Two of the world’s leading AI startups, OpenAI and Perplexity, this week launched their own AI‑powered web browsers in a direct challenge to Google Chrome’s two‑thirds share of the global market.
Perplexity rolled out Comet to subscribers of its premium Perplexity Max plan, while OpenAI confirmed it will debut its own Chromium‑based browser in the coming weeks.
Comet, which hit the browsers of Perplexity’s $200‑a‑month subscribers on Wednesday, embeds the company’s AI search engine as the default navigation tool and features a built‑in assistant, Comet Assistant that can summarize emails, manage tabs and execute tasks via a side‑panel interface.
Comet and OpenAI Browser
Comet promises enterprise‑grade performance while preserving user privacy. Perplexity says it does not use personal data to train its models and stores most information locally. The browser also incorporates “store‑and‑forward” relays and plans to add Wi‑Fi Direct support to boost range and bandwidth, enabling offline‑first messaging akin to the mesh‑network tools used by Hong Kong protesters in 2019.
OpenAI’s impending launch, reported by Reuters, will similarly keep users within a ChatGPT‑like chat window for tasks such as booking reservations and filling out forms, rather than redirecting them to external sites.
Built on Google’s open‑source Chromium engine, the same codebase that powers Chrome, Edge and Opera, OpenAI’s browser is designed to integrate its Operator AI agent, giving the company new avenues to collect browsing‑behavior insights.
With Chrome accounting for over three billion users, OpenAI aims to leverage its 400 million weekly active ChatGPT base to establish an alternative browsing ecosystem that marries search, automation and chat in one interface.
Chrome’s Challengers
Google’s Chrome browser, commanding over two-thirds of the global market with more than three billion users, underpins the search giant’s advertising empire by harvesting user data to deliver targeted ads.
A recent US District Court ruling declared Google a monopolist in search, citing an 89% market share and highlighting how Chrome’s default status on devices further entrenches that dominance. In response, both OpenAI and Perplexity have launched AI-powered browsers built on Chromium, positioning themselves as viable alternatives.
Both products arrive amid intensifying scrutiny of Google’s dominance in search and browsing. Perplexity and OpenAI have each signaled interest in acquiring Chrome should antitrust actions force Google to divest, underscoring the strategic value of browser distribution.
Meanwhile, traditional news outlets such as Forbes and The Wall Street Journal have accused Perplexity of repurposing their content without consent, prompting the company to launch a publisher-partnership program.
