Perplexity has confirmed that its AI-powered web browser Comet will finally come to the iPhone in March 2026. Expect to have to make significant in-app purchases to maybe make it better than Safari.
The browser, which is already available to Mac users, is available for preorder from the App Store. However, while the iPhone version is set to release on March 11, the iPad version doesn't appear to be ready just yet.
While Comet can be used to browse the web just like Safari and other browsers, Perplexity believes its built-in AI makes its app more powerful. Users will be able to open a webpage and ask Perplexity's AI questions around its content, ask for a summary, and more.
By having an AI available within the browser itself, Perplexity says users can enjoy a unified search experience and get instant context about results. The browser will also adapt, Perplexity says, allowing it to learn how users interact with the browser and help them stay organized as a result.
All of this will "turn curiosity into momentum," Comet's App Store page says. But we'll need to see the iPhone version of Comet in action before we can get a feel for what that actually means.
However, it's clear that Perplexity sees Comet as a tool for research and learning, rather than browsing social media or watching cat videos on YouTube.
More than just a browser
Being able to ask AI to interpret a webpage, search for more information, and then summarize everything from a web browser could streamline all kinds of workflows. The App Store page also makes reference to having the AI shop and schedule things, suggesting Comet could be used to perform tasks rather than regurgitate webpages.
The idea is clear, to turn the browser into more than somewhere we read webpages. With Comet, Perplexity surely hopes people will ditch Safari and use the app full time to get the most out of its features.
On the Mac, Comet is based on Google's Chrome and looks and behaves like it. That means you can import your Chrome extensions and bookmarks to get started.
Perplexity's App Store screenshots don't give us a good look at the iPhone app, unfortunately. We'll have to wait and see how the Mac experience has been shrunk down for the smaller screen and whether that impacts usability.
What we do know is that Comet will allow downloaders to choose which AI their browser uses. Models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and others are all available, allowing users to choose their preferred AI to work with.
Free with IAP
Like the Mac version, Comet for iPhone will be a free download, but Perplexity Pro and Max subscriptions will be available via in-app purchase, ranging from $4.99 to $200.
Perplexity Pro subscribers get access to the latest AI models more suited to complex questions and workflows. The AI will also use deeper sourcing, including financial and scientific data.
Upgrading to Perplexity Max adds priority access to new features, support for running AI-powered deep investigations, and access to the most advanced AI reasoning models.
Apple was previously rumored to be pondering a buyout of Perplexity in an attempt to fix its subpar Siri and Apple Intelligence experiences. The company ultimately signed a deal to use Google's Gemini model instead.
