Perplexity’s Comet AI browser now free; Max users get new ‘background assistant’ (techcrunch.com)

Perplexity announced that its Comet AI browser is now free worldwide, expanding access to the sidecar assistant that joins you while you browse to answer questions, summarize pages, manage content and navigate sites. Comet launched three months ago to Max subscribers ($200/month) and drew “millions” to its waitlist; free users retain the sidecar plus tools like Discover, Spaces, Shopping, Travel, Finance and Sports. Paid tiers add capabilities: Pro ($20/month) brings advanced models, image/video generation and file analysis; Max includes higher-performance models, an email assistant (drafting, prioritizing, scheduling) and early access to new features. Comet Plus, an AI-curated news product, will be available as a $5/month add-on or included for Pro/Max users. The biggest technical move is Max’s new “background assistant”: an agentic, multi-tasking system described as a “team of assistants” that runs tasks in the background, interacts with other apps via upgraded connectors, reports progress on a central dashboard and alerts you to intervene when needed. That capability signals a shift from passive query assistants to autonomous workflow agents embedded in the browser — potentially a major productivity win if reliability, permissions and integrations hold up. It also raises security and privacy considerations around app connectors and automated actions. Perplexity’s challenge is proving tangible, dependable gains against incumbents (Chrome) and rivals (Dia, forthcoming OpenAI browser) to convince users to switch.