It feels like we were all just getting the hang of talking to chatbots. Now, those same AI assistants are jumping out of their chat windows and right into our web browsers, promising to change how we find information, write, and get work done online. It’s happened fast, and two names are at the front of the pack: OpenAI's ChatGPT Atlas and Perplexity AI's browser, Comet.
On the surface, they look pretty similar. Both want to be your smart sidekick for the web. But when you start to poke around, you realize they have two completely different ideas about what that means. One wants to be your do-it-all creative partner, while the other is more like a personal, fact-checking librarian.
This guide will give you a straightforward look at their features, who they’re for, where they fall short, and what they cost. And while these tools are built for you and me, they also shine a big spotlight on the knowledge and automation headaches that businesses deal with every single day.
What is OpenAI’s ChatGPT Atlas?
ChatGPT Atlas is OpenAI’s vision for an AI-native browser. It’s designed to wrap the familiar ChatGPT experience around everything you do online. The goal isn’t just to tack a chatbot onto a sidebar; it’s to give you a conversational partner that follows you around the web, understanding the context of what you're looking at.
It's all about making browsing feel more like a conversation. You can get quick summaries of long articles, ask for help polishing an email right on the page, and it even has a memory that can recall past chats to help with new tasks (don't worry, you have full control over what it remembers).
The buzziest feature is its "Agent Mode," which is meant to let the browser take actions for you, like filling out a form or booking a flight. This trick is mostly saved for the paid plans. Atlas is currently only out on macOS, but OpenAI says versions for Windows, iOS, and Android are coming.
What is Perplexity AI (and Perplexity Comet)?
Perplexity AI got its start as an "answer engine," a tool built to give you direct, cited answers instead of just a list of links. Comet is the company’s full-blown AI browser, and it brings that same focus on accuracy and research into your daily browsing.
Where Atlas feels like a creative assistant, Comet is built to be a top-notch researcher. The whole point of Perplexity is that it shows its work. When you ask Comet a question, it doesn't just spit out an answer; it tells you exactly where it found the information, with links back to the original sources. This transparency is a huge deal for anyone who needs to be confident in the information they're using.
It has some neat features, like being able to compare info from different sources easily, and it works with most Chrome extensions right out of the box. It’s available on both Windows and macOS, so more people can access it from day one. Think of it less as a bot that does things for you and more like a super-smart librarian who helps you find, check, and understand information.
Core functionality: Conversational assistant vs research engine
Even though both browsers want to make you more productive, they take very different paths to get there. Nailing this difference is the key to figuring out which one is for you.
How they handle search and information
ChatGPT Atlas is built around a conversational search. You ask a question, and you get a classic ChatGPT answer. The old-school list of blue links almost feels like an afterthought.
Perplexity AI, on the other hand, is all about citations. It pulls answers from multiple live web sources and presents them with numbered links pointing directly to the original pages. This is fantastic if you're doing academic research, checking facts for an article, or just want to know that your information is solid. It's built on trust and verification.
Agentic capabilities and workflow automation
Both tools can perform tasks on your behalf, which is what people mean when they say "agentic." Atlas's "Agent Mode" can do things like book appointments, but you have to turn it on manually, and early tests show it can be a bit slow and sometimes gets confused.
Comet's automation feels a bit more natural, especially for research tasks like summarizing articles across several open tabs. It's designed to make your browsing and information-gathering flow more smoothly.
But here’s the catch for anyone thinking about this for their business: both of these are *personal* agents. You can't have an AI guessing how to process a customer order or handle an IT ticket based on what it learned from the public web. That's where a tool like eesel AI comes in, because it gives you total control. You can build your own custom workflows, set up specific actions (like looking up an order in Shopify), and even test everything in a simulation mode before it ever talks to a real customer.
Data privacy
Let's be real, any browser that can see everything you do online is going to make you think about privacy. Atlas lets you control what it remembers and set permissions for each website. Perplexity focuses on being transparent and even has built-in ad and tracker blocking.
The problem is, neither of them is built to handle your company's private, sensitive information. Using them for internal support or with customer data is a big risk. This is the complete opposite of a business-first platform like eesel AI, which was designed for security from the very beginning. It connects to your internal knowledge sources like Confluence, Google Docs, and old Zendesk tickets, never uses your data to train its general models, and has enterprise-level features to meet compliance needs.
Pricing: ChatGPT Atlas vs Perplexity AI
The way these tools are priced also says a lot about who they're for. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you'll be paying.
ChatGPT Atlas pricing
The Atlas browser itself is free to download. But its best features, especially the full "Agent Mode," are tied to paid ChatGPT subscriptions. So, if you're already paying for ChatGPT, you'll get more out of Atlas.
| Plan | Price (per month) | Key Features Unlocked for Atlas |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Basic browser and limited ChatGPT features |
| Plus | $20 | Expanded messaging, faster responses, Agent Mode (preview) |
| Pro | $200 | Unlimited messages, maximum deep research, expanded Agent Mode |
| Business | $25/user (annual) | All Plus features + company knowledge connectors, admin controls |
Perplexity AI pricing
The main Perplexity Comet browser is free. You can download it and use it for research without paying a dime. The paid plans are really for power users who need access to better AI models or just use it a lot.
| Plan | Price (per month) | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Core browser and search functionality |
| Pro | $20 | Access to more powerful AI models, unlimited file uploads, higher usage limits |
| Comet Plus | $5 | Premium content access for certain features |
Looking at these plans, it’s obvious they’re for individuals. For a business, eesel AI's pricing is a whole different ballgame. The biggest difference? No per-resolution fees. A lot of AI support tools charge you for every single ticket the AI closes, which leads to unpredictable bills that actually punish you for doing well. eesel AI’s clear plans are based on interaction volume, not ticket counts, so you can actually budget for it.
The verdict: Which should you use?
Alright, after all that, which browser should you actually use? It boils down to what you spend most of your time doing online.
Choose ChatGPT Atlas if…
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You’re already deep into the ChatGPT ecosystem and want that same experience everywhere.
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You mostly need help with AI-assisted writing, brainstorming ideas, and light automation like drafting emails.
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You like a polished, conversational vibe and don't need to triple-check your sources for everything you do.
Choose Perplexity AI if…
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Your day involves a lot of research, fact-checking, or learning about complex topics where sources really matter.
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You need fast, accurate answers that are pulled from the live web, not a static AI model.
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You want a tool that feels like a smart librarian, helping you find and trust what you read online.
Beyond personal browsers
The main takeaway here is pretty simple: ChatGPT Atlas is a workflow co-pilot, and Perplexity AI is an intelligent researcher. They're both powerful tools that give us a peek at the future of getting things done on the web.
But the problems they solve for individuals, like drowning in information and dealing with tedious tasks, are a hundred times bigger for businesses trying to manage customer support and internal knowledge. The answer for a company can't be a personal browser; it has to be a dedicated, secure platform you can actually control.
That's where eesel AI fits in. It isn't a browser, it's a platform built to fix these problems for entire teams. It brings all your scattered company knowledge into one place, automates support based on rules you set, and lets you get started in minutes, not months.
Ready to see how AI that's actually built for business can help? Get started with eesel AI and see how you can automate support and bring all your knowledge together.
Frequently asked questions
ChatGPT Atlas is designed as a conversational co-pilot for general browsing, assisting with writing and brainstorming. Perplexity AI, specifically Comet, focuses on being a research engine, providing direct, cited answers for factual verification.
Perplexity AI is better for research tasks. It excels at providing answers with clear, numbered citations linking back to original web sources, making it ideal for academic or fact-checking purposes.
While both offer agentic capabilities (Atlas's "Agent Mode" and Comet's research automation), they are primarily personal tools. Their ability to fully automate complex business workflows is limited and not designed for sensitive company data or critical operations.
Both tools offer privacy controls; Atlas lets you manage memory and site permissions, while Perplexity emphasizes transparency and includes ad/tracker blocking. However, neither is built to secure or manage a company's private, sensitive information.
ChatGPT Atlas's advanced "Agent Mode" is tied to paid ChatGPT subscriptions ($20/month for Plus). Perplexity AI's core browser is free, but its Pro plan ($20/month) offers access to more powerful AI models and higher usage limits.
No, neither ChatGPT Atlas nor Perplexity AI is recommended for business-critical internal knowledge management or customer support. They are personal browsers and lack the enterprise-level security, compliance, and custom control needed to handle sensitive company data effectively.
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Article by
Stevia Putri
Stevia Putri is a marketing generalist at eesel AI, where she helps turn powerful AI tools into stories that resonate. She’s driven by curiosity, clarity, and the human side of technology.
