf.
Availability: Available on both Windows and macOS without any invite or subscription.
2. Dia from The Browser Company
Atlassian, the conglomerate behind workplace-productivity software including Jira and Trello, recently acquired the Browser Company for over six hundred million dollars. At the core of The Browser Company’s offerings is an AI-powered web browser called Dia. Before Dia, The Browser Company had launched Arc, which it has now abandoned.
Dia has a sidebar chatbot that is a hub for all the AI features, including many that I already mentioned above. Dia also takes notes from across your tabs for research assistance and comparison shopping.
The Browser Company’s very own chatbot can be interacted within every open tab on the Dia browser. You can search, compare, get answers to, and have all the information you need about the content displayed on the pages. There’s even an in-line copy editor, and it can summarise text. Dia also has a feature called Skills, which allows you to invoke a command repeatedly.
Availability: The Browser Company’s Dia is now available on Mac (a Mac with an M1 chip or later running macOS 14 or later) with no invite needed.
3. Neon from Opera
Just last week, Opera launched its AI-centric browser Neon. This one can create apps through AI prompts. You can also create repeatable prompts. These are called “Cards”.
“We built Opera Neon for ourselves — and for everyone who uses AI extensively in their day-to-day. Today, we’re welcoming the first users who will help shape the future of agentic browsing with us,” said Krystian Kolondra, EVP Browsers at Opera, in a statement.
Neon is available, via invite, for a fee of $19.99/month. Besides the built-in chatbot, there is an agentic feature called Neon Do that helps get your tasks done. There’s also a feature called ‘Tasks’, which are contained workspaces of AI chats and tabs.
Availability: Via invite and a monthly fee of $19.99.
4. Brave Leo AI browser
Brave, known for being a staunch privacy protector, has its Leo AI integrated into the browser. Brave is built on Chromium, with a privacy-focused approach. It can block trackers, annoying ads, and help your pages load faster and look neat and clean. Brave is also fighting the fight against fingerprinting (where websites identify you based on screen size, fonts installed, and many other details). Brave randomises all your information, so it appears as if you’re a different person on each visit.
Brave has its Leo AI integrated into the browser. Again, it’s another AI assistant that interacts with all your tabs without sending your data anywhere. Leo AI can summarise articles and draft emails, and it’s easy to access the chatbot by clicking the Leo icon in the sidebar. Furthermore, Leo works with your Google Drive files and PDFs to understand and extract key points, answering all your questions. The only downside is that Leo AI isn’t an agentic AI. Hence, it can’t fill forms on your behalf. Leo AI is also limited to the boundaries of your current page.
Availability: There is a free version with lower usage limits. There’s also Brave Leo AI Premium ($20/month) that comes with more models, higher usage limits and early access to new features. It’s available on macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android.
5. DuckDuckGo's Duck.ai
Another privacy-focused browser, DuckDuckGo has its Duck.ai integrated into the browser. This one isn’t built on AI, but it’s an AI-enhanced browser, and still deserves a spot on this list. With Duck.ai, you can choose from multiple chatbots—OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Mistal— and get all the same perks as above, sans the agentic AI stuff.
Availability: Duck.ai is free (with a daily limit) on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.
6. Fellou
According to the company, the world’s first agentic browser is Fellou CE (Concept Edition). It’s being billed as an AI-native productivity platform. It can execute multi-step workflows across web pages, desktop and web applications and local files.
Availability: Fellou CE is available for download from their website.
The AI-browser wars are only heating up. There’s also Microsoft and its brand-new Copilot Mode for Edge, which is an opt-in experiment at the moment. Expect this place to blow up in the coming weeks and remain there until the AI bubble bursts. While the agentic AI-based browsers have an edge, it remains to be seen if they can actually outperform traditional AI browsers with their extra features.
