Perplexity Comet vs ChatGPT: The 2025 AI browser showdown

For a while now, we’ve been stuck talking to AI in a little box. We go to a website, type a question, and then copy and paste the answer somewhere else. But that’s all starting to feel a bit last-year. A new type of AI-powered browser is showing up, one that wants to be less of a chatbot and more of a co-pilot that actually understands what you're doing online.

The two names you’ll hear the most are Perplexity Comet and OpenAI's ChatGPT Atlas. Both are trying to completely change how we browse, research, and get work done. But even though they have a similar goal, they are very different tools built for different kinds of people. This guide will give you a straight-up comparison of Perplexity Comet vs ChatGPT, looking at what they can do, where they fall short, and whether they’re actually ready for real business work.

What is Perplexity Comet?

Think of Perplexity Comet as an "answer engine." It’s a browser built on Chromium, and its main job isn't to give you a list of links like Google, but to give you a direct answer to your question. The best part? It includes clickable citations, so you can see exactly where it got its information. This makes it a beast for anyone doing research or trying to fact-check something quickly.

It has a handy sidebar assistant (called Sidecar) that can help you with the page you’re on, and you can use "Focus Modes" to search only within specific places like academic journals, YouTube, or Reddit. It's a tool for people who need to find trustworthy info without opening a dozen tabs. Perplexity Comet is available for both Windows and macOS.

What is ChatGPT's agentic browser?

OpenAI’s browser, reportedly named Atlas, isn’t built from scratch. Instead, it’s a dedicated browsing environment with ChatGPT baked into everything you do. The idea is to make your browser an active workspace where AI can help you write, brainstorm ideas, or even handle multi-step tasks without you having to switch windows.

Atlas has an "Agent Mode" that can do things on its own, like filling out forms, clicking through websites, and summarizing info from several different tabs. It also has that familiar sidebar for chatting about what you’re seeing and can pull from your entire ChatGPT history to give you more personalized help. If you're already living in ChatGPT, Atlas is meant to feel like a natural next step. For now, though, it’s only available on macOS.

Core capabilities: Research brain vs. action hero

Even though we're calling them both "AI browsers," they really shine in different areas. Perplexity Comet is all about finding and checking information, while ChatGPT Atlas is focused on getting things done for you. Let's see how that plays out in the real world.

Research and pulling information together

When it's time to do some digging, Perplexity Comet is hard to beat. Its focus on citations is a huge deal for anyone who needs to be sure about their sources. Every answer is backed by a link, which is perfect for content creators, analysts, and students. The ability to use Focus Modes to search specific communities like Reddit or academic sites gives you a level of control that you just don't get with regular search engines.

ChatGPT Atlas is more of a synthesizer. It’s pretty good at giving you a quick summary of a long article or grabbing the main points from a webpage. It's useful when you're already in a creative groove inside the ChatGPT world and just need a quick fact. The problem is, its sources aren't always front and center, which can be a real issue when accuracy is everything.

Task automation and getting things done

This is where ChatGPT Atlas is supposed to blow everyone away. You’re meant to give it big commands like, "Find the three best-rated restaurants in downtown Austin and book a reservation for two on Friday." The reality, at least based on early tests, is a little less exciting. Users have called the experience slow and clunky, with one reviewer saying it was like "watching someone perform surgery with oven mitts." The AI agent can get tripped up by cookie banners, messy website layouts, and logins, making a simple task take forever.

Perplexity Comet has some of these "agentic" features too, but they're mostly aimed at research tasks, like finding and summarizing a bunch of sources into a single report.

Both tools show that while the idea of a general web assistant is cool, they often stumble when it comes to specific business tasks. For structured workflows like customer support, you need a tool built for that exact job. An AI agent from eesel AI, for example, connects right into your helpdesk to handle precise actions like [sorting tickets](https://www.eesel.ai/blog/what-is-an-ai-triage-tool-use-cases-benefits- and-alternatives) or finding order details. Those are jobs that need specialized knowledge, not just the ability to browse the web.

The hidden risks: Security and reliability

Beyond the flashy demos, trying to use these personal AI browsers for business brings up some serious risks that a lot of teams aren't thinking about. They’re roaming around the open internet, which opens the door to a whole new set of security problems.

Prompt injection and data security

The biggest weak spot in AI browsers is something called "prompt injection." Basically, a sneaky website can hide invisible instructions in its code that hijack the AI. Since the AI is logged into all your accounts with your permissions, it can be tricked into doing things you never asked for.

Just imagine an employee uses an AI browser to summarize a harmless-looking webpage. Hidden prompts could tell the agent to go into the company's Google Drive, find sensitive files, and email them to an attacker. This isn't just a theory; security researchers have already shown it's possible. These kinds of attacks get around all the traditional web security we've relied on for years, turning your friendly AI helper into a massive security hole.

Hallucinations, bias, and business mistakes

Let's be real, AI models still make stuff up. These "hallucinations" can be small errors or completely fabricated information. Comet’s citations help a lot with this, but there's still a chance that an AI could confidently tell a customer or a manager something that's just plain wrong.

On top of that, these agents can pick up and even amplify human biases. One test found that when asked to create a list of potential podcast guests from a LinkedIn network, ChatGPT's agent came back with a list that was almost all men. It accidentally copied a common unconscious bias. When you let an AI make decisions, you have to wonder whose biases it's learning from.

This is why personal AI browsers just don't cut it for business. They're built for the wild, untrusted web. In contrast, a tool like eesel AI works in a closed environment. It learns only from your company's own verified knowledge in places like Confluence or past support tickets. This makes sure every answer is accurate, sounds like your brand, and doesn't bring in the chaos of the public internet.

Pricing and accessibility

How you pay for these tools is just as different as what they do. Here’s a quick rundown of their costs and where you can use them.

Perplexity Comet pricing

Perplexity has a freemium model with a few different plans, so you can pick one that fits how much you'll use it.

• Free: You get the basic browser and search features but are limited on the more advanced stuff.

• Comet Plus ($5/mo): Unlocks access to some premium content sources.

• Pro ($20/mo): Gives you unlimited searches with Comet, access to better AI models like Claude 3 and GPT-4, and other pro features.

• Max ($200/mo): For the real power users, this tier includes advanced features like background agent workflows.

• Platforms: Available on both Windows and macOS.

ChatGPT Atlas pricing

Atlas is free to download, but its best features are behind the ChatGPT subscription paywall.

• Free: The browser itself is free and works with the free version of ChatGPT.

• ChatGPT Plus/Pro ($20/mo): You need this subscription to unlock the full "Agent Mode," which is what makes Atlas special. So, its value is really tied to your ChatGPT plan.

• Platforms: Right now, it’s only on macOS, but OpenAI says Windows and mobile versions are coming.

Feature	Perplexity Comet	ChatGPT Atlas
Primary Focus	Research & Verifiable Answers	Task Automation & Workflow
Best For	Researchers, Analysts, Writers	ChatGPT Power Users, Technologists
Key Strength	Source Citations & Accuracy	Deep integration with ChatGPT
Key Weakness	Less polished agentic actions	Slow, clunky workflows; Mac-only
Pricing Model	Freemium Tiers ($0-$200/mo)	Tied to ChatGPT plan ($0-$20/mo)
Platform Support	Windows & macOS	macOS only (currently)

The verdict: Which AI browser should your business use?

After comparing Perplexity Comet vs ChatGPT, it comes down to this: Comet is the smart researcher, while Atlas is the (sometimes slow) co-pilot. Comet is what you want when you need accurate, verifiable info, fast. Atlas is for people who are already all-in on the ChatGPT ecosystem and want to play around with automating tasks on the web.

But here’s the bigger question: are either of them actually right for your team?

For team-based work that needs to be secure and consistent, like customer service or internal helpdesks, these personal AI browsers are probably more trouble than they're worth. They don't have the central controls, security features, or audit logs that businesses need. You can't control what they learn, and you can't be sure they're acting in a way that aligns with your brand.

For teams, the answer isn’t a souped-up personal browser; it's a platform built for business from the ground up. eesel AI gives you a secure, central AI that connects to the tools you already use, like Zendesk, Slack, and Confluence. You have complete control over what it knows, what it can do, and how it sounds. You can even test it on thousands of past customer tickets in a simulation before it ever talks to a real person. It's not just about getting tasks done; it's about doing it safely and consistently.

From personal toys to business tools

Perplexity Comet and ChatGPT Atlas are an exciting step forward for personal AI. They give us a peek at a future where our browser is an active partner, not just a window. That said, they’re still new and have a long way to go in terms of reliability, speed, and security.

They are powerful tools for individuals, no doubt. But businesses need something more specialized, secure, and controllable to handle important work. The leap from a personal productivity hack to a reliable business system is a big one, and it means picking the right kind of AI for the job.

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