Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas jabs at Google as $200 Comet browser goes free: ‘O hey hi Chrome!’
Perplexity AI has opened up its Comet browser to everyone, dropping the $200-per-month paywall that once limited access to its powerful features. The announcement was made by CEO Aravind Srinivas on X on Friday, where he also slipped in a lighthearted remark aimed at Google Chrome.
Quoting a post from an X user Walter Bloomberg that reported on the move, Srinivas wrote: “O hey hi @googlechrome.”
The rollout means Comet, previously restricted to Pro and Max subscribers, can now be downloaded by free users as well. Srinivas confirmed this in another tweet: “Comet is now generally available to download for everyone (free, Pro and Max users)!”
On Thursday, Srinivas also unveiled Comet Plus, a new subscription plan designed for both humans and AI systems to access premium news content. He announced that The Washington Post, CNN, Condé Nast (The New Yorker, Wired, Vogue), Fortune, Le Monde, and others have signed on as launch partners. Notably, Comet Plus will be included at no extra cost for existing Perplexity Pro and Max subscribers.
By removing the premium barrier and securing high-profile publishing partnerships, Perplexity is positioning itself as a more direct rival to Chrome, offering not just web browsing but also integrated AI-driven search and curated news access. While Srinivas’ quip came across as playful, it underscores the startup’s ambitions to carve out space in a market long dominated by Google.
Key features of Comet browser
Comet comes with an AI-powered sidebar (accessible with Alt + A) that stays docked on any webpage. The assistant can interpret the content you’re viewing and respond to queries. It can break down articles, explain complex ideas, and even interpret images. Beyond that, it links information from different tabs, enabling comparisons across pages. It can also carry out tasks like drafting emails, arranging meetings, completing purchases, filling out forms, and navigating sites on its own.
For quick overviews, a one-click summarisation tool (Alt + S) is available on every page. It can generate concise summaries of long-form text, video transcripts, PDF files, or social media posts.
Users can also switch to voice mode (Shift + Alt + V), allowing them to operate the browser entirely by speaking, whether that is for searching, moving between tabs, or browsing without using a keyboard.
