Perplexity’s Comet Browser just made Google Chrome look boring

If you’ve ever been that person who has 30 Chrome tabs open just to keep researching sneakers, comparing phone specs or finding the best deal on biryani kits, you’ll know the struggle is real. Enter Comet , Perplexity’s new AI browser making waves in India. It’s not just another browser; it behaves more like an assistant who knows exactly how annoyed you are with tab overload, slow searches, and missing emails because you’re lost in tab hell.

Comet officially started rolling out to Indian users on Mac and Windows from September 22, 2025, only those with a Pro subscription get access to it (Yes, “Pro” means you pay for it, unless you’re an Airtel user). Android users will get it later, you can pre-order via Google Play, though no exact date has been set yet. iOS users are still waiting in the wings.

So what’s this Comet fuss all about? What makes it more than just Chrome with a fresh coat of paint?

What sets Comet apart

First, Comet is built with a mindset that browsing shouldn’t feel like managing a zoo of tabs. The AI assistant is built in, so you can do things like compare products across e-commerce sites, summarize long articles, book meetings, convert any webpage into an email, and more , all without switching between apps, losing context, or forgetting what tabs you had open somewhere.

One cool thing: the sidebar (or assistant mode) watches what you’re doing in your open tabs and tries to help. It’s like that friend who when you’re reading up on multiple phones, suddenly tells you “Hey, this one gives better camera, that one has faster delivery.” Handy.

Comet also wants to cut down on the “hunt and peck” game: no more switching tabs to pull up emails, calendar events, or search results from five sites to figure something out. The idea is that your browser should understand your flow , like when you’re trying to get stuff done, it helps, rather than impedes.

Privacy and data handling are also part of Comet’s pitch. Perplexity claims a lot of browsing data stays more local, so in theory it avoids sending everything off somewhere you don’t control. Also, integration with existing extensions and settings is made easy , so your Chrome bookmarks, extensions, settings can come along without making you rebuild your entire browsing setup.

What it means for Indian GenZ

This feels like exactly the kind of tool GenZ in India needs. We’re constantly multitasking: juggling story-editing, assignment deadlines, shopping comparisons, binge-research for travel plans, all while trying not to drain phone battery or mental bandwidth. A browser that helps summarise stuff, automatically jumps between tasks, and reduces friction.

Also, price matters. The Pro subscription isn’t cheap, so for many, this will be a “premium upgrade” kind of thing. But if you’re someone who spends long hours online , content creator, student, remote worker, or simply someone who hates bouncing between apps , the time saved might justify the cost.

What to watch out for

Nothing’s perfect. Since it’s new, some quirks are expected. AI assistants sometimes misinterpret context. There might be privacy concerns, especially if some features require uploading content from webpages. Also, performance on less powerful machines might lag. Not everyone will want to pay for Pro just yet, and free-tier users will have to wait.

Also, we’ll have to see how well it adapts to Indian use cases , multilingual searches, local services, messy queues of Indian e-commerce sites, delivery timelines, etc. If it doesn’t localize well, “intelligence” might feel generic.

The bottom line

Comet isn’t just “another browser with a sidebar.” It’s a step toward browsing how many of us secretly wish we could: less clutter, more help, fewer distractions, and better productivity.

For GenZ in India, who live on multitasking, Zoom calls, WhatsApp tab chaos, and ever-growing shopping carts , this upgrade might be exactly what we didn’t know we needed. If you care about saving time, brainspace, and avoiding “where did I put that tab” crises, keeping an eye on Comet is a good move.

If the Pro features land well, Comet could shift how we think of web browsing , from “just click, search, hope for the best” to “slides through my work, finds results, handles the boring bits.” And who knows? One day, Chrome may feel like using a feature phone in a 5G world.