We believe there are better options available in this category, read below to learn what this software does well, and what they could do better. ⤵
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A browser for agentic search by Perplexity.
Comet Browser is an AI-native browser created by the team over at Perplexity, who has been shaking up the search space. The main differentiator with Comet is that their Comet Assistant is at the core, which gives us a taste of what's coming with the coined term "Agentic Browsing". All that really means is that the assistant not only searches with more context and interacts with your tabs, but it actually clicks around the web for you.
Out of all the AI browsers, I trust Comet the most for deep research where I actually need factual information. The reason is because Comet is the most connected to the internet and it gives you clear citations of where it gets it's information from (while ChatGPT can make things up sometimes). So if I am looking for facts, data, sources, I always open up Comet.
Not to mention, I love Comet's Android browser. I can actually use the AI Assistant on mobile, it can look for promo codes (so I can finally shop on my phone), and agent mode works on the phone too 🤯 It has immediately become my main browser on my phone. It's not available for iOS yet, only Android.
Comet Browser’s agent mode is completely free, unlike other AI browsers where you need to be on a paid plan to unlock agent capabilities so even if it doesn't become your one and only browser, it's incredibly handy to have on your devices (click here to grab it).
Comet's built-in assistant is what sets it apart from all the best browsers we've covered. It handles the new table-stakes well, with Perplexity at the core, so all the usual search and research functionality is handled.
It can also interact with open tabs, allowing you to essentially target your search and research to a more specific dataset to what you're looking into. But Dia can do this as well, so it's not particularly standout in a browser.
But what does set it apart is Comet gives us the first actual glance at what this coveted "Agentic Browsing" experience actually is, in a non-technical, actually user-friendly way.
What does this mean? Well it can connect into your calendar and email to tell you about important emails (cool, like Google Assistant, right?), but most impressively it can even navigate the web for you.
I'm saying that you can ask it to do things, and it will actually navigate around the page your on, open new pages when needed, and take action as if it's a human you're asking to do something for you.
With all of that said, moving into the browser space is incredibly difficult, but there is something incredibly interesting about this new wave of AI browsers, and we're totally here for the browser space to finally evolve.
Shift is the desktop app for streamlining and collaborating across accounts and workflows.
Shift is a tool that I've tried incredibly hard to like over the past 7+ years. The day I first found it, I was so stoked with it, until learning that it didn't have all of the Chromium extension support.
They've since made major strides on that front and have most extensions now supported, but it's beginning to feel a bit like a relic from the past, and pales in comparison to that of the more recent entrants into the space like Arc Browser and SigmaOS. In-fact, comparing Shift alongside Sidekick Browser and you'll be sure to confuse them with one another.
I just have a tough time recommending them at this point, they really just allow for your favorite apps to be pinned on the sidebar and easy account switching with some quick action features.
They'd like to focus on the productivity users, but we feel like you can get most of the positives of Shift in your existing browser by utilizing a tool like Workona or Toby.
If you're unwilling to install a new browser, stopping to use your beloved Chrome, Safari, or Firefox, well, you'd be hard-pressed to even give this browser a shot. We just don't feel like it innovates enough to actually take over your primary browser replacement, especially when looking at Shift vs Arc Browser for example.
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