Comet went free, and most people missed it
Perplexity's AI browser Comet launched behind a $200 a month Max subscription. That paywall is gone. Comet is now free on macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS, no account required just to download it, and no subscription needed to use it as your daily browser. If you wrote Comet off last year as a rich person's toy, it's worth a second look.
What you actually get for free
The core browser is not a trial. Regular browsing, the built-in Perplexity search sidebar, and everyday AI assistance work without hitting a paywall or a nag screen. Where the free tier gets tight is agentic tasks: things like filling out forms, drafting emails, booking travel, or running a multi-step research task across several tabs. Those pull from a credit pool, and the free allocation is small enough that heavy agent use will bump into rate limits fast. Ask Comet to research five competitor pricing pages and assemble a comparison table, and on the free tier it may stall or time out partway through.
Free vs paid, side by side
| Free | Perplexity Pro ($20/mo) | Perplexity Max ($200/mo) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core browsing + sidebar search | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Agentic tasks (forms, bookings, email) | Limited credits | More headroom | Highest limits |
| AI model access | Standard | Faster/more capable models | Priority + early features |
| Comet Plus (premium publisher content) | Not included ($5/mo standalone) | Included | Included |
| Background assistant | No | No | Yes |
Is it actually worth switching from Chrome?
For everyday browsing, yes, there's no real downside since the free tier isn't crippled the way most "free" AI products are. The catch shows up the moment you lean on it as an agent rather than a browser: anyone trying to automate real workflows, like batch-processing emails or running unattended research tasks, will find the free credit pool runs out quickly and pushes you toward Pro or Max. If you're already paying for [Perplexity Pro](https://questloops.com/blog/how-to-get-perplexity-pro-for-free-in-2026-what-still-works), Comet Plus comes bundled at no extra cost, which makes the browser an easy add rather than a new expense.
The honest limitation: Comet's agent features still lag behind what power users expect from a "browser that does things for you." Multi-step tasks are the part still gated behind a subscription, and free-tier users report the assistant pausing or asking for confirmation more often than paid users do. Treat the free version as a genuinely good browser with AI search built in, and treat the agent automation as a paid feature you're sampling, not one you're getting for free.
