Opera Aria vs Perplexity AI: Which AI browser is right for you in 2025?

AI is starting to completely shake up how we use the internet. We're quickly moving past the old days of just typing keywords into a search bar and hoping for the best. The web browser itself is evolving from a simple window to the web into a smart assistant that can do the heavy lifting for us, whether that’s researching, summarizing, or even taking action.

Two of the big players in this new space are Opera Aria and Perplexity AI, but they come at it from two totally different directions. If you're trying to figure out which one makes sense for your daily grind, you're in the right place. This guide is a straight-up, head-to-head comparison to help you decide which AI tool is the one for you.

What are AI browsers?

Let's make sure we're on the same page. A regular browser is a passive tool; you tell it where to go, and it takes you there. An AI browser, which you might hear called an "agentic browser," is an active, intelligent partner. It doesn't just show you information; it actually understands it.

Think of it as the next logical step up from chatbots like ChatGPT. Instead of you having to bounce between tabs, copying and pasting information, an AI browser can:

• Figure out what you’re trying to do, not just the exact words you type.

• Handle automated tasks, like boiling down a 50-page report, comparing products across a dozen sites, or even booking a table for dinner.

• Pull information from multiple sources and stitch it together into a single, easy-to-read answer.

It’s all about turning your browser from a dumb window into a co-pilot that helps you get things done faster.

What is Opera Aria?

Opera Aria is the free, built-in AI assistant that comes with the Opera browser. It’s designed to be a helper that’s always there when you need it, without you ever having to leave your tab.

Its biggest selling point is pure convenience. Aria hangs out in the browser's sidebar, ready to pop up with a quick keyboard shortcut. You can ask it to summarize the page you’re looking at, explain a term you've highlighted, or help you bang out a quick email. It also has some handy tools for generating text and images, making it useful for creative tasks.

Since it’s completely free and you don’t even need an account, Aria is great for casual users who want a bit of AI help without any fuss. It's best for quick lookups, getting the gist of a long article, and whipping up some text on the fly.

What is Perplexity AI?

Perplexity AI started out as a "conversational search engine" and has quickly grown into a real powerhouse for research and getting stuff done. Unlike a regular search engine that just throws a list of links at you, Perplexity’s goal is to give you a direct, accurate answer, complete with footnotes so you can see exactly where it got its information.

With the release of its browser, Perplexity Comet, it has gone all-in on agentic AI. This means it can handle some seriously complex, multi-step requests. You’re not just asking it for facts; you’re asking it to do things for you.

A few key features really make it stand out for serious work:

• Cited Answers: Every single response is backed by sources. This is a huge deal for anyone doing actual research, from students to professionals.

• Agentic Capabilities: The Comet browser can actually interact with websites on your behalf, like finding a few products and adding them to a shopping cart for you.

• Deep Research: You can upload your own files, like PDFs, for it to analyze, or use its "Focus" feature to limit your search to specific places like academic journals, Reddit, or YouTube.

Perplexity is built for people who need a reliable and powerful tool to dig deep into subjects and automate the tedious parts of their work.

Opera Aria vs Perplexity AI: A head-to-head comparison

So, how do these two really measure up when you put them side-by-side? Let's break it down by the features that actually matter.

Search and answer quality

This is where you can really see the fundamental difference between the two tools.

Perplexity AI is in its element here. Its whole reason for existing is to give you well-structured, accurate answers with direct citations. You never have to wonder where the info came from. And because its Pro plan uses advanced models like GPT-4 and Claude 3, the quality of its answers is consistently top-notch. It’s a tool you can actually rely on for serious research.

Opera Aria, on the other hand, feels more like a general chatbot. It can pull in real-time information from the web, which is great, but it doesn't provide any citations. This makes it less trustworthy for anything more than casual curiosity. Some have pointed out that it can sometimes miss the context of the page you're on, giving you a generic answer instead of a specific summary.

Agentic capabilities and task automation

"Agentic" is the big buzzword right now, and it just means the AI’s ability to take action for you.

Perplexity AI is the clear leader here. Its Comet browser is genuinely agentic. You can give it a command with multiple steps like, "Find me three high-protein vegan dinner recipes and add the ingredients to my Instacart shopping list," and it can actually go and do that. This is what the future of browsing looks like, letting the AI handle all the boring clicking and typing.

Opera Aria just doesn't have these kinds of skills. Its automation is limited to simple things within the browser itself, like organizing your tabs. It can't jump between different websites, fill out forms, or complete a purchase for you.

User experience and integration

Sometimes, the tool you end up using the most is the one that's easiest to get to.

Opera Aria has a huge advantage with its seamless integration. It’s always just a click away in the Opera sidebar. This ridiculously easy access makes it perfect for asking quick questions and getting summaries without interrupting your workflow. You're in the browser, and so is the AI. Simple as that.

Perplexity AI offers a different, but equally great, user experience. Its interface is clean and minimal, designed to cut out distractions so you can focus on your research. It’s also flexible. You can use it as a web app, a mobile app, or its own dedicated browser (Comet), so it can fit into your workflow however you like.

Pricing and plans

Money talks. Here's how the two compare on price.

Opera Aria is 100% free. It’s baked into the Opera browser, and there are no usage caps, subscriptions, or paid upgrades for its AI features.

Perplexity AI uses a freemium model.

• Free Plan: The free version is pretty generous. You get a good number of searches with Perplexity's own model and a few "Pro" searches, which tap into more powerful models like GPT-4.

• Pro Plan ($20/month or $200/year): This gets you unlimited Pro searches, the ability to upload and analyze files, API access, and all the latest AI models.

Privacy and data handling

How your data gets used is a big deal, especially with AI tools that can see what you're browsing.

Perplexity AI’s CEO has been pretty upfront about their approach: they use browsing data to build better user profiles and deliver a more personalized experience. While that can mean more relevant answers, it's a trade-off that might make privacy-focused users think twice.

Opera Aria is part of the privacy-minded Opera browser, which comes with tools like a free VPN and an ad blocker. That said, when you use Aria, your questions are still sent to third-party partners (like Google for its Gemini models) to be processed, so your data does leave your device.

Opera Aria vs Perplexity AI: Which AI assistant should you choose?

After putting them head-to-head, the right choice really boils down to what you need an AI for.

Choose Opera Aria if: you're a casual user who already likes the Opera browser. It’s the perfect sidekick if you want a free, super convenient AI for quick questions, fast summaries, and generating text without needing to sweat the details like citations or complex tasks.

Choose Perplexity AI if: your work or studies depend on research. It’s the better option by a mile if you need accurate, sourced answers and want to play around with agentic AI that can actually do things for you. For power users, the Pro plan is well worth the investment.

Here’s a quick summary table to make it even clearer:

Feature	Opera Aria	Perplexity AI
Primary Use Case	Convenient, integrated AI assistant	Powerful research & answer engine
Citations	No	Yes
Agentic Tasks	No	Yes (with Comet browser)
Pricing	Free	Freemium ($20/mo for Pro)
Integration	Native to Opera browser sidebar	Web app, mobile app, full browser
Privacy Focus	Moderate (browser features)	Low (data used for personalization)

Beyond the Opera Aria vs Perplexity AI debate: Bringing agentic AI to your business

While Opera Aria and Perplexity are great for navigating the public internet, they run into a brick wall when it comes to business. Their knowledge stops where your company's private information begins. They can't securely access your internal knowledge base to answer the specific questions your team and customers have every single day.

For instance, a customer support agent can't ask Perplexity, "What's the status of order #12345?" and an employee can't ask Aria, "Where can I find our latest security policy?" These tools just don't have access to your internal world.

This is where a specialized platform like eesel AI steps in. It’s not an AI browser; it's an AI platform built from the ground up to understand your business's unique knowledge.

• It connects all your scattered knowledge: eesel AI securely plugs into the tools your team already uses, like your past Zendesk tickets, Confluence pages, Google Docs, and Slack chats. It learns from your data to create an AI that knows your business inside and out.

• You can go live in minutes: Forget about long sales calls and complicated setup projects. eesel AI has one-click integrations, so you can get an AI agent working over your helpdesk in minutes, not months, without having to change the tools you already have.

• You're always in control: With eesel AI, you get to call the shots. You can use its powerful simulation mode to test exactly how the AI will respond to thousands of your past tickets before it ever talks to a live customer. You can start small, automating just one or two simple topics, and then expand as you see how well it works.

Get started with AI that works for your team

Consumer AI browsers like Opera Aria and Perplexity are making a real difference in personal productivity. But when it comes to your business, you need a solution that’s secure, customizable, and actually understands your internal world.

eesel AI connects directly to your existing workflows and knowledge to give instant, accurate, and trustworthy answers to your customers and your team.

Ready to stop answering the same questions over and over again? Try eesel AI for free and see how you can automate your support in a matter of minutes.