Can AI Browsers Like Perplexity Comet Replace Google Chrome?

A clear comparison between the new Perplexity Comet AI browser and Google Chrome, looking at features, privacy, performance and whether AI browsers can replace traditional ones.

Google Chrome has dominated web browsing for well over a decade, but 2025 marks the first time serious AI-first browsers have emerged as true competitors. The free launch of the Perplexity Comet browser has prompted many users to ask whether a new generation of AI-assisted tools could finally challenge Chrome’s position. This article compares both approaches and looks at how far AI browsers can go — and where they still fall short.

What Makes Perplexity Comet Different?

Comet is built around AI from the ground up rather than treating it as an optional add-on. Its features focus on understanding pages, reducing manual searching and speeding up research-heavy tasks.

Built-in assistant that can read and summarise entire webpages.
Context-aware browsing, allowing the AI to understand what you’re trying to accomplish.
Autonomous search-and-compare tasks: “find the best option,” “summarise opinions,” or “explain this page.”
Minimalistic interface designed to reduce distractions.

For users who spend a lot of time reading, learning or gathering information, Comet offers a fundamentally different workflow from traditional browsers.

Chrome’s Strengths — and Its Limitations

Chrome remains powerful for reasons that AI browsers cannot yet match.

Massive extension library and unmatched site compatibility.
Excellent performance and stability across all platforms.
Strong integration with Google services, passwords and cloud tools.
AI features via Gemini, including writing aid and webpage summarisation.

However, Chrome’s weaknesses are increasingly visible:

High memory usage on older machines.
Less transparency around data use, with advertising at its core.
AI features feel bolted on rather than native to the browsing experience.

Privacy and Data Handling: A Key Differentiator

One of the biggest concerns for users adopting AI browsers is how their browsing data is processed.

Chrome: operates within Google’s advertising ecosystem, raising ongoing privacy questions.
Comet: emphasises transparency around queries, page processing and training data policies.

Neither browser eliminates data exposure entirely — AI processing often requires page content to be sent to servers — but users who prioritise transparency may find Comet’s approach more aligned with their expectations.

Performance and Reliability

A major question is whether AI browsers can match Chrome’s stability.

AI processing demands more system resources, especially on older hardware.
Comet’s features rely heavily on cloud inference, which can introduce small delays.
Chrome remains the fastest in raw page loading and tab performance.
AI browsers are still maturing; early versions may show occasional instability.

For everyday browsing, Chrome retains a performance lead. For research workflows, Comet may save time despite small delays.

Who Benefits Most From an AI Browser?

AI browsers are designed for specific user groups rather than the general population.

Students who want page summaries and research shortcuts.
Writers and journalists who need quick information synthesis.
Professionals who multitask across many tabs for research.
Users who prefer “explain this” over manual searching.

If your browsing activity is mainly social media, shopping and email, Chrome or Safari may still feel more intuitive.

Where AI Browsers Still Fall Short

AI summaries can introduce mistakes or omit crucial context.
Extension support is limited compared with Chrome’s ecosystem.
Security considerations around AI-generated actions are still evolving.
Long-term pricing models remain unclear for advanced features.

AI browsers offer powerful features but are not yet complete replacements for full-featured traditional browsers.

Will AI Replace Traditional Browsers?

Not immediately — but the shift has started. Chrome is unlikely to lose dominance quickly due to its ecosystem, performance and user familiarity. However, AI browsers represent the first meaningful structural change to how people navigate the web since the rise of mobile browsing.

Over time, browsing may split into two modes:

Task-based browsing: handled by AI browsers like Comet.
General browsing: handled by Chrome, Safari or Firefox.

The winner may not be a single browser but rather a hybrid workflow where AI tools complement — rather than replace — traditional browsing.

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